Persistence | J. Paul Cooper, Writer

Have you ever had a period of time when you stop writing? That’s what I’ve been struggling with lately, but fortunately, through years of experience, I’ve learned there’s no reason to panic.

A PAUSE ISN’T PERMANENT. There are many reasons writing can become difficult; a change in your work schedule, events in your life that require your full attention, stress that makes it difficult to concentrate. The dilemma faced by writers, is your vivid imagination allows you to write fiction, but it also allows you to imagine terrible outcomes, even if they are unlikely to happen. It’s easy to imagine that you’ll never write again, but, as the old saying goes, “This too will pass.”

YOU HAVEN’T LOST YOUR TALENT. Eventually, you will start writing again, and when you do, the words will begin to flow. Immediately, you’ll remember how much you love creating characters and the worlds they live in. Writing isn’t just what you do, it’s who you are. Don’t be surprised that even if you take an occasional break, you’ll probably be writing for the rest of your life.

YOU MAY STILL BE WRITING, YOU JUST AREN’T AWARE OF IT. Sometimes it’s difficult to write, because your mind is creating a puzzle in your sub-conscious and there are missing pieces. You sense the frustration and label it as Writer’s Block, but it’s just because your mind has been working overtime to solve a problem. One day you’ll you have a brilliant story idea, it’ll feel like you’ve been struck by lightning, when you’ve actually been working on it for months.

YOU MAY BE OLDER, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE. If due to life’s ebb and flows you haven’t been able to dedicate time to writing for a long period of time, you don’t need to be discouraged. A Writer isn’t like a professional athlete who’s considered at the end his or her career at 40 years old. The opposite is true; the older you get, the more knowledge and personal experience you have to draw on for stories.

WRITING PROVIDES MANY OPTIONS. Can’t finish that short story? Try writing an essay. Frustrated with that Science Fiction novel? Write a murder mystery. You can’t complete that historical novel, but you’re convinced it’s a great idea, then tell the story as a screenplay. The combination of genres and formats is endless, and if you’ll just try one, they all lead to the same goal, to start writing again.