At A Loss

Right now I am writing this blog post from UW-Sheboygan! I have a half hour before my first class begins, so I decided to kill some time by working on this week's post!

Only problem is...as the title suggests, I'm at a loss for an idea. I had a week to think about it, but somehow within that week I haven't been able to come up with anything. Some of you have pointed out that my topics so far have been exemplarly, and for that I thank you! But for some reason this week the streak of inspiration and good ideas had fizzled out, like a can of Coke left in the fridge for too long. When you drink it it's flat, insipid and lacks that signature Coke taste and zing.

I'm not sure if you'd call it writer's block, but perhaps it's something like it! I know for certain that if I were to work on one of my stories right now I could do doubt whip something up effortlessly. So why then, can't I think of a blog post idea?

Perhaps what I'm writing is my idea! Maybe I don't need a certain topic like volunteering, or writing or music but it can be just a general idea, like having nothing to write about! I'm sure we've all been there with our own blogs or perhaps it's a looming college essay, a speech, a story you were hoping to work on...or any number of things. We sit down with every intention of writing something but...instead of cruising blithely down the proverbial literary highway we instead find ourselves with a flat or an overheated engine. Thus we are stalled on that highway, forced to submit to the shoulder where writer's block is waiting, like a bear in the woods.

Of course a thousand ideas ran through my head at the time, but not of them suited me. Like I mentioned before, I'm harder on myself than anyone else. Sound familiar? When I write my blog post the topic I write about has to fit the bill so to speak. I also have to make sure I'll have enough to write about where that topic is concerned! So when I logged onto the computer today with the full intention of writing a blog post...and nothing came, you can imagine my frustration.

But, you might be thinking, something did come. Look at what you've written so far! And of course, you'd be right. But I find it hard to convince myself that I indeed wrote about anything! To me this blog post is just a rambling commentary on my habits as a writer and the infamous writer's block that plagues us all. Even if you don't see it that way, I know I do.

In a half hour I'll be going to my Creative Writing class. After taking one online during the Fall semester I'm excited for this second class. Albeit I still face it with a hinting of trepidation like that bite of spice in your food that's just hot enough to burn your tongue, but yet not set it on fire. The professor warned us that the writing would be constant, which is something I strive for despite my somewhat-busy schedule. I believe if you take time to write a little bit every day, no matter the substance or quantity of it, you'll be better off. Not only are you flexing your writer's muscle but you're also honing your skills and developing the creative side of yourself. If you're anything like me then you always have a story tossing around in your mind like a particularly tantalizing piece of candy that never looses it's allure. And when I talk about writing daily, I don't just mean a story you're currently working on. It could be part of that college essay you've been foolishly postponing, or that one article for your school's newspaper you need in by next week, or even a blog post idea that's been forming in your mind all week and your fingers consistently itch to spread it across the keys. Writing of any kind on a daily basis is a healthy exercise in many ways.

Well, after all that, perhaps I don't have writer's block after all! It just goes to show that no matter how dry you think your creative pool is, there's always something there. It may not be what you wanted or exactly what you had in mind, but in my opinion? If it's there, and you feel strongly enough to write about it...then it's worth it! So just let it out on a computer, or even with pen and paper. I can guarantee there's someone out there who will listen to it and take something from it. Maybe the only person to do so will be you, but even if that's the case you're still doing yourself a favor in putting it out there.

My class now starts roughly in fifteen minutes. I never would have guessed I'd write for fifteen minutes! Who knows? When you experience writer's block or a complete lack of ideas bobbing to the surface of your creative pool...you mind end up like me and write a whole lot of nothing, that may be a whole lot of something to someone out there. In closing, all I'll say is this...good luck to you on the proverbial literary highway. You'll experience flats and breakdowns along the way, but there's smooth sailing too. The key is finding the balance between the two.