Sometimes, it boggles our minds as to why this whole writing thing is so desirable, when so much of our time is spent struggling over what to say.
Do you know what’s worse than the blank page? Getting stuck.
It happens to all of us. I’m willing to bet the feeling is familiar: a sudden glitch in rhythm that, if allowed to gather power, can send us to a shuddering halt. Or tailspin of doom, depending on how you look at it. Whether we blame the creative muses, uncomfortable chairs, or plot-holes the size of Jupiter, being stuck simply sucks.
Most people experience “stuckness” via writer’s block. Some cases of writer’s block are over before they even begin, while others can cripple a writer for years if not forever. (Ed note: Bea, are you writing after drinking again? We’re supposed to be a bastion of positivity here!)
Then there are the kinds of stuck that come from places difficult to resolve. Places that make us question our choice of career, our work, and our purpose. We aim to address these in this issue as well, even if the answers don’t come easy.
Getting stuck is a test. It asks us to look beyond ourselves for the answers or, inversely, consider the prospect that the biggest barrier is ourselves.
Speaking of ourselves, we’re well acquainted with getting stuck. As mentioned in last week’s update, we experienced period of stuckness so long that we’ve been stuck longer than we haven’t! But now it’s time to continue what we started, if only because it didn’t feel right to quit.
While this was definitely the right decision for us, choosing to go on isn’t always the solution. That’s OK. Getting stuck teaches us when to fight through obstacles, when to change direction, and when to let go with dignity. The trick is in knowing when, and taking the plunge once we do.
So, of course, we must also look at ways we get unstuck. Sometimes the answer is as simple as the passage of time. Though that may sound like a throwaway line tossed from the rarified clouds of the eternal optimists, we ask that you unburden yourself of any cynicism just this once and consider that in most instances, letting time take its course is the best thing you can do.
As for what you can do while that’s happening–well, we’ll try not to spoil the fun. Our amazing contributors say it best, as always, in ways that makes us commiserate and empathize and understand, and in words that aim to soothe and encourage us.
Writing can feel like the loneliest job in the world–but when you’re stuck, it’s more important to remember that you’re not alone. There are women who are with you where you are. There are more women waiting to greet you, on the other side of stuck.
We hope this issue is proof of that.
Love,
Bea & Isa
Cover Art Credits
We’d like to thank Diana Dyhianto for her gorgeous illustration for this month’s issue!
Image Attribution: “<hello, today>” by Hyoin Min is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
