When I coach writers who feel blocked in their writing or who find they cannot make the time to complete a writing project, I find a similar struggle across personalities. It’s normally about identity. It’s about admitting that you see yourself as a legitimate writer. When I ask a writer, “Do you allow yourself to believe you’re an author? Do you tell others that you are a writer? When others ask what you do, do you tell them you write?”
Maybe you never have. Well, it’s a new day.
Admit it: You’re a real writer. And guess what writer’s do? They write.
(Maybe your issue isn’t about writing. Maybe it’s some other kind of work.)
I explain this to a new friend who just finished a professional writing course. He said, “Yeah, the writing teacher said to think about writers and how weird it is that they have writer’s block. You never hear about plumbers with plumber’s block or doctors with doctor’s block or electricians with electrician’s block. But writers have writer’s block. It’s because they don’t admit who they are.”
It made sense to me because once you admit you’re a writer, you’ll make time for it. It’s your legitimate work. You’ll invest in developing professionally as a writer. You’ll start seeing yourself differently. And you’ll act like a writer. Other professionals do this. Teachers do this. Business owners do this. Athletes do this. But writers? Writers feel guilty taking time to write. They feel blocked and like frauds and super insecure.
Maybe it’s time to admit you are the thing you want to be. You’ll find you move ahead in the direction of your dreams when you finally acknowledge who you are.