Writer’s Congestion

I got nothing. Not true. Actually, I have too many, and that is the problem.
What is your writing process? Is your blog on your mind all the time? Are you always on the lookout for what would make a good blog entry? Do you just sit down and write about whatever pops into your head? Do books, television, movies, newspapers, etc, inspire your writing?
My answer is yes. I use all of those methods. And right now, the ideas are fighting to break through, but none seem to be emerging. It’s the opposite of writer’s block – writer’s congestion.
I could write about
        BR is away, and the house is quiet. I know he is having a good time and is well cared for. I love him, but I don’t miss him. I will, however, be happy to see him. For now, I am enjoying the serenity. I don’t feel guilty.
        SJ and I have been enjoying the town beach/pool. I’m noticing how the beach brings out the extremes in kids. I see children laughing, smiling, and playing with each other. I see kids throwing tantrums and having crying fits. Overstimulation leads to tiredness.
        We have had some repair work done on our house. But will it ever end? My wife and I were already discussing what’s next. Sometimes, I wish we were back in an condminium, calling the super.

        I am tired of hearing politicians arguing about stupidity and making idiotic claims about each other. Regardless of your political point of view, the overwhelming majority of us Americans know that the country is not in a good place right now. There are serious problems. I would like to hear politicians offer serious solutions. I want to hear what their policy is and why it will work. That’s it.

        August is creeping along and I am doing my damndest to keep my focus on the here and now. I still have goals I want to accomplish this summer. Then, there are the children’s doctor appointments, haircuts, school schedules  to plan. We haven’t even gone on vacation yet.
And this isn’t even the half of it.
So, as you can see, my writer’s mind (and thoughts in general) have been zooming. I need to slow down. I pray every day. One of the things I pray for in the morning is the ability to focus on the task at hand. I believe it is the way to be productive and get the most meaning out of anything you are doing.
Focus, man focus. That’s what I need.

36 thoughts on “Writer’s Congestion

  1. Ooh, doctor’s appointments. I need to schedule those today. I like to think about my blogs for a day or at least a few hours before I write something. I like the process of gathering as many ideas in my head as possible about it.

  2. when you learn the magic of focus, please share
    writer’s congestion – good term – going to bring it up for discussion at my next writers’ group meeting – we save our creativity obviously for other things than to come up with a creative name–we are called The Writers’ Group — sometimes we go out on a limb and throw our town’s name in our title

  3. Sounds like you’re in a place where everything is bearing down on you and time is running out. September is coming and summer is slipping away. Still so much to do. I feel the same way. I like the name you gave your writing issue: writer’s congestion. I suffer severely from that. Now that I have a name for it, maybe it will be easier to deal with.

    My process? Funny enough, I was just discussing this with a colleague this morning. It occurred to me as I was talking to her that what we were talking about would make a good blog post. And then your post appeared in my Inbox. I guess it’s a sign. I’m going to elaborate on the topic over at http://lifetakesover.wordpress.com.

    Stay focused. You’re doing great. 🙂

  4. Feast or famine. I know what you mean. I think I have about 100 drafts on my blog waiting to be finished. I admire your honesty about not missing BR and I’m glad you don’t feel guilty. I agree with you on American politics and I was thinking about do a blog post about it. I’m tired of the spirit of hatred and the constant back-and-forth blame game. I enjoyed your post. My boys started school yesterday. When do yours start?

  5. Definitely stuffed up with writer’s congestion. At least some of you have an excuse for being lagging in good ideas…….kids,work, social engagements.

    I am retired and have no real obligations……..except staying alive for a few more years.
    I am on the computer almost all day. I don’t blog about anything specific….just make it up as I go along. lol I do find ideas from others. Just a word or two from another blog can lead to something……..that is probably totally unrelated to their blog.

    If I have even a hint of an idea, I make a draft page with a title and start a little something. Then add or edit as something comes to mind. Usually it ends up complete different from the original plan.

    But that brings another headache. I have so many drafts that I can’t remember what they were about. 🙁 I know…everybody should be so lucky to have a one in hand instead of 30 in the bush/draft.

    My rule is to make my posts short and sweet. Now don’t you wish I would apply the same rule to my comments????

  6. I like the term writer’s congestion. One thing you mentioned liking about my blog is how I do not follow the typical mom blog format. I write about lots of things, not just about my kids. Maybe telling a story from your childhood, discuss what you enjoy about teaching, your worst teaching day, or things parenting has taught you. Another idea is to subcribe to all sorts of blogs, not just other parenting ones. You learn new things, get inspired and see lots of creative ways to write blogs. Lastly, hire a guest blogger. 🙂

  7. Oh, I seriously need some focus. So many things I want to do and write about but none of them are happening! If only my brain could focus on one thing at the time for long enough to finish it. I’m impressed that you’re enjoying the peace and quiet without feeling guilty, that’s a real good thing.

  8. Pingback: A Blogging Process? « Life Takes Over

  9. A great phrase – writer’s congestion! Love it! And yes, I suffer from it also. I have so many ideas in draft form or rattling around in my head that I’m too overwhelmed to complete any of them. Looking forward to the follow-up post: MMK reveals little known remedy for Writer’s Congestion (maybe Pfizer should start working on a drug?!).

  10. I teach a blogging class and I tell the people who attend to buy a small notebook to use for their blog posts. I have a small book – the size of a journal – which I keep in the house and carry with me when I’m out for meetings. You just never know when a blog post will hit you so this way, you can write it down, get it out of your head and all your stuff is in one place. I usually look through my ideas once a week and plan out which one will get posted when (yeah, I’ve got a slight OCD problem) but I’m telling you – this will help you keep your focus.

  11. Hi,
    Join the club. I fight with writer’s congestion a lot. There are so many things that I want to write about and even though I have my blogs pretty much categorized and aligned to things that I want to get across, I still don’t manage to write a blog article for each blog every week. With writing short stories, novels, and singing, sometimes there is just not enough time in the day. So I can understand your feeling. I look forward to October. I will go on vacation for a week and pamper myself. However as you said, the key is focusing. But we all tend to forget the key must be learned and the only way to learn it, is to find your way out of the chaos.
    Nice article and I enjoyed reading it.
    Ciao,
    Patricia

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