Today I sit down speed write a series document for a slightly old pilot, as fast as humanly possible. Amidst this situation, I’ve realized something about my process. It feels like there are some subconscious mental mechanics at work here. Namely, that when I have all the abilities, inspiration, and knowledge beneath the surface - almost ready to be deployed and just write the damn thing - there is a hold-up. I guess that hold-up is anxiety or something akin to one form of writer’s block. More specifically, it is a block that is taking up energy to sustain. So I end up, inadvertently - as I try to write this thing, finding ways to tire out my neuroses to the point where my block is worn down (but hopefully leaving myself with still enough time and energy to get to the task at hand). I do things like: write this post (it’s still writing, and it’s vaguely therapeutic), or read the news (that’s mostly just tiring), or I focus on other industry-related tasks that aren’t quite as creatively demanding - or it’s just watching a TV show or film. These things are seem to divert my energies in one way or another, and allow me to begin to focus on - in this case - the series document. Sometimes there is a beautiful serendipitous sort of day where you wake up early, are just tired enough to not have started the anxiety-train, and can dive right into the work uninterrupted. I think my career as a writer will depend on training myself to have that clear-eyed mindset every day I go to work. I imagine it’s mostly practice that will get me there. Practice, and external validation from the people who (ideally) pay me :)
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