Writer’s Block

This year has been one extended session of writer’s block. For each blog I’ve written, I’ve had the hardest time maintaining the juice and continuing to push out new material. I know it was pretty easy to either glean from my own life experiences and/or the news cycles and simply find a quiet room for a couple of hours to write freely, but 2017 has presented its own obstacles toward any semblance of consistency.

Most of you know I used to post weekly to AD&AD and with all the things that have transpired since January, it’s a miracle that I had been able to churn out high-quality stuff for as long as I did! After two years of mostly sharing the Dad Chronicles, the greatest thing (for me) has been rest – and playing a more active role in my daughter’s childhood and being a halfway decent husband to my wife. Of course, setting Word aside for those sporadic moments when I can compose without an interruption has resulted in my intentional living; it also helps that Heritage* isn’t requiring my body to show up in the office 72 hours per week anymore.

As a professional writer, the time away comes a price: Anything worth having requires regular usage and that uncanny mastery of the written word is no exception. While it is certainly easier to tweet a rant or present historical content in 140 characters or fewer, I still need to remain up-to-date on APA, MLA, and other business formats of writing in addition to regularly reviewing past works for relevance and the occasional misspelling. Then there are the weeks of emptyheaded ideas and rough drafts that somehow evaporate between my mind and the time I can put them either to physical paper or my favorite notepad apps thereby nixing any possibility of monetizing opinions and tutorials.

Besides, what is exciting about discussing potty training a girl?

I won’t share the frustration, but whoever told me girls would be easier than boys must be dragged behind the shed kicking and screaming for a severe beating. 

Sidebar:  Ten years ago, I began AD&AD as a venue for me to escape a rough patch in my personal life: After I moved home to Arkansas after living cross-country, employment (and to an extent, the meager social opportunities) dried up yet I had tons of creative stories I needed to release. All I had in my pocket was $1 and a dream I had been chasing since college; sadly, I also had a mountain of car payments and that godawful student loan staring at me neither of which unemployment checks were sufficient enough to cover without serious piecemeal. It was then that I realized living hand-to-mouth was for the birds and although I wanted to be happy, the bills had to be paid on time. Eventually, I ended up working two jobs to not only catch up but also plan my next moves – and be able to afford to date someone. It’s kind of hard to get a woman to buy-in when all I had were an unrealized dream and a pair of low-paying jobs that combined barely provided any wiggle room for fun; thankfully, my girlfriend (now wife) believed enough in me to allow the pursuit of the written word. Getting recognition for being able to tell a story or convey a persuasive argument is nice, but I also like eating three meals daily and not having to worry about how monthly utilities (gas, water, lights, internet) will be paid for. In other words, I like payday.

If I write one or a hundred more blogs this year, all of this will be sufficient as long as I can push writer’s block out of the way.

Anyone with expertise in monetizing blogs, don’t hesitate to inbox or email me.  

*The story behind Heritage:  Rineco Chemicals was sold to Heritage Environmental for an undisclosed amount way back on March 1. So far, all 300+ of us still have our jobs and as we are integrated into the HES family, some growing pains are expected. I am not at liberty to say how it affects me personally, but stay tuned to find out what happens in the future.