writer's block and other ramblings

Darn.  The blog had it's first birthday, and I was all amped up and excited about writing and .... nothing.  I have a bunch of post-it notes covered with ideas and little sketches, and then I sit at the computer.  My mind goes completely blank.  The fingers freeze, poised above the keyboard.  I keep telling myself I'll write tomorrow, or next week.  And now five weeks have passed with nothing to show.  I even had a heckler write a comment about my lack of blogging.  Yikes.  So, as with any other problem, I turned to Google for a little research.

What I found: There is a lot of boring research regarding writer's block. There are a lot of lame-o websites with lame-o writing prompts to help "cure" your writer's block.  Even lamer?  My attempts at said writing prompts.   There are also a lot of how-to's.  Implement a writing schedule, make deadlines and keep them, work on more than one project at a time, don't be too hard on yourself, etc.  The two most recurring themes?  Try writing exercises, and examine your anxieties (the most common "cause" of writer's block). I'm not great at freestyle writing, but here goes a try at a Lindsey-like writing exercise-- a list.  My anxieties, on a scale of 1-10:

1. My cursive F is still not quite perfect, despite the many trees I have killed practicing my penmanship. 
2. Brad and Jennifer are still broken up.
3. Where did my favorite pair of underwear disappear to?  Hopefully not stolen by the neighbor in unit 10.
4. My bad taste in music.  Will I ever progress past Justin Bieber, Carly Rae, and Katy Perry? 
5. The color I will paint my bedroom for next year.  And whether I should get a new duvet cover.
6. The guy I like not liking me back.
7. Do I really want kids someday?  Recent events have me terrified of bringing kids into the world to raise and educate and release into a scary, jaded world.
8. My weight, and the struggle to balance my fat-phobia with my love for butter and burritos.
9. Overreacting and letting other people affect my mood so easily.  I can't be responsible for what others do, but I need to be responsible for how I react.  
10. Feeling like Britney Spears circa Crossroads.  What am I doing with my life?

Whew.  Words on a page, it's a baby step!  Hopefully getting all that out there will return my mojo to me, and I can go back to my sketchbook full of ideas and shower you with amazing, witty prose.  But first, I'm off to celebrate America's birthday!!

L