Time, Expectations, and Reality…
Three Topics in WRITER’S BLOCK FREEDOM…
More I think about how Time, Expectations, and Reality mix, the more I realize that for me, all three are part of my writer’s block problems at the moment. Yes, as anyone who has been watching these blogs and the challenges this year, you know I am dealing with getting back up to my normal writing speed.
Not being at speed is one of the hundreds of forms that Writer’s Block takes. Why can’t I just fire back up now that my shoulder is in good shape again? Why can’t I just get back into the writing chair more often? The answer, of course, is mixed into Time, Expectations, and Reality.
I personally had three major life rolls over the last two years. I went blind for a few months, took five months for my sight to come back to 80%. I fell while running too fast in a 5K, had major shoulder surgery and PT for ten months. Then just as I was getting into PT, we ended up with a very unexpected and heartbreaking business issue that it took major focus for the last six months to get through. Almost there, but it will hang around for a time yet.
So knocked down by three major life rolls and my mind says, “You can be up and rolling on the writing in no time at all.” (Expectations) But seems I am almost 74 and that jump back to speed is a little slower than in previous decades. (Reality) So now I need to figure out what is enough time for reality to get set and at the same time not kill the expectations.
Maybe that brings in a fourth element: Balance. How to find a balance between the other three elements…?
Lots of things to think about and work through. But I have gotten past one major hurdle in fixing my current writer’s block. I recognize I have it.
See only one tiny area why these WRITER’S BLOCK FREEDOM classes and associated webinar are going to be so much fun, so much learning, and so helpful to getting back to writing and fun. And I will be no exception. I am so looking forward to them starting.
AND OOPS… I made a mistake and said they do not start until November 1st… Nope, the first session starts October 1st, in just under two weeks. Here is the basic information.
WRITER’S BLOCK FREEDOM PART 1… October/November (starts October 1st) 9 weeks of classes, 8 assignments, 7 webinars.
WRITER’S BLOCK FREEDOM PART 2… January/Feb (starts January 7th ) 9 weeks of classes, 8 assignments, 9 webinars.
December off and you must take part one to take part two. (Webinars will be recorded and are not mandatory to attend, so no worries.)
Each week will have five or six videos plus an assignment. Nine weeks each session.
With the webinar and 18 weeks of classes over the two parts, this will be held on the WMGWriterStore. (No subscriptions from Teachable apply.)
The cost is $500 per class or $900 if you buy them both at the same time.
For ten days we are doing an early-bird pricing of $750 for both. Again it starts in just a few weeks on October 1st.
Just go to the WMGWriterStore to sign up for these two major classes.
There is no escaping writer’s block in its many forms for any writers I have ever met. These classes will pay for themselves in just new words and sales and bringing the fun back into your fiction.
Questions, feel free to ask. But first read the introduction on the WMGWriterStore and also watch the video I did there as an introduction. More information there.
6 Comments
Rob Cornell
Last week I had resigned myself to joining the league of What Ever Happened To…
The last book I published was in March 2020, right at the top of the pandemic. Since then, I’ve only finished two books, neither of which I’ve done anything with. The number of things I’ve started and didn’t finish are too many to count.
So I decided it was time to finally quit.
Then I wandered over here and saw you were putting together this class. The list of maladies you put under the umbrella of “writer’s block” read like an exact description of me. Slow writing. Not finishing. Negatively judging all my ideas. Lack of self-worth. Self-doubts triggered by learning that makes my critical voice insist I’m doing everything wrong. Money pressure. And through it all, asking myself again and again, “What’s the point?”
I very well might be the hardest case you’ll ever face, Dean. About the only thing I’ve got going for me is that, until last week, I was too stubborn (or too stupid) to quit. But I guess I haven’t quit. Because I’ve signed up for both workshops. 🙂
Fingers crossed.
dwsmith
Rob, fantastic!!
Trust me, it will help and the only real way to fail at writing is quitting and you may had thought about it, but you have not. Trust me, over the ast 50 years I did a lot of thinking about it, and every time I did what you are doing and climbed back on, looked for help, and fired on.
So fantastic!!
Elizabeth Cooper
Rob, you are absolutely not alone! I’m in the exact same boat. I had even decided that I did quit — I was done for good this time. And then I came here and saw that Dean and Kris were putting together these workshops, and I signed up immediately.
I know the problems are all in my head. As you said, lots of self-doubt, fear, angst, and thinking “What’s the point?”. I’m excited to dive into the classes and really work on this stuff.
See you there!
(And Dean, thanks so much for all you do! These workshops could not have come at a better time.)
dwsmith
You are welcome. And they will be fun.
Martin L. Shoemaker
I don’t feel like I have Writer’s Block, but Time, Expectations, and Reality are definitely in play right now. I was busily working on a novella series with aggressive self-imposed deadlines. Then on the 17th, I had a small (emphasis small) posterior ischemic stroke.
And silly me! I thought, “Well, nothing to do but lie around and dictate.”
Yeah… Right… I couldn’t muster the energy. And I was getting annoyed about it, which didn’t help.
Then a friend said I had to listen to you. Don’t fight it, just let myself heal. I gave up, and I read comic books.
Two days later I woke up with a scene. Then another. I’m 4,500 words into a brand new urban fantasy time travel story.
And they’re discharging me tomorrow!
dwsmith
Fantastic!! Glad you are on the mend and gave yourself the space to let the creative voice play. Great news all around.