Addicted To Comedy: Eating Writer’s Block for Breakfast

For the past year I’ve been working on writing a book. I’m not sure if you are aware if this, but it’s probably the most time consuming project anyone could ever decide to do. After reading Yeah, I Said It by Wanda Sykes, I felt there was a comedy-based book within me. In the early chapters, Wanda explained how she was struggling to write the book while actually writing the book. She described in vivid details about the many obstacles that stopped her from being a productive writer. Hilarious!

After a few days of working on my book attempt, I began to realize that she was not exaggerating. Looking at a blank sheet of paper on a daily basis can drive anyone insane. By the end of each day, there should be words on that page that prove you didn’t waste your day playing around on social media or performing other unimportant tasks. Writers spend so many hours alone (if you’re serious about it) that at a certain point, some of the distractions are welcomed. It almost comes to a point where you begin to wonder if the Nigerian Prince from the various scam emails has produced any imaginary children yet.

I researched what would it take to produce a book from being an idea to being a published product. There were so many questions I had as a newbie author:

•  Why am I writing this book?
•  Am I aware of my audience?
•  Will a use a traditional publishing company or self-publish?
•  How will I market the book?
•  Am I prepared to handle the rejection if I don’t meet the expectations of my potential fan base?

Dana Sitar from A Writer’s Bucket List blog mentioned “Writing is a lonely business, but it doesn’t have to be.” I took those words to heart and began contacting various writing communities on the internet. Most of my questions about writing and publishing were answered by writing groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging sites from fellow writers. It was pure luck that I stumbled on a project idea from Rhonda Kronyk. She pondered what writers thought about writer’s block, and inquired what (if any) solutions were used by them. Her final results would be compiled in an eBook and distributed to the public. I leapt at the chance to make a contribution to this project. “This is an awesome networking opportunity for a new writer.” I thought to myself.

I named my chapter Eating Writer’s Block for Breakfast. During the early stages of my writing career, writer’s block would attack me like the plague usually during the early mornings of my scheduled writing periods. After interviewing other writers, I learned how to conquer it. I was fortunate to “tap the knowledge trees” of my comedy writing heroes: Darryl D’Militant Littleton, Christine Acham, John Vorhaus, Judy Carter and Greg Miller. Using their books and insight, I learned to eliminate any fear in writing. The key is to get the first draft out. You can always revise it and as the old saying goes…”Bad writing has never killed anyone.”

Releasing the Words: Writers on Writing was released in September 2013. Being included with such a talented group of writers is like hitting pay dirt. It amazes me how a single idea united a group of people, while expanding their existing writing network. Now I’m treating this book as if it were my own, so I assigned myself additional responsibilities:

•  Learn to create a buzz about the book with press releases and guest post blogs.
•  Hosting free speaking engagements about writing and comedy and record them for my website.
•  Practicing social media strategies by working with the local media.

While I’m only scratching the surface on the work involved in releasing a book, my point is that having a product to experiment with is invaluable. The opportunity to practice the marketing and promoting skills will hopefully attract some attention to my comedy arena. I’m a true believer that comedians need ways to differentiate themselves from their peers. If you continue to display your talents, the world is going to take notice!

Keep writing!