The Bane of Writers

Writers face plenty of challenges when working on their craft. Among those that range from minor to severe, the worst of all is by far writer's block. It can happen for any number of reasons. Sometimes, a writer himself won't know the exact cause. The real issue is lacking the mental capacity to create new work. Those of us who have been dedicated to the written word have all faced it. The ideas suddenly run dry, it's uncertain where to start, or we know what we want to write, but can't. It's a terrible feeling for the serious wordsmith. This is especially true for people whose livelihood is writing.

How do we cure it? The answer is not clear. That's like asking how to cure mental illness or addiction. There is no easy fix. It takes serious thought and determination to change the situation. Getting up after being down is a relieving experience. It shows us that no matter what kind of problems we face, we can get over them.

In many cases, people who think they have writer's block are simply going through a period of laziness. I've been guilty of that so many times that I don't know the count. It comes and goes. Even if I was set for life financially, I doubt I could spend everyday consistently getting out large chunks of writing. Maybe I don't have enough discipline. Besides, there so much to life. We can't keep sitting and typing out work nonstop. Like most good things, it comes in spurts. Plenty of time in between involves being idle and thinking about ideas until they can be transmitted into written words.

Writing is neither easy nor hard. To be good at it means to accept our own faults, put considerable thought into our ideas, and just write without worrying about judgement. That will happen when the completed work is read. During that process of creation, the writer is the master and commander. Writer's block can't be allowed to ruin us.  

The Joys of Travel

As an adult, I feel a little down at times when people talk about their experiences with traveling. They talk about exotic locations, unique sites that can't be found anywhere else, and sometimes it seems as if these people travel for a living and somehow don't need to worry about the constraints of time and money. Although I have done a decent amount of traveling, it's nowhere near what I want it to be. Those two annoying factors, time and money, are what usually hold me back from leaving home to explore somewhere else.

Much of my day job involves writing articles relating to travel. Often, I'll write about locations I've never been to based solely on the information I can find. I'm absolutely ready to go to Cabo or Cancun or anyplace. Perhaps in the near future. Writing about traveling has made me have a growing interest in seeing more of the world myself. I can't keep making excuses about time and money. If people keep holding themselves back because of these two elements, they won't be able to live more satisfying lives. This is why I intend to travel more.

Over the 4th of July weekend, I went on a road trip with a friend. Some things were planned and the rest was left up to spontaneity. Our expectations were met and even exceeded. We had a wonderful trip by taking in the sights, visiting places, briefly connecting with some strangers, and having no real worries. It was such a refreshing opportunity to break away from the monotony of life and I'm inspired to write a story about it.

Yes, traveling really is a great thing. There's a massive world around us. I'd like to see much more of it.