Sunday, April 5, 2009

There's No Such Thing as Writer's Block

Someone once told me there's no such thing as writer's block. Some days, I don't believe them. But most of the time, I am inclined to agree. Writer's block is in your head!

"Writer's block" can occur for a variety of reasons. Think of some of the times you haven't been able to write one word. Chances are, one of these things applied:

1) You were stressed or otherwise too preoccupied to think of ideas or concentrate enough to put them down on paper.
2) You were stressed or otherwise too preccupied with real life to have the time to put your ideas on paper.
3) You hadn't been living life enough and you didn't have a single thing to write about.

Many people will tell you that free-writing, brainstorming, or writing with prompts will get your writing juices flowing again. And that can be true, to an extent. But if your situation is anything like #1 or #2 listed above, you must learn to take care of things before you sit down to write. Always sit down to write with a clear mind, uncluttered of worries and responsibilities. Think "I love doing this and it will help me relax." If your writing must wait until your baby is asleep, your dog no longer smells like skunk, and your husband has been fed, then that's when you must do it.

If your situation is #3, walk away from your desk, go outside, meet some people, walk around the park, observe some children, get on the bus, watch the people come on and off and make up their life stories, go shopping for new sneakers, join a pick-up basketball game in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and THEN come home and tell me you have nothing to write about!

1 comment:

Madeline Barr said...
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