For months and months I have been struggling to create. I have been going through a period of writer’s block. Even with the great tragedies 2018 has brought to my life, I have not been able to create a single piece. While I have gone through periods of writer’s block in the past, none have lasted this long. At this point, it has been months of trying to will myself to complete a single piece of poetry. The struggle has been REAL.

Luckily for me, today I found the end to my spell of writer’s block! While most of what I consider my best work, has stemmed from some sort of heartbreak or tragedy, I realize that aspect has only been half of what has inspired me to put these experiences into words and on paper. The other half is being around art – namely literary works.

A strong part of my identity as a writer comes from my lifelong love of reading. Throughout my childhood, a tradition in my family was that my parents would take my sister and I to Barnes and Noble every few weeks. We would all separate to our respective corners within the bookstore, pick a few books of interest, and then we would come back together on the couches, and flip through the first few pages of each book to figure out which ones we just had to take home with us. My family is a family of readers. Even with everything converting to electronics, I pray that bookstores never go out of style. For me, there is nothing like turning the page of a book.

Yesterday, I went to Barnes and Noble to find a new book. As I walked through the bookstore I saw the title Can You Ever Forgive Me? Those words shook me to my core. I didn’t even pick up the book, and a million thoughts raced through my head about forgiveness – those I have been unwilling to forgive, forgiving myself for choices I’ve made, those I seek forgiveness from, and the mere thought of asking someone “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” I made notes about these thoughts to come back to for a new piece. Later that night, I also started reading a book that I purchased. Only a few pages into the book, sent me rummaging around for a pen. Fun Fact About Bria: whoever inherits my book collection will inherit a large collection of books with underlined words, sentences, and phrases all throughout the pages. I am often in awe of the literary capabilities of some of these authors and their abilities to make me FEEL. If it is underlined in a book of mine, I thought “well damn” as I read it! The feelings that I get from reading the powerful words of others is something that inspires me to write.

I say all this to say that reading, and being in an atmosphere of literature, words, and books does something for my soul. I haven’t been able to just BE in the bookstore without worrying about law school stuff for some time and I think it’s just what the doctor ordered. If you are suffering from writer’s block, I highly encourage you to go to a bookstore, stay an hour or two, and read a new book that you are interested in. I promise it will do wonders for your creative spirit.

love, bria