"... [So] much to say, yet every time I sit down to write, I feel tongue-tied, struggling to put down in words what I’m thinking about in terms of all the current events unfolding.
"....
"... I inundate myself with too much information, especially from social media. The words, ideas, and thoughts of other people overwhelm me to such an extent that it creates creative paralysis, rendering me incapable of articulating my own thoughts."
Yes! This is exactly how I struggle with not doing the essaying that I want to do. You've put it perfectly.
Finally, I can tell myself that it's not *just* being an unconfident writer that's kept my words from leaving my head.
As I try to say in this short piece, the act of reading books in a more disciplined way is helping me with my jumbled thoughts and the steady stream of distractions from quips here and there on social media. Even the longer, more thoughtful comments on FB can turn into a blur if you're scrolling for more than an hour. Plus, it's just a time suck. So, I'm making a concerted effort to spend more time with actual books instead of spending time on screens. I think this exercise will help with my return to writing more regularly. But it ain't easy.
"... [So] much to say, yet every time I sit down to write, I feel tongue-tied, struggling to put down in words what I’m thinking about in terms of all the current events unfolding.
"....
"... I inundate myself with too much information, especially from social media. The words, ideas, and thoughts of other people overwhelm me to such an extent that it creates creative paralysis, rendering me incapable of articulating my own thoughts."
Yes! This is exactly how I struggle with not doing the essaying that I want to do. You've put it perfectly.
Finally, I can tell myself that it's not *just* being an unconfident writer that's kept my words from leaving my head.
As I try to say in this short piece, the act of reading books in a more disciplined way is helping me with my jumbled thoughts and the steady stream of distractions from quips here and there on social media. Even the longer, more thoughtful comments on FB can turn into a blur if you're scrolling for more than an hour. Plus, it's just a time suck. So, I'm making a concerted effort to spend more time with actual books instead of spending time on screens. I think this exercise will help with my return to writing more regularly. But it ain't easy.