at one time or another, has come face-to-face with the dreaded
Writer’s Block. We have sat, staring, pen poised hesitantly over a blank
sheet of paper and thought, ‘I can’t write.’
my fellow writers, I’m here to tell you a very important secret.
Listen closely; you don’t want to miss this. A little bit
closer… Good. Here it is:
WRITER’S BLOCK IS NOT
REAL.
Block: A solid piece of a hard substance.
What
part of this definition actually applies to Writer’s Block? It’s not
solid. It’s not hard. It’s not even substantial. Therefore, Writer’s
Block is not real.
That’s right. Writer’s Block is NOT
standing before you in full Gandalf gear, white Staff of Obstacles
raised in the air, shouting “You shall not pass!”
Writer’s
block is nothing more than an excuse. And a bad one at that. Imagine
if you will, and this won’t be hard for some of you, that you were a
teacher.
my essay on the American Revolution. I had writer’s block,”
would you accept their excuse? Hardly. Why, then, do you accept the
very same excuse from yourself?
Block is nothing more than a bad excuse. You are the only thing
stopping you from writing. But why?
There are two reasons that
we use the fabled writer’s block excuse, on opposite ends of
the spectrum:
1. Laziness. I know, I know. None of us
like to think of ourselves as lazy but we are. It’s so much easier to
just say, “I can’t do it, I have writer’s block!” than
working through a lull. Instead of actually just getting on with it,
we waste our time complaining about how we can’t write.
2.
Overwork. There IS such a thing as trying too hard. Staring
your manuscript down is not going to help make it perfect. If you feel as
though you’ve made it as far as you possibly can in one day, you
probably have. You’re not blocked, you’re exhausted. Taking a break
is not the same as giving up.
Whether you just don’t feel
like writing or your fingers already feel ready to bleed, you don’t have to
give into excuses. There are plenty of ways to get back into the
swing of things.
Ten Ways to Break the Block:
1.
Write. I know that at least a few of you are thinking, ‘smart ass.’ Or worse. Trust me, it works. If you’re straining your
brain, desperately trying to think of something to write, just stop.
Thinking that is. Get a clean sheet of paper and a pen (or pencil, or
chalk, or lipstick, or whatever you prefer) and just write. It doesn’t
matter what about or how bad it is. Write the first word that comes
to mind. Then the next. And the next. It doesn’t matter if they’re
totally unrelated. Just keep writing. In the end, you may find
yourself with a sheet of complete nonsense. On the other hand, you
may find a hundred different ideas to write about from that
nonsense.
activities. It may not seem like much but, if you do it everyday, you will
never again be able to say, “I couldn’t write today, I had
writer’s block.” (And if you ever have the audacity to actually
WRITE those words then you deserve a lump of coal for Christmas.)
3.
Read a book. I’ve heard all my life that readers are the best
writers and it’s true. Just look at me. (That’s a joke, if you missed
it.) Every book that you read opens you up to a new style of writing,
new words, new ideas, etc. When I’m stuck, I pull out one of my favourite books and remind myself why I was inspired to write in the
first place. Just one word of warning: plagiarism. Don’t do it.
4.
Get the hell out. Don’t sit at your computer, staring out the
window at a beautiful spring day thinking, ‘Goddess, I’d love to
be out there right now.’ Get out there! Go take a walk in the
park, go have a picnic, go fishing, swimming, biking,
running… anything. Make memories that you can come home and write
about.
5. Join a writer’s group. There are groups out
there designed to support the struggling writer. Get involved. Join
your local Writer’s Group. Meet other local writers. It can’t hurt to have other like-minded people to bounce ideas off.
6.
Stop obsessing. Don’t freak out over every small punctuation
mistake and incorrect use of a pronoun. Just write. Stop tearing your
writing to (proverbial, hopefully) shreds. We’re usually our worst critics and, usually, it’s unfounded. Just write your heart out and let other
people worry about the little things. They’re called editors and
that’s what they get paid for.
7. Put down the pen, pick up
the mouse. Change the way that you write. If you find yourself
staring hopelessly at a computer screen, get away from it. Try
writing long hand instead. Alternatively, if you write everything
out, try typing instead. Sometimes you just need to break up the
monotony.
8. Write somewhere new. Go to a coffee shop. Camp out in your backyard. Rent a little cottage on the lake. Just… move it. And by ”it”, I mean you. Write anywhere and everywhere. I get some of my best ideas while I’m walking; when I’m out and about. Of course, when I get the urge, I usually whip it out right then and there and start writing. (And by ”it”, I mean my notepad, which I carry everywhere.)
9. Try a prompt. There’s an endless supply of
writing prompts out there, you just have to use them. Prompts are
great because it means you don’t have to think of something to
write, you just have to obey. Sometimes, a few lines you’ve scribble in response to a prompt can become something bigger.
10. Know you can. Take
the word “can’t” out of your vocabulary. It isn’t that you
can’t, it’s simply that you aren’t. Just because you’re not writing
at this exact moment doesn’t mean that you can’t write at all. Start
telling yourself that you can write and see what a difference it can
make.
still here? There’s no excuse! Get writing!