I Don't Get Writer's Block...

I get writer's paralysis. 

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I'm neurotic already, but pursuing writing as a career has cranked that up to eleven.

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And sometimes I feel like if I don't write I'll crawl out of my skin, but if I DO write I will suck as hard as anyone has ever sucked at sucking. So why bother? Misery either way.

A couple of days ago I was checking Go Into The Story (which is invaluable for anyone looking to become a screenwriter.) There's a feature called On Writing, and the quote posted that day helped me out big time. So here it is, for anyone who's ever felt like the writing task ahead of them is too big. Too complicated. Too. Damn. Hard.

“One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly. I tell myself that I’m going to do my five or 10 pages no matter what, and that I can always tear them up the following morning if I want. I’ll have lost nothing—writing and tearing up five pages would leave me no further behind than if I took the day off.”

– Lawrence Block

(via Go Into The Story)

Give yourself permission to suck. I am.