I have not written anything in a while, breaking my promise of at least once a week to wrote on Substack. I know there’s a such thing as writer’s block. What is that really? Like any other blockage, it has to do with what I’m thinking, and telling myself. These are the questions I ask of me:
Am I making up that I have nothing to write about?
Am I prioritizing other things?
Is my mind really void of ideas?
Being curious about your own “why” is an approach that not everyone takes toward challenges, setbacks, and so called blockages. Asking questions of yourself, rather than Mr. or Mrs. Google is a wise choice.
You may not get answers right away, and that’s okay. Instantaneous knowing has been normalized. Access to information is always at our fingertips. I remember when the question would become less important and forgotten. Or, it would require a trip to the library, or asking someone older and wiser than myself.
This writer’s block isn’t actually true. It’s the lack of follow through of the commitment I made to myself. So here I am pouring out what’s coming through. I suppose it’s a form of therapy, to release the swirling thoughts in brain.
Though, not every thought requires a public forum.
Writing can be considered a skill, and also a divine download. Either way you look at it, timing, environment, and mindset are major contributors to what becomes a tangible idea. From the head to the paper, or from the consciousness stream to the paper.
Since I started this post yesterday, and dropped it two paragraphs in, I’ve been back at it today writing. With two books in the making, visioning them to merge into one, I get to write when a thought occurs.
I heard I am a “pantser”, writing by the seat of my pants vs. plotting every character and chapter before I begin. The latter seems daunting to me, as a free-spirit, go with the flow woman.
Here’s what came this morning for one of the books that is emerging:
It all began in 2029, when the wells ran dry and the AI data centers were swallowing the nations water supply, like a snake eats it’s prey. Cities and towns all across the U.S. became ghost towns, as water supplies dwindled. Survival of the fittest wasn’t just a phrase that Darwin coined, but a lived reality, as people traveled in search of drinkable water.
Survival became a way of life. Choosing the next show to binge on was a thing of the past. No more leisurely drives, trips to the gym or excursions to unknown Florida treasures.
Bonnie had seen this all coming in the visions she had for over thirty years. When the movie Water World first hit the big screen in 1995, she wondered how Hollywood writers could foresee the future.
The inventor of the portable water filter, James Johansen, had become a billionaire overnight. A great philanthropist thankfully, he donated hundreds of thousands to the poorest of citizens.
The drought stricken land had no chance against the corporate takeover of the United States. Brewing for many decades, the rich and greedy symbolized the epitome of gluttony.
While many died of dehydration, those that didn’t turned a blind eye to the sad and desperate ones who had no skills to stay and play in the game of life.
The sacred waters of the Florida Springs cradled some of the only clean water left. Even those were pumping out less and less due to the drain from the data centers, and the bottling companies.
If one was paying attention, the signs of imminent war were all around. When people are hungry and thirsty, searching for sustenance to survive, they’ll do anything to live another day.
At first there were skirmishes and stories of the fights that broke out wherever fresh water was found. Nobody dared to reveal their personal water filter for fear of losing it to the one who was barely holding on.
The previous years of drought were visible everywhere. Cattle had almost disappeared completely. Alligators and gopher turtles became a lifeline for many other animals, as the water dwindled like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.
Alligators could dig in the deep water, creating holes that became the sole watering source for many birds and mammals.
How ironic that the very animal humans would illegally hunt for money are the ones that could be the saviors of humanity. Find an alligator and you’ll find the elixir of life.
These predators began eating humans when their food sources began to disappear. Attacks by gators were rare until they weren’t. It was a gamble to wade in the brackish water, yet often it was a choice worth the risk. Die of dehydration or die by alligator attack.
That’s all I got for today. More to come…..