Sit down and write like the bad ass you are - Bianca Frattasi

                    As aspiring writers, we have all felt the frustration and anger that comes with not being able to get your ideas out of your head and out, into the world. These mental blocks tend to occur right when your piece starts to get good. You sit down in front of your laptop of pad of paper (if you’re old school) and start to write all your ideas down. At first they poor out fluidly, beautiful sentences just seem to come together. But then, the dreaded block. You sit there, watching your cursor flash, taunting you. You sit there and try to force yourself to write another sentence. You try to force yourself to push on because you think the beautiful sentences and insightful ideas will come flooding in once more. This is where you’re wrong. 

          Step away from the computer! Put down that pad of paper! I can only speak from personal experience, however I have found that my best work occurs when I write a piece gradually. If I’m working on a piece and suddenly encounter a mental block, I step away from my work and occupy myself in other ways. By doing this I am giving my brain a break as well as giving myself time to be inspired by new and exciting things around me. If you write a full piece from beginning to end in the same mindset, the piece might lack a certain flare that you might have gotten through if you were to write the piece over time, drawing inspiration from things you experience gradually.
          Another issue I often face, which is loosely connected to not being able to get your ideas out, is being too critical of my own work. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this, but every time I think up a new story or character or even a short scene, my first instinct is to harshly critique my lack of creativity and to begin finding reasons as to why I should scrap the idea. It’s hard enough to come up with an idea in the first place. Don’t hinder your chances of getting your words out further by anticipating the failure of your piece before you even begin! You just have to step back and give yourself a pep talk. Look at yourself in the mirror and say “Hey, I’m a bad ass capable of amazing things. Sit down, stop whining and get your ideas out, no matter how cliché they might be.”
          So that’s my advice. Don’t drive yourself crazy if you can’t get something out from beginning to end in one sitting. Work at them gradually. Slowly stitch together bits of your piece, drawing inspiration from everything around you. And lastly, don’t hate on yourself! There are a bunch of people outside your own head that will gladly do that for you. If anyone is going to believe in your writing it’s you.