Overcoming Writer's Block
What is writer's block?
Well, I just can't think of a single darn thing to say. Oh well,
I'm outta here!
Sound familiar? No! Oh, get real! We've all experienced this
phenomenon when we absolutely have to write something,
particularly on deadline. I'm talking about. . . . .uh, I can't
think of what the word is . . . oh, yes, it's on the tip of my
tongue . . . it's:
WRITER'S BLOCK!!!!
Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head and onto
the page!
Writer's block is the patron demon of the blank page. You may
think you know EXACTLY what you're going to write, but as soon
as that evil white screen appears before you, your mind suddenly
goes completely blank. I'm not talking about Zen meditation
stare-at-the-wall-until-enlightenment-hits kind of blank.
I'm talking about sweat trickling down the back of your neck,
anguish and panic and suffering kind of blank. The tighter the
deadline, the worse the anguish of writer's block gets.
Having said that, let me say it again. "The tighter the
deadline, the worse the anguish of writer's block gets." Now,
can you figure out what might possibly be causing this horrible
plunge into speechlessness?
The answer is obvious: FEAR! You are terrified of that blank
page. You are terrified you have absolutely nothing of value to
say. You are afraid of the fear of writer's block itself!
It doesn?t necessarily matter if you've done a decade of
research and all you have to do is string sentences you can
repeat in your sleep together into coherent paragraphs. Writer's
block can strike anyone at any time. Based in fear, it raises
our doubts about our own self-worth, but it's sneaky. It's
writer's block, after all, so it doesn't just come and let you
know that. No, it makes you feel like an idiot who just had your
frontal lobes removed through your sinuses. If you dared to put
forth words into the greater world, they would surely come out
as gibberish!
Let's try and be rational with this irrational demon. Let's make
a list of what might possibly be beneath this terrible and
terrifying condition.
1. Perfectionism. You must absolutely produce a masterpiece of
literature straight off in the first draft. Otherwise, you
qualify as a complete failure.
2. Editing instead of composing. There's your monkey-mind
sitting on your shoulder, yelling as soon as you type "I was
born?," no, not that, that's wrong! That's stupid! Correct
correct correct correct?
3. Self-consciousness. How can you think, let alone write, when
all you can manage to do is pry the fingers of writer's block
away from your throat enough so you can gasp in a few shallow
breaths? You're not focusing on what you're trying to write,
your focusing on those gnarly fingers around your windpipe.
4. Can't get started. It's always the first sentence that's the
hardest. As writers, we all know how EXTREMELY important the
first sentence is. It must be brilliant! It must be unique! It
must hook your reader's from the start! There's no way we can
get into writing the piece until we get past this impossible
first sentence.
5. Shattered concentration. You're cat is sick. You suspect your
mate is cheating on you. Your electricity might be turned off
any second. You have a crush on the local UPS deliveryman. You
have a dinner party planned for your in-laws. You . . . Need I
say more. How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental
clutter?
6. Procrastination. It's your favorite hobby. It's your soul
mate. It?s the reason you've knitted 60 argyle sweaters or made
300 bookcases in your garage workshop. It's the reason you never
run out of Brie.
FACE IT ? IT?S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK!
How to Overcome Writer's Block
Okay. I can hear that herd of you running away from this article
as fast as you can. Absurd! you huff. Never in a million years,
you fume. Writer's block is absolutely, undeniably,
scientifically proven to be impossible to overcome.
Oh, just get over it! Well, I guess it's not that easy. So try
to sit down for just a few minutes and listen. All you have to
do is listen ? you don't have to actually write a single word.
Ah, there you all are again. I am beginning to make you out now
that the cloud of dust is settling.
I am here to tell you that WRITER'S BLOCK CAN BE OVERCOME.
Please, remain seated.
There are ways to trick this nasty demon. Pick one, pick
several, and give them a try. Soon, before you even have a
chance for your heartbeat to accelerate, guess what? You're
writing.
Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming writer's
block:
1. Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself. (I know,
that's a clich?but as soon as you start writing, feel free to
improve on it.) If you spend some time mulling over your project
before you actually sit down to write, you may be able to
circumvent the worst of the crippling panic.
2. Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a masterpiece in the
first draft. Don't put any expectations on your writing at all!
In fact, tell yourself you're going to write absolute garbage,
and then give yourself permission to happily stink up your
writing room.
3. Compose instead of editing. Never, never write your first
draft with your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder making
snide editorial comments. Composing is a magical process. It
surpasses the conscious mind by galaxies. It's even
incomprehensible to the conscious, editorial, monkey-mind. So
prepare an ambush. Sit down at your computer or your desk. Take
a deep breath and blow out all your thoughts. Let your finger
hover over your keyboard or pick up your pen. And then pull a
fake: appear to be about to begin to write, but instead, using
your thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, flick that
little annoying ugly monkey back into the barrel of laughs it
came from. Then jump in ? quickly! Write, scribble, scream,
howl, let everything loose, as long as you do it with a pen or
your computer keyboard.
4. Forget the first sentence. You can sweat over that
all-important one-liner when you've finished your piece. Skip
it! Go for the middle or even the end. Start wherever you can.
Chances are, when you read it over, the first line will be
blinking its little neon lights right at you from the depths of
your composition.
5. Concentration. This is a hard one. Life throws us so many
curve balls. How about thinking about your writing time as a
little vacation from all those annoying worries. Banish them!
Create a space, perhaps even a physical one, where nothing
exists except the single present moment. If one of those
irritating worries gets by you, stomp on it like you would an
ugly bug!
6. Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your research
notes within sight. Use someone else's writing to get going.
Babble incoherently on paper or on the computer if you have to.
Just do it! (I know, I stole that line from somewhere?). Tack up
anything that could possibly help you to get going: notes,
outlines, pictures of your grandmother. Put the cookie you will
be allowed to eat when you finish your first draft within sight
? but out of reach. Then pick up the same type of writing that
you need to write, and read it. Then read it again. Soon, trust
me, the fear will slowly fade away. As soon as it does, grab
your keyboard ? and get writing!
P.S.
If you've enjoyed this article, please be sure to forward it to
a friend.