Top 20 Reasons Why I Don’t Write
I don’t think I have anything to say
It feels scary to sit down
I feel overwhelmed by all the things I don’t remember about writing
I don’t have the energy to refresh my brain on the details of the story I’m working on
I’m not working on the “right” thing
It’s going to take way more energy than I have to make anything good
I’m not going to get anything “useful” done
My brain space is being taken up by my mental illness
I don’t have any ideas
I’m not inspired
I’m annoyed
I’m nervous it’ll never be done
I’m nervous that when it is done it won’t be any good
I’m nervous that even after I spend months writing and editing it it still won’t be done OR any good
I’m scared I’m not good enough
I’m scared I’ll never get the external validation I want (hello… traditional novel publishing?)
I’m scared that because my voice is sometimes quiet, that it isn’t worth sharing, it isn’t worth listening to
There’s something I need to write that feels too hard to uncover or work through
Everything sounds boring or silly or unimaginative (aka nothing is good enough)
My brain is stuck on a different experience that I need to process before I can write
Note: I did not list not having time, writers block, or hating writing as any of the reasons…
For a while I truly did not believe in the idea of writer's block that is often depicted in the movies, sitting down in front of a page day after day only to produce nothing at all. I believed that there was always something the writer needed to write and if they turned and faced that, and walked into it, then they would become unblocked. It was something in their creativity refusing to be ignored any longer and literally blocking the creative flow.
Sometimes that thing was fear, self doubt, an old wound, a pattern we’re stuck in, a hope that won’t stop itching. Oftentimes it’s no where near what I want to be writing about. In fact, when I want to be working on something but just can’t seem to make it happen, it tells me that I need to pause and see what is asking to be written. What do I need to be writing about?
I won’t say that I wholeheartedly 100% endorse this belief anymore. But I am not 100% on anything anymore, there’s so much gray in the world and exceptions to every rule. But I do believe that writer's block is everything in my list up there. It is every reason I convince myself to stay away from the page, from the stories, from the projects. It’s the fear and self doubt that are so commonplace to me that I don’t even notice they are there until I’ve spent the entire day mindlessly watching the Great British Bake Off and scrolling my phone trying desperately to gather enough motivation to get up and write my book but by that time I am way too tired and emotionally drained to do much of anything except crawl into bed.
Writer's block has less power when we truly show up and honor ourselves and our experiences, when we make friends with the parts of us that are scared, that have survived, that have kept us alive up till this point. The most authentic, creative version of ourselves can be our friend. They can be the rowdiest, weirdest, queerest kid around. And you get to care for that part of yourself, so that together, you can make some pretty amazing and wild art that only you could ever make.
That voice of yours?
It deserves to be heard
Because someone else out there needs to hear what you have to say
It’s time to learn to use it
If you are struggling with sitting down to write, I recommend sitting down with a journal and asking yourself these questions.
Try not to judge anything that comes up, just make a note of it.
What are some of the reasons you don’t write? What are some of the reasons you tell yourself not to create?
Is there anything asking to be written? What might it be?
What will happen if you write it? (Like give me worst case scenario here)
How can you send a little compassion and empathy to the part of you that is scared to write?
If you’re looking for more ways to make space for your creativity, empower your voice, and tell your most authentic stories, join me in my latest Queerator Academy Class
Rooted Writing 101
In Rooted Writing 101 we will use ritual to walk into our deepest parts of ourselves, tell the stories that are most important to our unique experience, and then walk back out again. Everyone has a well of creativity within them, Rooted Writing will help you build a sustainable path you can always access.
You can even have the first module completely free.
Thanks so much fellow Queerators. Keep heart. We’ve got this.