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SHANNON MUIR’S THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF!

BEYOND THE SHELF is general commentary about the blog or the mystery and crime writing business by author and site administrator Shannon Muir that doesn’t fall in the scope of a regular column. This week’s topic is the topic of not managing to write what you hope to accomplish.

Many people throw around the term “writer’s block” when they get stuck. I realize the terms means different things to different people.

For me, it means emotionally wanting to continue on a same particular piece but for some reason I’m stuck on what to do with it.

The reality is that I could just start trying to write something else – anything else – and see if it takes me somewhere.

The fear that can be had, and I know I do, is that I just write stuff down that goes nowhere and then feeling the time has been wasted and is not productive.

Sometimes you just need to say, “I was productive because I wrote a few creative words,” even if they don’t go anywhere for the long haul.

I’ve certainly had days like that.