Writer's Block? No Try Perfectionism!

Writer's block the bane of all creative people. Yes we have all experienced it and wondered why it is happening to us at such a critical time in our project?

Of course I am a writer so I am talking about "Writer's Block", but I have noticed my wife who quilts and paints also suffers from the same malady, so I am using it as a generic term that can be applied to any and all artists who seem to have hit a roadblock in their creative project.

But does "Writer's Block" really exist or is it a symptom of something bigger and more ominous?

What exactly happens during these periods? Well as for me, it seems that I just can't seem to get anything down on paper (er I mean computer screen) and I have this vast feeling of inadequacy. It is as if I feel that I have lost the will to write. Also it seems that everyone else in the world is doing fine, but I just can't seem to please anyone, and what's the use anyway. I am sure all of you sometime or another has felt this way, but we all overcome it sooner or later, or we give up all together.

But what, if anything, is the root cause? Are we really inadequate? Can we ever write (paint, sculpt etc) again? What can we do to overcome this problem?

Well the answer to the second question is a definite NO. The answer to the third question is depends upon how we deal with the problem and if we really want to create again. The first and fourth questions deserve more scrutiny.

What is the root cause of "Writer's Block"? Simple it's just plain old "Perfectionism". Yes we try so hard to please others and we don't really stay true to ourselves. We try to come up with that "perfect" phrase, word, idea that will wow the public that we forget why we are writing in the first place. For when we try too hard, we tend to force things and that is when the quality of our work suffers. The public knows it, and so do we. In fact because of the drive to perfectionism, we start to feel that we don't measure up. We get the feelings of inadequacy, and then we just stop. We are frozen in our terror of self-doubt and over-thinking ourselves. You see this all the time in the world of sports or other competitions. A competitor or player who definitely has talent all of a sudden appears to have forgotten what they are doing and "chokes". Does that ring a bell? Of course it does because that is what happens to us when we are overcome by "Writer's Block". Just as the competitor tries to compete in a "perfect" manner, we try to write in a perfect way.

Ah great you say, but what can be one about it? Is there a cure? Yes to both questions. There is a simple and easy answer. Easy in the sense that it is obvious, but difficult to put into operation if you can't get your mind around it.

Write, create, "just do it", "git 'r dun", whatever phrase you want to use, just get out there and write (paint, sculpt, etc). Sure you may not write a masterpiece, but the action you are doing will give you confidence you need to continue on. You might even surprise yourself at what you have created. Taking action is what overcomes this fear, and after all that is what perfectionism is, just a fear of not being good enough. But guess what, nobody is perfect and one can't be perfect all the time. Let yourself be "almost good enough", and you will find that what you produce is fantastic.

I have more to say, but I just can't think of it at the moment....

Come back next time for more tips, tricks and techniques to assist you in your writing,marketing and sales efforts. Remember we're all in this together and I'm pulling for you.

Mahalo.

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