I’m back… from the longest writer’s block ever!
Since my last post six years ago, a lot has happened.
I’ve had writer’s block many times in my 10+ years as a writer, but I never would’ve imagined being blocked for six years! It did happen, though, and what’s more surprising is the event that brought it on.
If you remember, I began taking care of my dad when he was diagnosed with cancer back in December of 2008. He fought hard to maintain his independence, but his health took a turn for the worse, which meant I needed to devote more of my time to him than my writing. After all, we only get one mom and dad, and knowing he was dying, I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could. That was when I decided to take a break from writing.
Sadly, Dad passed away on February 19, 2013. I had planned on returning to my writing after a month or two of grieving, but things didn’t go as planned.
I had my cup of coffee nearby and was ready to write. Or so I thought I was. Unfortunately, the words didn’t flow as usual. My mind was blank! No biggie, I thought. I can work through this as I have before, I told myself. However, regardless of everything I did to try and break the block, it just didn’t work. Nothing worked. I was so frustrated with myself. The ideas would flow really well, but the words wouldn’t.
I just couldn’t understand it! I wondered if that was it for my dream of being a writer, so I started looking for employment outside the home again. Then each time I came across a job, I stopped myself and said I have got to get back to writing. I was missing it very much, but I just couldn’t write.
Months passed, and then a year passed. I was shocked! The longest I’d ever had writer’s block was maybe two weeks at the most, but not a year! I was disappointed in myself at this point, so I prayed about it and spent many hours on more than one occasion talking to God.
Another year passed and still the only thing I had written was Dad’s obituary, which I wrote the night of his passing. I honestly wondered at this point if that would be the last thing I ever wrote.
Before Dad passed away, I had started and launched a niche site called Living Frugally, but once the writer’s block set in, that too suffered. I did, however, publish some articles on Living Frugally. Some I had already written before my writer’s block, and some I wrote during times when I was trying to get my creative juices flowing again by writing through the block.
Now, here we are, three years, 10 months and 14 days later, and I’m finally writing again! I think when I started writing the articles for Living Frugally it really helped a lot. However, I do believe I might have broken a record for the longest writer’s block ever. I’m just so glad it’s over, and I pray 2018 is the year when words will flow freely for me again.