Roadblocks

As writers/arts we encounter a plethora of roadblocks to completing our projects from day one. Most of it by people who see the glass as half empty. They say you'll never make it; or that's an impossible field to break into, or that you will never stick with it; or that's for people who don't know how to work. How many of us have heard those word or had them slap us across the face? Those writers who give up, go home, trash the typewriter have become susceptible to the negative influence of other people. Zig Ziglar called that SNYOP. Don't let that happen to you. Just smile and walk away. I wrote my first story the summer of 1957 (summer school after 3rd grade). I was SNYOP'd until my 20's.

Another road block is what we call writer's block. Come on now! As writers we are never blocked, we just have a work slow down for retooling! If you feel that is what is happening write one word, one sentence, one paragraph; then walk away for a while. Keep coming back to write another word or sentence. I like the line Sean Connery uses in "Finding Forester" when he says, "No! Just start typing, thinking comes later." That sums up how we continue day in and day out. I have a sign above my desk, Thinking Comes Later, So Start Writing. It seems to work.

Yet, another road block is you need some specific information about a subject (which could really wait until later on) and you stop writing until that information shows up. As I was writing in my journal continuing Chapter 08 of Pagan Mirth, I came across the need to get my hands on a pre-flight check list a pilot goes through before starting and flying a small airplane. Sorry, I have Meniere's Disease and flying in small aircraft causes me to have extreme bouts of vertigo. Needless to say, I have no clue what a pilot must check on before stepping in the plane. I knew I had a source for that information and could find out easily, my friend Jason is a pilot and a writer. What did I do? I left a big space of about 6 lines and in parentheses I wrote, "Get List From Jason" and kept writing another three pages. Don't let these minor distractions stop the creative process, because those thought may never return to your conscience.

We all need to make a promise not to get SNYOP'd by any of these distractions; because that is Old Rex Mundi (The King of the World) playing tricks on you and causing mischief! I know you are better than that!