Gasp, I know, it’s blasphemy, but it’s so goddamn true.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to the word and the cathartic release it so often provides me with, but man, nothing sets fire to my insides more than that of watching that goddamn blinking cursor on my blank page as it taunts me.

Oh, and then there’s the voice, that awful, critical voice that loves to creep its way in during my most vulnerable times. The voice, which a few minutes ago so kindly told me that, “I can’t write for shit, and I’ve got nothing of worth to say.” That’s sure to get me second guessing every word, of every sentence, every time.

I mean, even at this very moment, I just want to click delete and show this page, these words, and that critical voice, who’s  boss. What I’ve learned the hard way however, is that by going that route, I’ll spend the next few hours mentally berating myself for being a failed writer instead of seeing this blog post, no matter how terrible, through to the end and just be done with it.

So which is the lesser evil? Finishing, and sharing, this very sub-par rant from an obviously disgruntled writer or, giving up and letting the voice win. I’m not entirely sure, but what my heart says to do is expose myself as the frustrated shitty writer that I am at this moment, in the hopes that these shitty words, in this shitty blog post, will possibly be read by someone who can relate and thus, know they’re not alone in their experience.

So besides walking away and taking a break, listening to inspiring music, or meditating/clearing the mind before writing, what helps you through your times of writer’s block? I don’t want to search the internet for cliché ideas and practices but rather, hear directly from you guys. What does and doesn’t work for you?

I find myself often writing with words flowing from my heart center in a virtually effortless way, but I’m yet to pinpoint the who/what/where/when/why and how of it and could use some help. With love.

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Ed: Kate Bartolotta