O is for Obstacles

I find we as writers have a tendency to put obstacles in the way of our writing. Whether we admit to it or not, they are there.

Sometimes it is a physical obstacle. Over extending ourselves to the point of having no time whatsoever to write. Following the proverbial rabbit down the hole we call the Internet (I’m guilty of that one a lot). Finding excuses not to write, the laundry needs to be done, dinner needs to be made, car needs to be washed.

Sometimes the obstacles are not physical. Sometimes it’s mental. We get stuck, our characters or our words are not cooperating and we throw our hands in the air in disgust and quit writing.  Only to come back day after day and still unable to overcome the block.

One thing I learned when I participated in Nanowrimo is to just keep writing. Sometimes that is easier said than done (remember that mental obstacle?) But the truth is sometimes you just need to keep writing and not allow yourself to be caught up in whether what you wrote is good or not. There is plenty of time for editing later.

I am currently in the situation where I’m working on my newest picture book. You would think writing a 500 word story would be relatively easy. It is and it isn’t.

I have a rough idea of what story and I have several of the pages written. But a few I need to figure out how to get from point A to point B without going way off track. In a children’s picture book every word is important. Too many words and suddenly you have a chapter book. The wrong words and your story teeters over a proverbial cliff.

The best thing to remember is obstacles, whether you put them there physically or mentally, can be overcome. Take a breath, drink coffee, and write.