Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Writer's Block

I get up early every morning so I can do my Bible reading, drink my coffee and write before going to work.  Once I arrive at my job, there is no time for me; it's all about the company. And when I return home from work, my brain is toast from all the day's events and I am unable to write then.  So when I'm looking at the clock in the morning seeing I have an hour to write, and there is nothing coming forth, it is frustrating to say the least.

What about you, are there things in your life you enjoy, but when you try to do them you end up sitting there unable to do so?  Putting words on a page brings me an immense amount of joy.  There is something about being able to string together a multitude of words bringing the reader into a place of either entertainment or study which makes me happier than just about anything in this world.  I told my bride the other day I would love nothing more than to just sit in my office and write.  Her comment was that this would be hell to her.  But to me, it is just pure joy.

Writing causes me to come alive, which is interesting because it also brings the characters I write about to life as well.  I've always had an active imagination, ever since I was a little kid. I remember wanting to play outside with little plastic army men more than playing sports. The summer my mother made me play baseball was one of the worst summers I ever had. I'm not saying sports is a bad thing, I just didn't enjoy sports as much as the world of make believe in which I lived.

There was something about  setting up those little guys, and then playing out the battles they would have.  I spent hours and hours each day setting them up and then knocking them over.  The enjoyment I derived from this $1.00 bag of soldiers was way more than the cost of the toys themselves. I'm sure the neighbor kids all thought me strange because I had more fun playing by myself in my back yard, instead of throwing footballs, or riding bikes with them, but I didn't care.

It's kind of like that today, I'd just as soon stay in my office and write as do anything else.  Actually on those days where I think I'm going to write and then end up having to mow the lawn, or do laundry I feel like the summer my mom made me play baseball is happening again.  I do it, but the entire time I thinking about how I can get back to my office to play.

I've said it before, but writing is therapeutic for me.  It  helps me to think, and get my life in order.  As I write, even just a simple blog, it brings my thinking back into line, and I am able to get a better handle on where I am in life.  So when I have writer's block, it's like locking me up in a detention cell.  

I may not have been able to write anything in my latest book today because of having a little writer's block, but at least I did some writing.  Even if it was just a few paragraphs which took me back to my childhood for a few minutes.  Man I miss those days sometimes, maybe I'll go out and pick up a 144 pack of army men, set them up and relive my youth.  Yeah, probably not.  I'll go get in the shower, go to work and then get up and try to write my book again tomorrow.

Well, there's that.  Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!