Taika Waititi once said of screenwriting “Sometimes writing is opening up your laptop, looking at a blank page on Final Draft for about 8 hours, and then feeling sad, and then closing it. That’s still classified as writing.” And that’s a pretty accurate statement on my current efforts. I sit at the keyboard, stare at a blank page, feel sad about it, close it and go to bed.

I mean, I’m getting a few lines in here and there, but it’s not flowing like it sometimes can. I’m officially riding the struggle bus. And I hate it. Writing when you’re motivated is so lovely. The words just fly from your brain to the page as fast as your fingers can move. It’s a beautiful thing. When every, last word is a slog, it’s an ugly mess.

Oh! and there are so many nice distractions that are writing adjacent! Like reading comp titles, looking at inspirational stuff you’ve added to Pinterest boards, listening to a playlist, even making a new cup of tea instead of reheating the one you let get cold while you were staring into space.  Deciding that you do, in fact, need another cookie if you’re gonna finish this scene. Plot bunnies! Those are fluffy, little ideas that have nothing to do with the actual plot you’ve already written for your work in progress.

The temptation to pitch the whole thing and start over is huge. I know from experience that I have to wade through the rough beginning to get to where it will smooth out and start flowing. Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to get through it. It only makes me feel guilty for struggling. It would be great to shut off the parts of my brain that are holding me back and only engage the bits that will help. That being impossible, I’m sticking with my strategy of setting aside time to write every night whether I feel like it or not. Whether I produce anything or not. I’m working on the habit hoping the rest follows. So far so good?