Raison d'être

Prompt: The Daily Topic: Are You Or Aren't You Just Rationalizing? Write About The Difference Between Laziness And Writer's Block…According To You?

I had been procrastinating to write for quite some time. I thought I would pursue some courses in writing, and eventually write for magazines and newspapers. Little did I realize that writing is a skill, a craft which needs to be developed over time; by practice, by sheer concentration and dedication towards this skill.

I would certainly not call this laziness. It is a writer’s block….do I write well? Which topic, how should I begin the entire process of targeting a magazine or newspaper, what if I am rejected? Or am I just stuck with no clear objective in mind. It was nervousness and the fear of failure which prevented me from putting my thoughts on paper. The urge to write struck only when my husband reminded me that for the rest of my life I would only pursue courses and never accomplish the real task of crafting a piece, until I actually sat down to write one.

‘Laziness’ or ‘Indolence’ is the lack of inclination to perform an activity despite having the capability to do so. Motivation lacks when the need is productivity. As Henry Clay said “The time will come when winter will ask you what you were doing all summer.”

However, ‘Writer’s Block’ is the loss of morale which targets the writing professionals. Authors lose the ability to produce new work; either due to a complex task at hand or due to lack of inspiration or worse still, depression or financial problems. Some have taken years to get back to their profession or discontinued.

Both the troubles can be dealt with. Laziness can be triumphed over by figuring out the single concern which is haunting you. Ask yourself its importance in your life and convince yourself to do something about it. Decide a time, perform the task and reward yourself. Rewarding is a great incentive. Set goals and never give up.Writer’s Block too can be conquered with a few simple tasks. Schedule a time to write, irrespective of the quality of the prose and script. Join a writing group, find writing lessons, exercises, hire a mentor if necessary. As N. J. Higham said "Force yourself to write something, however clumsy it may be, for it is often easier to modify something you have written previously than to compose from scratch."

Writing cooking recipes or articles related to your field can also reconnect you with the writing world. Internet has opened millions of opportunities to new and established writers. Writing a blog can be a stepping stone, as in my case. This was backed by the need of the hour – a “writer’s CV” to compete against the many great writers in this world. Courses give you the knowledge. But writers should write!!!

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."(Mark Twain)