Writers' Block

Well, it has been an interesting week or so, to say the least.  I have probably only written twenty pages in about half as many days, which is always frustrating, but I can feel myself slowly coming out of the fog.  Writers' block happens to everyone, and I'm aware of the fact that I'm not immune to this torturous phenomenon, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with each time it does come along.

I normally average five to ten pages a day.  On an exceptional day I can pump out twenty good pages, although that only happens once in a great while.  When the Muse is on strike, as I put it, I'm lucky to get one or two pages, and that is after hours upon painful hours of squeezing out each sentence, one laborious word at a time.

I'm a huge advocate for writing every day, no matter how heavy or hardly the inspiration comes.  Bad days produce little work, and that work is usually also in need of redrafting, but I've found that every little bit still eventually adds up.  I do also believe, however, that every writer needs to know when it is time to take a self-imposed day off, no matter how exciting the project; sometimes a step back and a day or two of reflection is all it takes to get that Muse singing again....