Writers Block

week of 11/12

This week we collectively read the book Letters to a Young Writer by Colum McCann which was my favorite part of the week. I personally bought the book so I could read it on my own and in times of need to help flourish my writing. Many of the tips that we read as a class coincided exactly with the state that I am in now in my life, creativity, and writing. The three chapters that I read were Don’t write what you know, Read Read Read, and Smash that Mirror. I picked them at random but they ended up being very useful and relatable pieces of advice that left me feeling good about my writer’s block and how to approach what I write about. I struggle a lot with choosing what to write about and sticking with it. So this chapter told me to not stick to the confines of writing what you know and to branch out to the unknown as exploration creates great writing. The next chapter helped reinforce my love for reading and pushed me to make reading a priority, to not only focus on creating but consuming to help foster that creation. Lastly, Smash that Mirror taught me to create my own new world when writing and not always exploit people in your life and weave their own stories for your own writing gain. Overall this book helped me with understanding how to navigate my writers block and foster a confidence in me with my writing.