Writers' block is something that I've denied and kept at bay in my creative writing journey. That's not to say there haven't been those times when the thought of putting pen to paper hasn't materialised to the act of writing. Most days, I'll write - something - a journal entry, a poem maybe, even just free-write to keep the fluency and the creative flow moving. But over the last few days, I've felt stuck and although I'm now seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, I've felt the frustration of that writers'block for real now.
Why does writers' block rear its ugly head? I'm going along with the analysis that it can serve a purpose. If you're stuck on your writing, especially a novel, it's part of the writing process; the deal when you take up the challenge of your writing project.
I am slowly realising that my children's novel by the end of chapter two needs a much more detailed plot, despite how the narrative is developing naturally. Somehow, I liked the unknown; the surprises that made the writing sweet and although I've written character sketches and a draft synopsis, more of this type of work is required so that I know more - the bare bones of the story needs some flesh.
So back to my original question - bare with me as there is a link to the writers' block issue. At the back of my mind while I put down those words is this entity out there - the publisher. And I hear you say, "But, you've only just got chapter two sorted!" Well, yes, I know but if you claim to be a writer there is always some form of homework to do - the research that is. I've done the children's writing course, browsed the Internet at the mass of children's book publishers, which alone is particularly revealing as I observe the range of children's books out there in the shops, on Kindle, etc. It's important to keep in the loop.
Last night I did some more of this research lark and stumbled across a site where a children's writer in the US shared his story of why he chose the self-publishing route. (see Link below) I soon realised after just a short read that I need to feel more free to be - free to just get on with the writing, rather than allow the thought of a publishing deal to come into play. Who am I kidding anyway? The real deal is that I may never find a publisher and I'm not being pessimistic here.
As I've independently edited and produced three anthologies of creative writing (poetry, personal essays), the experience of self-publishing my novel on say Amazon's Kindle seems a rather more attractive and feasible option and in some ways could be seen as experimenting with the E-Book market.
So, on that note, I'm going to pull myself out of the writers' block zone and get on with the joy (and pain) of writing my children's story without that haunting feeling of a publisher out there which really is an unknown.
Links: http://mikewellsblog.blogspot.co.uk/
