The Myth of Writer's Block by Author S. Dionne Moore

        I hate to say this, but writer’s block might just be another way of saying “undisciplined.” It’s hard to write when the words aren’t flowing. I’ve been to that store and shopped in their gift store. Those days feel like walking through heavy, wet snow, at least 12” inches deep in the blowing, frigid wind, with a wind chill factor of 0 degrees. Getting the picture?             
       The point is no one likes hard days. We want everyday to be a 2500 word count goal accomplished-within-3-hours type of day. But life just doesn’t work like that, and as creatures prone to emotion, we often find ourselves unproductive not because we can’t be productive, but because it’s easier not to be. 

Ask anyone who writes for a living, with multiple deadlines, and they will tell you that they don’t have time for writer’s block. These are the people who will be productive and make progress consistently. They are also those who new or young writers will hold in awe. “You do 2500 words a day? I wish I could do that.” Well, you can. There is no secret to breaking through writer’s block except just doing it. Sitting your soft spot in a chair, focusing on your story, and tapping out the words, one sentence at a time. 

The process of writing a marketable product doesn’t come magically but only with experience. The more you write and participate in classes on writing--absorbing the subject as a whole--the more honed your storytelling will become. You begin to understand the connection between backstory and characterization, as well as the power of defining goal, motivation and conflict before you start. Does this do away with seat-of-the-pants writing? No, absolutely not, but it is much easier to stay within the parameters of your story when you have built the framework for the character’s journey ahead of time.

Many times a writer becomes discouraged one-third of the way into writing the story and claims writer’s block, but those are the times your subconscious is probably turning you back toward your GMC and synopsis. Exploring these outlines often hold the key to the reason why the story has become derailed. This is why you need this backbone--a synopsis--pounded out before you begin writing. It will save you from deleting a lot of words. And it will become the map you use to write your story and avoid becoming mired in the myth that is writer’s block.

Moore enjoys life in the historically rich Cumberland Valley where traffic jams are a thing of the past and there are only two stoplights in the whole town. 

A three time Carol Award finalist, Moore is celebrating the release of her tenth historical romance, A Heartbeat Away, part of the Quilts of Love series by Abingdon Press. Visit her at her site: http://www.sdionnemoore.com