I love Don Miller. He's the author of Blue Like Jazz - one of my favorite books. Lately, he's been posting a lot of tips for writers on his blog, and I wanted to share this one.
I’m learning the fruit of my creative effort often ripens instantly. I’ll sit down and get thousands of words, but then a week later, working with the same discipline, will have nothing. But my job is not to make the words come. Who am I to make the words come? My job is no different than a farmer. I till the land. I fertilize the soil. I plant the seeds. Unlike the farmer, though, I am surprised when the green shoots sprout in the spring. I think perhaps it is magic, and it will never happen for me again. But the farmer knows if he tills the land, and is blessed enough to get rain, the harvest will come."
All writers get writer's block. It's inevitable. You sit down at a computer or your desk, switch on your laptop or grab a pen and...nothing.
I remember while writing my thesis that I had a two-week period where I literally couldn't write anything. Nothing happened when I sat down. It was as if my brain was locked in a bottle with all the creative juices stopped up.
It's really hard for me to break through times like that. Most often, I have to admit that I just give up and go watch a movie, read a book, or go for a run.
Don's words are an encouragement to writers everywhere. It's okay to struggle, as long as you keep on struggling. Push forward, plant the seeds, then see what happens months -- or years -- down the road.
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