writer's block

Hi, there. Welcome to today's edition of Life Writing Live. This is your host, Steve Barnes. Once again, if you enjoy this, share it. That's how we know which messages that you're enjoying. Today we're going to talk about writer's block and the writer's journey, because I like to listen to what people are asking, the questions that come up, and to try to react as spontaneously from that point as I possibly can. So what I wanted to say is that I got the advantage of looking at the hero's journey in terms of writing, in terms of life, is that we have absorbed millions of stories over the course of our life. We already understand the pattern, as it were, and as a tool to organize our resources or to understand what's coming next in our lives. Never seen anything like it. Yesterday I was asked specifically about writer's block. Is it a real thing, how to deal with it? So I thought, let's walk through it using the hero's journey, trying to specifically use this tool. Because the more times I can show you how to use this tool, the easier it will be for you to adapt it to your own life. And that's what the point of all this is. I teach this stuff because I believe that insight, each and every one of you, is something that could change the world. There's a story that you have that if you could get it out there, you could literally change the world. If I could help get you to that point, people help get me to the point where I can express myself. We can change the world together. That's what I'm up to. So, first of all, to use this tool, let's assume that we're writing a story about someone who's engaging with the machine. That process of writing that I've talked about, and that writer's block is kicking their butt. What if we know that at the end of the story, they get everything they want? They're publishing stories and books and having a happy career. Wow, that's terrific. That perspective changes everything. That means that whatever problem they're suffering right now is temporary. And given that it's a temporary problem, the rest is just strategy and tactics, just figuring out how to get there. We know the story. We know that there's a problem here and that they're going to get everything here. The rest of it is the story. So let's start at the beginning. Number one, the hero is confronted with a challenge. The challenge is to, you know, finish and publish a novel. Okay. And let's say they can't do that. Sentence a day. They just can't get themselves to do that sentence a day. Second thing is they reject the challenge, meaning that they fear, because the rejection is almost always fear that their efforts are doomed. The next step, next step three is they accept the challenge at some point because of either pain or pleasure. They commit to having their career, commit to engaging with the fear and the doubt and the fatigue and the guilt and the other stuff that stands between you and getting the work done. Now, number four, the road of trials. The road of trials is what I call the machine. It is simply a daily practice of writing a minimum of a sentence every single day, of writing one to four stories a month. Or if you've already published 10 stories, that minimum might be one to four chapters a month. Day after day, it can feel like grinding gears, like driving with your brakes on. It can be terrible. But feel like nothing is working and that everything that you're hoping for is turning into crap right in front of you. That voice in your head. Step five is gathering allies and gaining powers. You seek a teacher who is simpatico with you, preferably someone who is actually a writer himself or herself. Let's say in my particular case, let's say that writer is Stephen Barnes. Let's say that you listen to me and you think, ah, his experience is close enough to mine that I can learn from what he's saying. Great, great. Then let's just concentrate now on what it is that I say about this. Because many other writing teachers, all I really hope is that you find someone who can help you. Doesn't have to be me, just someone who you can trust. So I'm going to have to define then what writer's block is and how have I experienced it, did I defeat it? And what I would reply is that writer's block is. Is anything that stops you from writing, from writing, finishing, polishing, submitting, constantly improving your work, a break in that chain, Anywhere along there is writer's block. Okay, so it's any breakdown in the machine. Okay, Now I've hit that point many, many times earlier in my career. I mean, I was working on stories and not publishing anything. I mean, rejection after rejection after rejection. And I thought my stories were crap and that my dreams were going to come to nothing. But I kept reading, studying what other writers said. And they would say that they hit that point too. I mean, they thought their early work was crap and they just had to keep reading, keep writing, keep getting feedback on their work and keep submitting. It was tough. I was working all Day long and coming home at night and writing. And the only person in the world who believed in me was my wonderful girlfriend Toni. And I had. Thank God for her boy, because I had that voice in my head saying, you'll never make it. You can't do it. You don't have what it takes. I felt sick in my guts. You understand that? Have you ever felt that? You ever felt sick in your gut? When you think about how much you want something and that you can't have it? I mean, if you felt that, hit the like button, hit the love button. Because I know. I have felt that. And it felt horrible. The voice just says, just give up. Stop trying. This is where the mentors comes in. Somebody who you can trust. Ray Bradbury told me that there are two entirely different parts of our head. The flow part, where you are creating your work. You're writing like a madman, Running barefoot through the grass, having fun. And then there's the editing part, where you look at the first draft and prune it and work it over. And that the editing part of you will always have a louder voice than the child play part of you. And you just have to tell that adult to shut the blank up sometime. Flow editing, two entirely different powers. And confusing those two states is the source of all writer's block. So I want you to think about that. Confusing the flow state and the editing state is the source of all writer's block. If you didn't care about the quality of your work, you could write all day long. And the truth is that your first drafts should have permission to be crap. They polish later. You dig through that pile of horse manure. Knowing that there's a pony in there somewhere. You keep polishing that stone because you know there's a gem in there somewhere. Your job is to do the work. The gems appear by themselves. So I trusted Bradbury and myself and I kept writing. I actually studied flow as a separate thing. With tai chi and yoga and meditation and 60 beat per minute largo rhythm, string music. The one thing that I would strongly suggest that you never, ever do is is use drugs or alcohol to tap into your flow state for your work. I believe that to be a major mistake, which is destroy writer after writer after artist after artist after artist. Musicians just find some other way to tap into that, Actually develop that discipline. Never get yourself in the mood to write with drugs or alcohol. That's like using a winch to lift your weights at the gym. You're going to get flabby while you're getting the Illusion that you get something done and it's going to come back to bite you in the ass. It always does. You are specifically trashing your ability to integrate your brain and teach your brain how to do what it needs to do. Now, I'm not saying that when it's Miller time and you finished your work, you can party any way you want to. At the end of the day, you're a grown ass adult, right? So have fun, but doing the work. Never rely on a substance to do what your mind can be trained to do. Number six is confront evil and fail. Probably the worst early moment in my career was the night I got a call from Harlan Ellison telling me that my first solo novel, Street Lethal, was not ready for publication. Leading to number seven, the dark night of the soul. It was raining that night. I remember that distinctly. I was living alone. My relationship with Tony was on the rocks. And I remember I just got that call from Harlan. I just curled up on the floor and cried my eyes out. I was. I was lost. I was just lost. It was too late to pull the book back. I had to keep going, keep writing. Despite the fact that everything inside me and one of the people I trusted most in the world told me that it was a disaster. Okay, number eight, the leap of faith. Now, the leap of faith is always faith. One of three things. Faith in yourself, faith in your companions, or faith in a higher power. For me, it was remembering what Bradbury had said, that there is writing and then there's judging what you have written. And the two must never be confused. I was allowing Harlan to influence the editor part of my brain. Okay, Allowing his voice to. To ally. To the voice of the monster in my mind that wanted to stop me. I could not allow this to happen. I had to flow, to create text, to keep going, to create new stories, new books. I trusted my companion, mentor figure, Ray Bradbury. And I trusted my own heart. Step nine, confront evil and succeed. If you take the other steps, deal with the fear. Keep learning and growing. Finding new mentors. Don't let despair stop you. You grow and change, and eventually you'll get the goodies. And one day, I gave Harlan a VHS copy of my Outer Limits episode, A Stitch in Time. And a few days later, he called me and said, that was good. You made it, kid. And again I cried. But the tears are very different this time. Step 10, student becomes the teacher. And this is critical. When you hit that next level, it's not like your life is over. You simply start the process over again. But every time you finished one of these journeys. Turn around and share what you've learned with other people. You become what you want to be most by sharing with others. Don't create a pedagogy. Don't create a system of teaching. Just document what you did. Document your process. Then share your map. That's it. I still struggle. I still get rejected. I get bad reviews. I still feel depressed at times and discouraged. The difference is that I've walked this path again and again and again. And I recognize the steps. And I know that it's a super chicken world. Fred, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it. This is the life I asked for. I didn't ask for an easy life. I ask to be strong enough to deal with an authentic life. That's life writing. That's what this is. Understanding the pattern of story. If what I say appeals to you, you like the way I put this? You find this useful? Once again, share it. If you'd like to be a part of the Life Writing community, just go to lifewright.com it's liferight.com join up for a couple months and see whether or not what we're doing here with the weekly writing prompts and the community and comments from me. If that helps you in your process, if it does, great, you're welcome. If not, I understand. I just want you to succeed. I want you to have the same thrill of life that I have had. Knowing. Waking up every day, knowing that whatever, good or bad, this is my life. It's the life that I chose. And I really love it. Listen, you guys have a wonderful day. Namaste. Write with passion. Be well. I'll see you next time.