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!
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