the craft. fits and starts.

“Writing at every point is a leap into a complete unknown … at every point, you have the possibility of not being able to do it all. You restart at every blank piece of paper.”
- Zadie Smith

This weekend, we hosted an amazing PTW Masterclass with one of our Permission Granted members LySaundra Janeé on Writer’s Block and it reminded me of the importance of pushing your limits and abilities as a writer.

I, too, believe that writer’s block, if not a myth, is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more often a lack of inspiration and you can’t be afraid to take the time you need to find it. One of the things that drives me a bit whacky is how much time writing takes. Occasionally, I wish I was better at something with a bit quicker of a turnaround time for me, but I digress.

In this community, we have multiple levels of writers. From often published and working on books and whatnot to those that are just beginning. Whatever place we find ourselves in, guess, what? Each new page, project, or article is a new start much like the aforementioned quote suggests. We’re always teaching ourselves how to start again. And maybe there is some level that you get to when you sit down and stare at that blank page and just think to yourself, “I got this,” but your girl has not yet reached that level.

In my own journey, I have written a whole novel. Like a whole book and even still as I begin working on my subsequent novel ideas, I think to myself, how the hell do I do this again? I started a rom com that I was pretty excited about but got a little stuck. Then, I watched a documentary that gave me an idea for another music story and I started sprinting through that. I could see the whole beginning, middle, and end so I followed that thread instead and put the other story on the back burner for later. Now, I’m up to like 50k words and currently giving myself a break to read, live, and revisit hopefully with new bursts of inspiration to firm it up to a point where I feel comfortable sending it to my agent.

I also find myself in a place where I’m trying to pitch articles within the vein of my debut novel to help with visibility. Only to be reminded how much I hate the process when those pitches go into oblivion, unanswered. Lol.

I guess this week I want to remind you that there will be starts and stops. Just because you may be seeing success in one area, doesn’t mean you won’t meet new challenges in this writing journey. What’s even the point really if we’re not finding new territories to conquer, right? Which may be the reason I’m throwing myself into screenwriting simultaneously, who knows?

Get going on all the things you want to write. You will figure it out. You’ll get better. You’ll grow. You’ve heard me talk about how embarrassed I might be to read some of my old blog posts. But I’m thankful for that time. Sharpening my skills, and knowing that I’m nowhere near as good as I will be if I decide to keep going. I always reference my man Ta’Nehisi Coates who pretty much said, that’s all you gotta do to find success in writing. Keep writing.

A few writing prompts to send you down uncharted paths this week if you’re in need.

Who is a secondary character in a story that you can explore? Maybe they didn’t have a huge role. I love examples, so when I did this exercise, I wrote a short story based on the fiancé from Love Jones. You know the one Nina went to New York to see? Well, what happened to him? Lol. I wrote an interpretation of that story.
Describe something! A physical description of a person. A process that you know very well that you would have to explain the steps to. A location or a memory. Try to get every single detail.
An essay on one of the most pivotal moments in your life. Something that absolutely changed your trajectory and be sure to find the universal truth in your unique experience.

Writing/Job Opportunities

The Week is accepting pitches. Looking for argument-driven culture & entertainment pieces (no reviews) hooked to new movies/TV/books/music/controversies du jour, etc, in the 800-1100 word range. Email: weekpitches@futurenet.com

Graywolf Press is hiring an Executive Director and Publisher.

The Craig Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY is hiring a Program DIrector, Leadership Programs. (130K)

The American Literary Review is accepting submissions of previously unpublished poems, short stories, and essays.

Michael’s is hiring a Marketing Copywriter.

Aquent is hiring a Content Strategist.

Input Mag is hiring a Senior Editor, Gaming.

Shopify is hiring a Senior Writer, Communications (Remote)