30 June 2021, Somewhere in the Metaverse - UplandDood (@Just1Dood)
I am stuck!
Though I am posting this article now, it actually happened two days ago. I do my best to have two articles under my belt in case of emergencies. Hence, why I am posting this today (with some updates prior).
That's Not UplandDood's Block!
A writer's block does not describe a block of apartments or a building block owned by the writer. That would have been nice since many writers get one or more in their writing career. Instead, it is something that all writers dread to have.
A writer's block can come at any time. There's no set schedule, or time, or day. It can come one day after you have started, or a week, months, or maybe even years?
I had started at ReadCash 9 months ago but had stopped being active 5 months ago with a final article posted two months ago before I stopped completely. Dead quiet. Radio silence. No more visits to ReadCash and soon, it's out of sight, out of mind. If you've been my friend from the beginning, you may have thought that I'd dropped off the face of the earth.
Six days ago, I'd decided to give it another go. It was a result of having writer's block at another platform that's more focused on crypto articles that got me started here again. I had some idea that's not crypto-focused that I had wanted to share. And also having discovered that @eylz2021, a recent friend whom I met online has achieved her goal of 1 BCH after 4 months at ReadCash and NoiseCash. This has motivated me to give it another try.
My returning journey
So, 6 days ago, on 22 June 2021, I started posting my article again at ReadCash. This article was also a self-reflection and for me to answer the question of why I want to write. You can find my thoughts there and it's called "Happy to Write or Write to be Happy?"
Since that article, I was on a roll. It's the greatest feeling any writer could have. As for me, I got inspired! I have a few different topics to write about - a story to tell now. I can share my goals, what I enjoy writing about, and what others have written that inspired me.
This went on for a few days, and as a result, for the past 5 days, I'd written 7 articles. Posted one for each of the 5 days.
23 June 2021: Four Seasons - A message from Nature
24 June 2021: Questions, since the Dawn of Time
(Note: 24 June 2021: A milestone here in my ReadCash journey. I've gotten my first sponsorship. Thank you @eylz2021)
25 June 2021: A Journey to 1 BCH starts with...
26 June 2021: My 1st Step to 1 BCH...
27 June 2021: No posts though I had written 2 more articles on this day.
28 June 2021: Age-old sayings I disagree with!
29 June 2021: What do you get when a verb turns pro?
After the last article above was the exact time when my mind went blank!
Started writing one, but after a few sentences...nothing! It was like you're trying to make a point and all of a sudden SLAP! Someone slapped you and you're dead on track. All thoughts lost! Nevertheless, I left the fella who slapped me and tried my luck with another. Again, after a few sentences...SLAPPED! OUCH! Nothing! Tried a third time...gotten the same results. It's no fun being slapped left and right! My face was getting red from panic! If you could see me, you would have sworn I looked like someone who'd been slapped silly.
My calm normal self had rebelled and pushed the Panic Button without my permission. It was too late. To counter it, I went through my Panic Checklist. Did I just run out of steam? Why would this dreaded writer's block visit me so soon? I'm still so far from my 1 BCH goal! What am I to do?
After running through the Panic Checklist, I came to my senses. I was overreacting. I had pushed the Panic Button prematurely. Once my calm self has been restored, I realized that I have emergency rations. Not to worry.
One decision that made a difference
One decision I made that I'm grateful for is that I continued to write when I am on a roll. I'm glad I'd written 2 articles on the 27 June 2021. This means I have a one-day buffer. A savings for a rainy day, so to speak.
But I'd wanted to save more. Any person in their right mind (i.e. left-handed person. LOL.) would want to save more. Don't you think?
Experience is King (or Queen) - For God's sakes, can someone come up with a gender-neutral royalty? I'd suggest Qing but that would sound like a Chinese surname! 😅 Maybe Kueen? Apologies for the distraction. That's how my mind works. 😅😅
Back to the question - What am I to do? Try hard as I may, I couldn't think of what to write about. Then a thought struck me. Why not write about my experience? I'm sure others would like to learn from my experience. Hence this article was birthed!
I'm glad I started writing this as it also serves as a record of my progress since restarting. A compilation with dates on the articles since restarting.
Lesson Learnt Today
Write when I am on a roll. Save articles for rainy days. I assure you, the rain will come. Make sure you are ready when it does.
Do not Panic! Take a short break. Have a cup of coffee. Do something out of routine. I did. I joined a ReadCash related Telegram group and made some friends. It's refreshing.
Think of the simplest thing I can write about. In my case, my experience. Experience is already in my mind. I have lived it, therefore I can easily share it. Furthermore, we learn from each other's experiences so, in my opinion, these types of articles are always welcomed.
Always have fun. If it's forced, then readers can feel it. Emotions transfer through words.
Thank you for allowing me to share my experience. I hope you can learn something from this. Do share how what you do when you have writer's block in the comment section below. I'd like to learn from you too.
Stay safe and see you in the next article.
Sources:
Header: Unsplash.com - Fumiaki Hayashi
Image 1: Unsplash.com - Aubrey Odom
Image 2: Unsplash.com - Andrew Le
Image 3 Unsplash.com -Belinda Fewings
Thank you again for dropping by. Have fun with English. Remember to share your experience in the comment section.
Do drop by to say hi at my following addresses. I promise I'll be at home :)
NoiseCash: UplandDood
Twitter: UplandDood
Publish0x: UplandDood (link takes you to site. You'll have to search for UplandDood to find me)
Writing from experience is the way to go. That way you writing comes from a place of truth and integrity, interest and passion, and it always shows when authors are genuinely connected to their work :-)