writers block

Hello, A good writer friend of mine, Deborah Nicholson, (no we're not related) just posted on her blog about how she hasn't written a word since October 3rd. This is very, very unusual for her. She writes the wonderful Kate Carpenter mystery series and sometimes writes two books a year. I think of all my writer friends she is the most prolific. I mean, I write two children's sports novels a year but...hey, they're considerably smaller in word count. Recently, Deb's cat died and she's had a hard time writing. What I love about her is how on her blog she says it's not writers block and you know I agree with her. I don't believe in writers block either. I do believe in life getting in the way, like the death of a loved pet. But you know when life doesn't get in the way, procrastination does. It's not writers block. Sometimes I have to sit at my computer and write and delete but that means I'm just writing really poorly. It doesn't mean I have a block. Saying you have writers block is just way too easy. It's such a good excuse and sounds so official. Like you're a real writer. Ha. The trick in this business, and the trick to being a real writer, is to sit and write. For example, I'm supposed to be working right now and I'm blogging, that's called procrastination. Big procrastination. When I go to schools I tell the students there is no such thing as writers block. They can't go to the teacher and say, oh gee, I didn't get my assignment done, I had writers block. That just will get them a big fat zero. So, writing is writing. Forget the block and get going. Hmm. I might need a trip to the fridge first.