Meet my new friend “Just Write”

By Jamal Laoudi

Washington – Writing can be intimidating. I have kept up with a blog for few years now but I am still intimidated whenever I open a text editor or pick up a pen despite having an advantage. This advantage is that I usually like to jot down thoughts and ideas to get them out, and to improve and hone my writing skills overall. Sometimes it is easy to sit down and write, other times it is nearly impossible. The inability to write is what is referred to as writers’ block. I have few things on my mind right now that I could put on paper but I am struggling to even start. Is it a case of writers’ block?

A professional writer was once asked what advice he would have for aspiring writers. His response was to “just write”. That reply strikes me as quite peculiar. At the same time, I am thinking there could be something to it.

I wonder if it would work for the case of writers’ block. My goal is to test the “just write” theory and just write to see what happens. Let me assure you that I have no clue where this is going to lead. My motivation is to test this theory and see what the results are like and what conclusions I could draw. The only thing I have to deliver is a moral for this story; no pressure right?

Regardless of the outcome, I will not be able to prove this theory since doing so requires a proof for the general case as opposed to an example which I am. Having said that, I would definitely like it if I came to an understanding with “just write,” that way I would know what kind of future we would have together. I hope we can have a long productive relationship.

That being said, I could possibly disprove it since all I need to do is provide a counter example. I would do so by showing little or no progress in just writing, a highly unlikely outcome, given what I have written so far.

As I am writing, I am constantly struggling between letting the keystrokes flow as they wish and trying to adhere to some basic writing rules. What if I end up with something all over the place? Well, this is an experiment and that’s fine. I may lose a reader that I managed to attract. That is fine too.

What if I have mistakes in spelling or vocabulary or what have you? Well, there are people who are in charge of just that and they are called Editors so it is fine if something slips. The good thing is I do not know where all this is going and I think the excitement it brings with it is rewarding enough.

By the time you finish reading this, I would have jotted exactly 559 words in six paragraphs. This amount of text would be enough for an article. As for a book, it could be enough for a preface, an acknowledgement, or a dedication section. Do I have a story? I let you decide but here is my point: as hard and intimidating writing is, there are ways to ease up to it. “Just write” does me just right. Will it work for you? Only one way to find out: Try it!

Jamal Laoudi is a Moroccan national. He received a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor’s of Art in Economics. He is employed with the Adelphi Research Laboratory and serves as an independent consultant in Computational Linguistics. He contributes to various news and community portals including Aljazeeratalk.net, Moroccoworldnews.com, and wafin.com.