I am a firm believer in writer’s block and have experienced it myself multiple times. I’ve also experienced the concept of ‘just write,’ where you’re supposed to write even if you have no idea what to say.
I’m here to provide my expert opinion (haha) that ‘just write’ can actually waste your time and make your writing worse. I’m also here to say that I used to say ‘just write’ to my writer friends all the time, thinking they were stuck simply because they weren’t writing enough.
I can see why people think ‘just write’ would be beneficial. Maybe, once you start writing, your creative juices will start flowing and you’ll do good work. Maybe if you ‘just write’ you’ll actually come up with something good. Maybe if you ’just write’ you’ll get done with your work faster because you didn’t take the time to rejuvenate your creativity.
That’s a whole lot of maybe.
I haven’t seen evidence that forcing yourself to sit down and write leads to anything quality. Personally, anyway. Maybe this works for other writers, and maybe there is evidence that it does work. If there is, awesome.
It’s still not a guarantee for quality writing.
Case in point: the third book of my sci-fi trilogy. (The first book is currently being looked at by a publisher - fingers crossed!) I made it through the first chapter exactly how I wanted to. It’s tragic. I hope it makes people cry and makes people mad at me because they care so much. You know, the standard joy that writers seek. Sadistic fucks that we are.
But when I started chapter two, I blanched. I didn’t know where I was going. I had point A done, and I knew how point Z looked, but I still had the other 24 points to touch before I got there. But, I’d gotten the advice to ‘just write,’ and so I did.
As I wrote, my sense of disgust at what I was doing rose. By the time I hit chapter 8, about 26,000 words later, I realized how I actually wanted things to go. And I had to start over at Chapter 2.
I still have the document of my ‘just write’ material. And this was from about 5 years ago, so bear in mind that my writing has improved a lot since that time. I’d include examples, but they’d all be spoilers. Let’s just say there’s a lot of the word ‘just',’ my clutch word.
I just wish I could just stop using just. I just can’t.
Anyway, I totally went in a different direction restarting chapter two, only this time I’d lost precious time writing a bunch of stuff I wasn’t going to use.
That being said, I know I still have work to do on that book. It’s about 30,000 words short of where I want it to be. I should focus on the character development rather than the action that’s taking place.
Now that the first book of this proposed trilogy is being looked at by a publisher, I’m experiencing a sense of working with a deadline. I have no deadline in place of course, but I want to have a completed product to submit if/when the time comes. And right now, it’s not complete.
But it’s been years since I looked at it properly, so I will be going in with fresh eyes and a more experienced perspective. This is why I think it’s so important for some people to put their work aside, work on another project or simply refresh some other way, and come back to it later.
I see so many authors pushing themselves on deadlines they create for themselves, and I just don’t get it. I mean, I want all my books published, but I am also pacing myself because writing is not my full-time gig. And I don’t ever expect it to be. If I make enough money to live off of the rest of my life, great! I’ll still work a bit and volunteer and write.
I’ve written a total of 18 books, and only two of them are published. And I’m totally good with that because I have the option to continue to improve my writing and my previous work until it’s ready for publication.
I give myself the time I need to feel creative and really connect with the work in front of me. I don’t want to push myself to ‘just write,’ when I’ve already experienced the negative repercussions.
So, write, but not just to write. Write when you’re inspired and feeling connected to your work. And if someone tells you writer’s block doesn’t exist, simply smile and move on, knowing they’re one of those lucky people that either never experience it or has yet to experience it.
Write on, my fellow writers. On your own time, and in your own way.