40 Thoughts I Had While Trying to Write This Article

In my first blog post for Coach Cutler, I talked about the arduous experience of brainstorming. According to the general writing process, the next step should be starting to flesh out any ideas you have into an initial draft. It’s assumed the transition between those two steps is swift and painless, but let’s not lie to ourselves now.

We all know getting ideas from our brains to the paper or computer in front of us takes much longer than expected (despite the unrealistic schedule we’ve created). Even though this strain of writer’s block seems like a waste of time, the thoughts that cross our minds are pretty entertaining when we take a step back. Here’s a peek inside my hour-long thought process while trying to write this article:

1. *Sits down at desk and opens laptop with the intent to write in the style of a Pulitzer Prize winner*

2. You’ve got exactly 53 minutes to produce a coherent blog post before starting your homework.

3. What’s the Portuguese assignment again?

4. Why is the beginner’s textbook written in all Portuguese? What happened to English instructions?

5. Alright, I’m focused again.

6. *Gets email about Taco Bell in the downstairs lounge*

7. Are the food gods purposely trying to distract me?

8. I haven’t had a taco in months.

9. Why have I been so deprived?

10. A five-minute break won’t hurt anyone, just my writing schedule.

11. Isn’t food supposed to fuel the brain?

12. After this Doritos Locos Taco, I’ll be ready for anything.

13. *Takes a short break and realizes a half hour has passed*

14. Well.

15. That didn’t go as planned.

16. Why is this the story of my life?

17. Okay.

18. Get focused again.

19. I should put on some motivational writing music.

20. What’s my Spotify password again?

21. *Tries a dozen combinations of the same word*

22. I don’t have time to wait for a password reset email.

23. Oh my gosh.

24. Youtube has a 12-hour inspirational music video?

25. That’s tragic and magical at the same time.

26. Who would be writing for 12 hours?

27. Wait, wrong question.

28. Who would be procrastinating for 12 hours?

29. The correct answer is two letters: me.

30. *Looks at blank word document*

31. Do all writers have the attention span of a three-year-old?

32. I sure hope so.

33. I haven’t even been on social media for the last hour.

34. That’s actually a miracle.

35. *Has an urge to open Facebook but stays strong*

36. The amount of self-control that took is embarrassing.

37. I don’t care about memes or pointless Buzzfeed quizzes.

38. I should be reading the Wall Street Journal and doing expert-level crossword puzzles.

39. *Realizes 54 minutes have passed and rapidly types one sentence*

40. Every written word is one less to write.

If you have as much trouble getting your ideas to flow through your fingertips as me, Melanie Cutler is a great resource to help you expedite the process. While a writing coach can’t write the draft for you, he or she can help you get started on that essay writing much quicker than a taco can. Trust me on this one.