I'm an AmWriter by James Huskins

I got nothing, zilch, nada. How many times have you thought that? Fingers poised over the keyboard, staring at a blank page, waiting for those first few words to form into thought. And then the cat meows, you wonder if he has enough food, you really should wash those dishes stacked in the sink, and isn't that the mailman you hear outside? You really should get the mail – you might have bills you need to pay and you're a responsible adult. Sound familiar? When did writing become all about everything but writing?

As writers we make every excuse to avoid facing the blank page. My favorite self-delusion is that I must have life experiences and observe life to have something to write about. And while that may in part hold some truth, if I were being honest I would have to admit I'm just avoiding putting words on the page. Why do we avoid doing that which we say we do? When you use the amwriting hashtag, are you really writing or checking your email?

A while back I realized I was amtweeting more than I was amwriting so I've been spending less time on twitter in hopes I would do some actual writing. So far, I've edited, changed the name of the WIP three times, read though it twice and become convinced it dived off a cliff 30 pages back. I'm rather proud that I've managed to do so much, what with all the DVD watching, book reading and domestic duties I've had to do. In three months I've managed to write a page and a half, and that wasn't even on the current WIP. Can I even still claim to be an amwriter?

You bet. Writing is a composite of many different activities – things we do to get the creative juices flowing, and things we do to get outside our heads so the words and ideas can float up from the subconscious. Actually writing words on a page is only a part of what we do. So how do you spend your amwriting day? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.