Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Writer's block


I've been a professional writer for most of my post-college career(nearly 16 years now). There have been times I've been stumped or hesitant to begin a writing project. Honestly, though, I've never had writer's block. If a writer's worst enemy is a blank screen or a clean sheet of paper, then overcoming that enemy is as simple as writing something to get the ball rolling. This method has served me well, especially because my entire career has made use of a computer of some kind. More important, the mindset behind that method is that, no matter the project, you've got to get started before you can begin.

Pictured around me is a mix of personal and work-issued laptops and my grandparents' vintage Underwood typewriter. None of the computers are actually on. There's a flash unit on a light stand coming from the left side of the photo, and another sitting on the keyboard of the big laptop at right. Both were triggered from a unit on the camera, which was mounted to a tripod. Self-portraits can be so complicated sometimes!