I Don't Have Writer's Block... I'm Tired!

        I missed a deadline. It's a sick feeling of letting people down. I'm usually on top of things so missing the date of something I assigned for myself to do feels like a huge failure. 

      No... I'm not talking about anything related to Out of Darkness's publication schedule. If anything, I'm about a month and a half ahead of schedule, which is a relief.  Instead, I'm talking about the short story I promised everyone for Valentine's Day. 

    It's been said that writer's block stems from the author being afraid that someone won't like something they've written - 

                   Well, that's not true for me. It has never been true for me. Some days I just lack direction or ideas. I literally have no idea where to go with the story next. 

                         Moreover - sometimes I am just dog-tired. Seriously. As was the case of the missed Valentine's Day deadline. It's so great that some writers can carve out time each and every day to write. But that time for me is usually late at night. Mostly between 10 pm and midnight. And sometimes, at these late hours, I'm just exhausted. Sure I have excuses... it's been a tiring day, I took in too much fresh air, I'm drained from reading a book for hours, etc. And excuses they may be. But if I'm not in the mood to write, I just can't do it. So I don't have writer's block... I'm just tired! 

       Some things just work better for some writers. It really all depends on what your schedule is like. Some days I don't write at all other than in a journal I keep to record the happenings of my days. It doesn't mean that I'm lacking ideas for my creative writing. I have all sorts of ideas that strike me at different times. I even have ideas for that half-finished chapter I haven't gotten to working on or the short story I still haven't finished. 

     So I merely store my ideas on notes - on post-its I keep by my bed, notebooks strewn around my room, and Evernote on my phone/Nook/laptop and wait for myself to get a little ambition. Sometimes I go so long without writing that when I do it again it sort of pours out of me, which I consider a good thing. Everything has been brewing thought-wise, waiting for the perfect time to be written down. 

     I don't worry too much if I miss a deadline I set for myself anymore unless it's a series of deadlines I miss. After all, deadlines are an imaginary thing thought up by people just looking to add more stress to their lives. Sooner or later you burn out and need a little time for relaxation. 

Late night writing can be so exhausting after all...