Writer’s block is attacking me! Help! My next novel, the first of a trilogy, The Refugees: Family Threads, is in beta read. The second is on my radar. The images are in my mind, but the first words will not come.

 WRITER’S BLOCK DEFINITION

According to Merriam-Webster, writer’s block is a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece.

 WRITER’S BLOCK CAUSES

Common causes of writer’s block, according to Jeff Goins are:

• Timing: It’s simply not the right time to write. Your ideas may need to stew a little longer before writing them down.
• Fear: Many writers struggle with being afraid, with putting their ideas (and themselves) out there for everyone to see and critique. Fear is a major reason some writers never become writers.
• Perfectionism: You want everything to be just right before you ever put pen to paper or touch a keyboard. You try to get it perfect in your head and never do, so you never begin.

WRITER’S BLOCK AND THE FIRST WORDS OF A BOOK

Perhaps my angst stems from what the first pages of a novel must do: hook the reader.

The Novelry asks this question:

Is your opening currently fulfilling these purposes?

• Putting your reader into the world (location/setting/time period)
• Posing a question the reader wants to get an answer for (create mystery or intrigue)
• Introducing the main character
• Setting the mood
• Kick-starting the plot development (your inciting incident)

 WRITER’S BLOCK WORK AROUNDS

Hmm. My self-analysis suggests that I am struggling somewhat due to perfectionism and fear that I cannot write a killer opening. So, what are the remedies? Suggestions include:

• Skip the opening and write some other part of the story.
• Just do it! Write it even if it sucks.

WRITER’S BLOCK ANOTHER PART OF THE STORY

Start somewhere else sounded like a good idea, so I began gathering resources to trace my great-great-grandfather, Wendolyn Seibold, from the Grand Duchy of Baden (Germany) to Guntersville, Alabama, by 1849. Dang! I discovered that a significant amount of activity was taking place in Baden during the 1840s—shortfalls in basic food supplies—and that lower-class households spent two-thirds to three-quarters of their income on food.­ Wendolyn was a cobbler, so I suspect people didn’t have money for shoe repairs or new shoes.

Then, I found an excellent historical novel with footnotes about Germans who fled to Texas around the same time, detailing the difficulties they faced in simply getting to the ship. Unfortunately, most of the resources are in German.

Wendolyn and his brothers went from Germany to Amsterdam and landed in New York. Wendolyn drifted to Cincinnati, OH, then to St. Louis, MO, and later, Huntsville, AL, before settling in Guntersville, Alabama (Gunter’s Landing).

Why? What happened to his brothers? My cousin thinks he killed someone. Do you think this would be good for the plot?

OMG! I have lots of work to do.

WRITER’S BLOCK JUST DO IT!

The book opens between 1808 and 1819, with my ancestor, William McKee, my third great-grandfather, taking a flatboat from Maury County, Tennessee, to Gunters Landing, Alabama, where he claims an island in the Tennessee River known as McKee Island.

While dragging my heels in writing this blog, I discovered a key piece of evidence: how William was able to float down the Tennessee River, which is nowhere near Maury County. He must have used the Duck River, which passes through Maury County and feeds into the Tennessee River. Apparently, this was a well-used passage.

However, his motivations aren’t firm in my mind. I have a few other avenues of research before I feel comfortable about his trip. And, he may have made it more than once. Family rumor is that he squatted on Alabama land, and Andrew Jackson’s troops chased him out.

LAST THOUGHTS ON WRITER’S BLOCK

Hmm. Time to drop back to the safety of procrastination. Perhaps I haven’t let this simmer enough. I’ll fix a martini tonight, relax on the porch, watch the sun set, and see where my mind takes me.

Cheers.

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