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Writer’s Block! Why can’t I work?

January 10, 2017 By AstroKate

It's dead, Jim.
It’s dead, Jim.
Dear Kate,

I’m a published writer working on a new novel. In the last few months I’ve hit a solid stone wall of writer’s block.

I’ve tried all the usual things — write anyway, knowing the draft will be shitty; try different locations to shake things up; write with pen and paper instead of laptop. Nothing has worked so far. The story is totally stuck, and so am I.

Is something going on in the sky that’s keeping me from progressing on this book? When will whatever-it-is be over so I can move forward?

Or should I just give it up and go get a job at Walmart?

Author in Despair

Dear Author,

Good heavens. If I ever saw a chart that screamed creative, it’s yours!

Look at this.

writers-blockThe inner circle (white) shows your planets at birth. The outer ring (gray) shows the current positions of the planets as they relate to your chart. (Since the upper half of the chart isn’t relevant, I haven’t shown it here.)

The bits that jump out at me are circled in red. Let’s go through them.

On the left, your first house shows Neptune and Saturn when you were born, with Jupiter transiting right now and conjoining Neptune.

At the bottom, transiting Pluto and the Sun are conjoining your IC (the vertical black line), the root of who you are.

On the lower right in your fifth house, your Moon occurs in your natal chart, with transiting Venus and Neptune conjoining the Moon.

What this means

Your first house is who you are in the world — how you present yourself, what people see when they first meet you. Neptune (intuition, dreams, sensitivity) disposes you to be hyper aware of the world around you. You’re hugely observant, and you can see things that others don’t. Practical Saturn also reminds you to make note of everything you see; it’s all fodder for your writing. (You do carry a notebook in your pocket at all times, don’t you?)

Jupiter moving through your first house is BIG. He expands everything he touches. Your powers of observation, analysis, and sensitivity are especially sharp right now, and will be until early December of this year. Make the most of this time! It’s a perfect opportunity to get out, watch and listen to ordinary people. Fill your notebook with bits of dialog and tiny everyday happenings to use as grist for your writing.

Your fifth house is the place of creativity, and your natal Moon (emotions, feelings) lives there. What a perfect placement for a writer!

Notice too that Venus (art and beauty) and Neptune (sensitivity and intuition) are transiting your fifth house and are loosely conjoining your Moon right now. Although Venus moves fairly quickly, Neptune is going to hang around for a while. More indications that this is a perfect time for you to be creative.

Perhaps most importantly, the base of your chart is the root of who you are.  Pluto (transformation and rebirth) is transiting over that point right now, as is the Sun (your sense of self). Who are you as a writer? Is the novel you are working on the one you really want to write at this moment?

Pluto is deep and shadowy. I don’t know what you normally write, but this transit lends itself to psychological thrillers and film noir experiences, not light romance and comedy.

How can you deepen the work? Look for the shadow within the plot. Dig down deep. Go back to your own roots and examine the pain. What can it teach you about what you are writing?

If all systems are go, where is the roadblock?

Even though there are all these great aspects saying “Write!”, I understand your frustration and feeling of stalemate.

Notice the square (difficult aspect) marked in red between the Sun/Pluto at the bottom of your chart and transiting Jupiter/natal Neptune/Saturn in the first house.

Saturn is practical but is also the Keeper of the Rules, the stern old man who draws boundaries. He is the King of self-doubt, and he is contradicting the other planets who are telling you to go-go-go.

Where is the fear showing up? Are you afraid of a deadline drawing near, or the book not working out as you want it to do? Saturn will jump all over that and paralyze you if you let him.

Jupiter (expansion and success) will be your big help here. Think about your accomplishment when you finish, and look for ways that Saturn (boundaries and rules) can help you achieve it. (For me, that would look like setting some rules around interruptions from other people, so that I would have a clear time to work).

Use the last two days in January especially for deep work, when the transiting Moon moves through your fifth house and conjoins your natal Moon. Your creativity will be at its peak.

Start tomorrow, at the full moon, and make a rule (Saturn) to write every day at a specific time for a specific length of time. Spend time out in the world observing (Neptune) and give yourself space to analyze and process what you see (Pluto) as it relates to your plot.

Best of luck to you!

Oh … and be sure to let me know the date it’s published! I can’t wait to read it.

Got a question?

I’d love to work with you! I have several ways we can work together.

Filed Under: Eye on the Sky

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