#23 - Haven't Written for a While? Writer's Block? Out of Subject? Frustrated?

Hi everyone.

Some of the members have returned recently to continue pursuing their writing dreams.

They posted one or two blogs months ago.

Then disappeared.

They have disappeared for months.

Suddenly reappeared.

They posted a blog saying that they should've written more.

And they felt frustrated.

I understand and feel them with my whole heart.

I know their struggles and difficulties.

I was one of them or even worse.

I joined Mibba six months ago.

At that time, I had never written anything serious before in my life.

I just wanted to find some place to learn and practice my writing skill.

I had million things in my head waiting to get out.

But I couldn't write, although I had everything I needed.

Everytime when I got ready to give it a try, my head went blank.

Whatever I tried and however I encouraged myself, I still sat there like a mess.

One day, a member sent me a message about what I could do on Mibba.

Since then, we became writing friends.

Next a couple of days, we had talked about writing, life and such.

Later I met some other members.

I talked with them too, we shared our ideas about stories and characters.

It was the period of the time I develop my writing skills the fastest and the most.

This state lasted about four months.

Still I didn't write anything serious.

But I got comfortable in writing.

I could express my ideas in words more freely.

I could have some long discussions with other members.

I made mistakes and I failed here and there.

But everyone was so nice and so helpful.

Right now I can write in an more acceptable way.

I am still learning.

And I still struggle sometimes.

But compare to who I was several months ago, I think it is a big improvement.

In this blog, I would share some lessons I've learned along the way and hope them would be helpful.

1. Change your attitude towards writing.

1.1 Writing is not your job, duty or responsibility.

You don't have to write.

Statistically, 95% of the population aren't writers.

So don't put too much pressure on yourself.

1.2 Writing is one of the many ways to express ideas, thoughts and feelings.

Just like singing, dancing and painting, writing is an art of self-expression.

Writing is nothing in itself.

Even you have mastered everything in writing, you still couldn't write if you have nothing you want to express or share.

You can't write things you don't care about.

You can't write things you think they are not worth the effort.

And you can't write things you are not passionate.

Writing is a secondary activity.

Writing is an activity pushed, driven and forced by the writer's inner energy and desire.

1.3 Writing should be fun and joyful.

You can do anything with words.

You can create any world.

And you can have anything in that world.

You design the settings and environment.

And You have people and animals living in.

You can have a cat who can talk and be very funny.

You can have a armed soldier who goes under a dungeon trying to find the dragon.

You can have kingdoms.

Then you can have cruel kings, brave knights and good-hearted princesses.

Writing is a way to bring all of our joys without any constraint.

2. Some of the proved strategies you can apply in your writing life.

2.1 Warm up.

Writing is like sports.

We have writing muscles.

And we have to exercise them.

To get to a higher level, we have to have a lot of practice.

If you haven't write for a while and feel very difficult, you could do some warm ups.

You can have conversations with other members on Mibba talking about their writings and inspirations.

Just remember that people love to talk and love to answer questions.

Or you can write blogs sharing things happening in your mind and your life.

Don't worry too much about how other people would feel about your writings.

Everyone on Mibba are very nice and not judgmental.

Mibba is a great place for people who want to learn and practice their writing skills.

2.2 Find subjects or topics to write.

If you don't know what you are going to write, there are some tips.

Read magazines or go to Internet, you will find countless things to write.

Or you can just write about yourself.

Do you have cats or dogs?

Do you love music? Movies? Video games? Sports? Cooking? Fashion? Visual arts? ...

Find things you love to share with the world and write about them.

2.3 Make things simple.

You can't write a book in your first tries.

Think big but do it with small steps.

Focus on small topics first and then bigger ones.

One step a time.

3. Write as regularly and frequently as possible.

Writing is not different from other skills.

You have to practice it often to get better.

Write something every day, make writing become your habit.

The more you write, the easier you feel and the better you get, and you want to write more, in the end, you would become the best you can be as a writer.

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Ok, I have to end here or that would be too long for a blog.

Thanks for your patience, really hope this blog would be helpful and useful for your current situation.

Be happy and let's write again!