Hello World! I’ve Broken Through The Block

MY FIRST WORDS TO YOU

I’ve thought long and hard about the first thing I’d say to my visitors. After all, this isn’t social media. This is my website, a digital hub of myself and my work. I needed to be proper. Do things right. The first time. So, for many months, I did everything else but work on this site.

Doesn’t make sense? Of course, it doesn’t. But I didn’t learn my lesson. I did the same thing for my Patreon and Discord, putting them off until I could make them as perfect as I could manage. What I didn’t realise was that I didn’t know enough about any of these platforms to get them right the first time. How could someone do something right the first time, guaranteed, when they’ve never done it before? Impossible, save for luck. And who wants their future to depend on luck—except for Matrim Cauthon? (sorry for the random Wheel of Time reference, but the trailer came out the other day and I’m still hyped!)

Where were we? Oh, freezing up in the face of the impossible. Do you ever feel stuck in a rut of inaction? For writers, we call this writer’s block. Artists call it artblock. Whatever the name, whatever the endeavor—creative or otherwise—the cause of inaction is almost always a desperate need for perfection: the fear of failing, of looking stupid, of being rejected.

VERY PHILOSOPHICAL. BUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT?

What if I told you failing, looking stupid, or being rejected doesn’t mean that you are a failure. You are allowed to write a garbage first draft, something unedited and rough around the edges. You are allowed to make a website that isn’t fully populated with years worth of useful content for visitors to enjoy and learn from. Why is garbage writing okay? Because you can edit it later, when the editing is supposed to be done. Why is a growing website okay? Because how else are years worth of content supposed to get there?

It all sounds obvious in retrospect, but when you’re in the cycle of block it’s so hard to remember. That’s why I always keep this line in mind: ‘It’s okay to write garbage.’ That line alone is enough to turn me from an overthinker into a free spirit, someone who isn’t afraid to make mistakes on their way to a polished piece. Similarly, I know that launching this site with this single blog is my path to a comprehensive, useful site in the years to come.

Take that, overthinker within me!

WITH ALL THIS IN MIND, I NOW KNOW THE PERFECT THING TO SAY TO YOU, DEAR VISITOR

This blog. This reassurance that you and I are doing our best. We may not be perfect, but we put our best foot forward anyway, refusing to let inaction stop us. This was my first blog. A little meta, but a start nevertheless. I do hope it was helpful to you in some way.

If you’d like to talk to me about block, my writing/art, or anything else, check out my Discord. It’s a growing community of writers and artists who want to make better stories.

Take a look at my Patreon if you’d like to get a bunch of rewards for supporting me, tons of sneak peek content, educational writing content, or simply be a part of my creation process.

You can also sign up for my Newsletter for updates on all things writing, bookish, and artsy. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this page. Otherwise, I hope you have a great day! Let’s make the world a better place, one story at a time!

Reece Naidu