A Writer's Confession

I began a writing journal last month to aid against my growing writer's block. In it, I address a fictitious class because I heard somewhere that teaching can be a form of learning. So here I go. . .

     So class. Today we begin with a confession. My confession. I can no longer write. I have writer's block. There! I said it! And since I said it, it's now so. The truth cannot be escaped from. This only means the bottom. I am like an alcoholic who needs AA and 12 steps. However, I'm not an alcoholic. Instead, I am a writer's blockist . . . is that even a real word? Thank you, poetic license. Anyway, I am a writer's blockist who needs WBA (Writer's Block Anonymous). . . . is that even a real group? Where and when do they meet? I need you and the number of steps it takes to reach the Tian Tan Buddha. . . 268, actually.  Are you there, Buddha? It's me, Vanessa.

     With all this being said, we're going to solve this together. Me, you, this class, Buddha, and Walt Whitman. Fiction and I use to be friends, as Poetry and I use to be in love. These are relationships that need to be worked on. The "Just Be" technique does not work anymore as a sober adult. We think too much and correct ourselves, following the guidelines that come with age and responsibility. We have lost that "carelessness" and "freedom". Class. Buddha. Walt Whitman. I'm sorry, but it's not coming back. Like the pilgrims to America, we must adapt to this new land. Explore. Make a home. But most importantly, create new things.

     And in the begining, it's never easy. It can be at times, but let us remember this isn't always the case. Just because a poem or piece of fiction came straightforward and uncomplicated, it doesn't mean that it's done. Walt Whitman, I believe you can interject here.

     With my confession comes a realization, which, class, I'm going to share with you. An artist never sleeps. As poets and writers, we are lights on Broadway. We must think like them, channel them. And when this is so, others will follow and be drawn to our brilliance. Because what is an artist without an audience?