Which one are you?
I made up these little bags of inspiration and handed them out at my writers group this week.
They are loaded with things a writer needs like a mini notebook, tea, chocolate and mints, which are supposed to stimulate brain activity.
I also included in each bag a piece of Mookaite Jasper, a crystal that promotes creativity.
I challenged everyone to think positively about their writing and writing goals as we start 2017. We talked about keeping a gratitude journal to stay in a positive frame of mind.
And here I sit. Stuck.
Ugh.
“Begin … the rest is easy.” That was my fortune from New Year’s Eve. It’s sitting here on my desk. Every once in awhile it disappears beneath a pile of papers, but it always surfaces, mocking me with its overly simplistic advice.
“I already knew that,” I say to the fortune. I glare at the small, smug strip of white paper.
White like a priest’s robe.
It sits there absorbing the red lasers shooting from my eyeballs. It taunts me with its exaggerated stoicism.
“I’ll begin anytime I want,” I say. “I’m the boss of me. Not you. You’re just a scrap of paper. Made in China.”
Still nothing. The fortune is quiet as a ninja. I assume it’s deep in meditation on the meaning of life or how to best piss off a stuck writer
“I’m not ready yet, stupid fortune,” I say.
The fortune sits patiently, waiting for me to begin.
* * *
Wishing you all great success in 2017!
The Flannel Files 
You’ve got this. It will come spilling out when you’re ready.
Thanks! I know it will.
I love this. It’s hilarious. Laughing with you, not at you.
I was laughing at myself with the post, so it’s all good. I’m sure many of us have felt that way at one time or another.
Beginning sucks!
Yep. It always feels like I have to break through some kind of force shield that’s holding me back.