Killing Ideas: An Update

I spent a non-insignificant amount of time this week with my head in my hands trying to figure out what to do with a short story.

I’ve often thought of “writers block” as a silly concept, one that reveals something about the writer who “experiences” it. While I may be wrong, I’m not familiar with any other group of artists that have their own term for explaining their lack of output. Everyone encounters roadblocks at some point, but I’ve never heard a painter saying they have “painters block” like their inactivity is something they can’t control. When people talk about “writers block” it often sounds like they’ve caught a cold, and I’ve always thought it was the ego explaining away what should be recognized as laziness.

So, if I’m going to be consistent, this post is to inform everyone of my laziness.

Next week, I will publish the first part of a new short story. I’ve been working on a thriller about a mountaineering rescue team for a long time, and while I’m not confident about sharing it right now, I’m going to share it regardless.

Inaction is often far worse for any kind of project than bad ideas or poor execution. From my years of experience of trying to make ideas perfect and then start writing, I’ve been left with very little writing (and no experience). Now, I’m trying to kill my ideas quickly and with as much precision as possible. I appreciate you being here for that process.

Next weekend, you will have something to read that will hopefully be an interesting use of your time. Thank you for reading my update!