An Unusual Cure for Writer’s Block

Everyone’s got an opinion. Opinions are like armpits: everyone has a couple and most of them stink! When it comes to writing, you might find that every single person in your life fancies themselves a writer or novelist and, therefore, they are overly qualified (and required by some invisible rule book) to tell you how to write. When the topic of writer’s block comes up, take this advice:  Do not, under any circumstances, participate in the discussion. But if you can’t hold your tongue, then do NOT tell them you have it!

I’ve been plagued by writer’s block recently because I haven’t felt well. I want to write, I even have ideas, but I’m in a ditch (which is much bigger than a rut). So I thought I’d zap myself out of it by trying something different. I need the creative outlet, but not necessarily with words. I chose to learn about graphic design because that’s always interested me.

After dabbling for a month, I decided to make freelance design a paying hobby. I made some free wallpapers, cell themes, and various other pieces before the unthinkable occurred:  I got a design job! Someone contacted me about doing some work for them—and they’re going to pay me! Exciting, right? Yes…in that “my stomach’s in my chest and my toes are numb and I’m sure I’ll throw up soon but I paid to be on this roller coaster and I’m staying” kind of way.

So far I’ve created fourteen variations for this client. I promised them a maximum of five but I’ve obsessed over this so much I have FOURTEEN! And I’m convinced that I still haven’t gotten it right! Right now I can’t think of a single creation worth sending to them. I’ve spent hours “perfecting” each design but they’re just not good enough. In the end, the only thing I have to show for months of work are, ironically, five chapters in my novel. So I offer this to you, free of charge:

Writer’s Block Solution: Scare yourself with something new and your comfort zone will suck you back in like a black hole all the while turning on the faucet of vocabulary and plot.

When we write, our work is (unless you’re really blessed) private. There’s a certain ease that privacy puts us in. We know that if we don’t want anyone to see our writing, we can just hide it. But these people want me to do something for them that everyone will see! They’ll put it on letterhead, t-shirts, banners, signs, business cards…you get the picture. That’s a lot of pressure! I’m not afraid I won’t complete the project. I’m afraid I’ll disappoint someone who’s taking a chance on an amateur and paying me money. My design buddies say that everyone starts off scared and mediocre. And, like most things in life, you never forget your first design job. However, none of them can tell me what to do if you want to forget it!

The characters in my novel only want attention for themselves, not the world. They couldn’t care less about anyone else reading their life stories. The novel doesn’t have to be flashy, scalable, typographically amazing, colorful, interesting, or profit producing. The people in my novel talk back to me (in my head). This design project is either a snob or shy. Regardless, it refuses to speak to me. You never know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.

I’d wanted a change of pace. I wanted to learn something new and excel at it. I needed to see if I could shift my focus, change my medium, and improve my writing by stretching my imagination. I’m not sure if I met any of those goals, but I don’t regret it at all. And once the heart palpitations stopped and I apologized, my characters finally forgave me.

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