A writer’s biggest struggle
January 19, 2015 2 Comments
Sometimes I sit in front of my computer, fingers hovering and sort of shadow typing only millimeters above the keyboard as if a long sentence is on its way the very next instance. Instead, what happens is a long – very long – dry spell where the ideas that were just flooding my brain and about to flow out have just vanished into oblivion. Seconds turn into painfully long minutes which test my patience and I tell myself that now was probably not the correct time for it. But, when this happens almost daily, when you always have ideas but never the words, it might force you to think if writing is for you or not. Or am I just lacking the discipline?
I guess, I have to keep reminding myself that writing is for everyone. How could it not be? You don’t have to be successful at it, even if you write a few sentences every now and then, even if you don’t post them, maybe it is good enough. I think, for a writer, the bigger struggle is not on the paper, but in the mind.
Isn’t it? What do you think?
About Shitij Bagga
Confessions of a Disquisitive Writer 
It is definitely in the mind. For me fighting off a block is like trying to fight off insomnia. You know when you can’t sleep and you keep thinking “If I sleep now I’ll have 8 hours of sleep…” and you keep having the same thought over and over counting down the minutes, the hours, of rest you might be able to get if you could… just… sleep… NOW.
When I can’t write the mental agony is somewhat similar and I usually just can’t get into it again unless I find a way to distract myself from the fact I should be writing.
Yes, I mostly take a long break and try not to think of the pressure. There isn’t any pressure from the outside, but something inside of me keeps reminding me that time is slipping by and yet another day has passed by, yet another topic in current affairs has turned stale and I’ve been doing nothing. And then, suddenly, I start reading and commenting on other people’s posts and before I know it, I have a short bit of myself to write. So, basically, this time the writing comes out in response to a real argument that someone else posts, whereas earlier, nothing would come out. Which is what tells me it is all in my mind.