You stare at the computer monitor willing the story to come,
filled with sinking desolation. Where are the words? They were there yesterday,
flowing with easy abandon from head through fingers on the keyboard. Now, the
only writing you can bring to mind is a grocery list and you can't remember whether you need a bottle of ketchup or already have three of them in the pantry.
Welcome to writer’s block, but be of good cheer. It’s all in
your head. As a matter of fact, it isn’t a real psychological condition at all.
Up until the nineteenth century, the idea of writer’s block didn’t exist. Before
then, writers had a romantic belief in a muse. Poetry magically arrived from a
different spiritual plane. If words failed to come, the writer must have ticked
off the gods and better sacrifice that chicken and get back in their favor
ASAP. One of the first mentions of writer’s block was by the English poet
Samuel Taylor Coleridge who described an indefinite terror at his inability to
produce noteworthy poetry, and yet, he could write. He was not only a journalist producing articles, but also literary criticism. Coleridge still saw himself as a failure, because poetry eluded him after his twenties. Poor Sam never got back his mojo and ended life
as an opium addict.
French writers of the later nineteenth century rejected the idea of a muse,
but expanded on the idea that a writer needed to suffer for art. A true writer
was a tortured soul, and if the words stuck in your head, you were on the right
track. The only way to shake them free was be more miserable. Move into an
unheated garret. Catch an upper respiratory disease. Mon Dieu, you can’t write without anguish.
In modern times, the idea of writer’s block is seen more as a function of a lack of discipline than a psychological condition. Psychologist
Steven Pritzker, co-editor of The Encyclopedia
of Creativity asserts what's known as writer's block is an “artificial
construct that basically justifies a discipline problem. A commitment to a
regular work schedule will help you overcome barriers like perfectionism,
procrastination and unrealistic expectations.” Susan Reynolds, author of Fire up your Brain agrees and lists five ways
writing can stall; the author got off track and lost the plot’s direction,
passion waned, unrealistic expectations, burnout, and distractions. A study
from the 1980’s by Yale psychologists Michael Barrios and Jerome Singer had
blocked writers doing imagery exercises and found even when people didn’t think
they can be creative, they were. The ability to write doesn't go away, but may lie dormant as stress in our lives takes center stage. It's difficult to write when thoughts are consumed by something else. So how do you get past that and give your own mental juices a psychological kick in the pants?
Writing is hard work. It requires constant creative thought
and that can be tiring. Psychologists who study creativity suggest a move forward needs an action completely outside the box. So reject those mundane suggestions to take a walk and clear your head. Your head is fine. Instead, try one of these unusual methods.
Change your writing schedule. A study conducted by the
University of Michigan concluded self-proclaimed “morning people,” who feel
more productive in daytime hours, are actually more adept at creative
problem-solving in the evening. The opposite held true for those who claimed
they were more focused at night.
Write for fifteen minutes, but turn off or cover the
computer monitor. Don’t be distracted by the words on the screen. Just put down
what comes into your head.
Do a visualization experiment. Listen to music in a new genre, preferably without lyrics. Try to “visualize” the music.
What images come to mind? What do you see people doing? Saying?
Step out of your head. Imagine your ideal reader. Spend ten
minutes writing for her or him.
Start another creative project; paint, plant flowers, tweak
a recipe, write a song (even a lousy one.) Experts on creativity say that using
the brain for one project can spark inventiveness in another.
Get your brain out of the rut by changing the font and/or color on the computer monitor to wacky-looking. On every page increase or decrease the font size. When something normal and routine suddenly looks different, your brain works harder to process new information.
Finally, psychologists have noted a hand/brain connection. Doing something with your hands can spur creativity,
so take a few minutes to write old school with pen and paper.
L. A. Kelley writes fantasy and syfy adventures with humor, romance, and a touch of sass. Her solution for writer's block is to eat more chocolate. It has never failed her. For information on her books check out her Amazon Author Page.
5 comments:
What great ideas! Procrastination is my downfall. I'll do anything but write--solitaire (and all its different forms), mahjong, word games. (I found the last on my new computer and I'm hooked on Jumble.) Sometimes, I just need to open my story and begin reading to reignite the old fire. I loved some of your way-out suggestions, like different fonts or colored pages. Actually, I prefer to blame my Muse for going on vacation than to think that it's me.
I laughed, I cried, mostly I marveled at your insight into my brain! The cartoons were priceless and hit home as effectively as words..Hey..maybe that should be my new calling!!
Thanks for the words of wisdom and good cheer!
Francesca Quarto
Those are some great ideas! But I vehemently disagree with a night owl creative taking up mornings instead...I barely even function in the mornings. :)
This is great information. I have been struggling with writer's block. I will definitely use these tactics with my writing. Thank you.
I've been struggling with writer's block for a while now. I think I just started getting around it.
www.ficklemillennial.com
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