Tuesday 18 March 2014

How To Overcome Writer's Block

In the life of every writer, there is a time when they suddenly find inspiration in unexpected places and that becomes their next book.

But in the life of every writer, there is also a time when their brains are fuzzy and wobbly and…..let’s see…..not attuned to the Divine Force?

Yeah.

If that were death, I would’ve died five million times, excluding this one.

Dear me, I shouldn’t have said that.  My reputation is now at stake...(sighs deeply)

Anyway, today I am going to show you How To—how to—Un-fuzz Your Brain!  (Phew!  For a minute there I was wondering what to write.)

If you think this post is going to tell you what to do when you are….doing something you shouldn’t unless you’re twenty-one and with sober friends, this article is not for you!

There are times when we writers just cannot write, even if you hold a water gun to our heads and tell us to write your book report at one in the morning.  (Ack.)
How do we get out of such write-or-die situations?  The answer lies here:

Step 1: Get outta there.

Get out of wherever you write.  Try writing in a different place--if you write at your desk, try the cafe across the street (if there's a cafe across the street); if you write in your bed, sit at the dining table; go sit in another room, or go outside, if possible.  

If you write on Mars, well, congratulations.

Step 2: Listen to music.

Listen to Coldplay (oh, give 'em a chance, they're just experimenting).  Listen to The Piano Guys (yes!).  Listen to hard rock, soft rock, classical, pop, EDM, anything.  Anything that gets the blood flowing back into your brain.  Or ideas....flowing back into your brain, whichever you prefer.  You can't have everything, eh?  Kidding.

Step 3: Sleep on it.

Put your laptop to sleep (aw, I'm sorry, what happened?), or just shove your notebook outta the way, and get a good, long rest.  In this everyday ever-increasing bumble of homework and assignments and projects and presentations and examinations and traffic and workshops and Facebook and those annoying neighbours that turn the volume up so loud at twelve in the night, sleep will do you good.

Phew.

Step 4: Write something!

Sometimes the best way to overcome writer's block is to--you're a genius--write!  Write absolute nonsense.  Go off-track.  Joke around.  

Write two-word-long sentences.  

Write a satirical piece on how humans have degraded the environment for years, or how if you're a good host, you should ask your guests if they want "tea, coffee, or Wi-Fi", or how countries are spending millions on defense and less on education improvement and poverty reduction.  (YES.  Write about that.  We need to write about that, donchyathink?)

Step 5: Go outdoors.

Take a walk, man!  What are you doing sitting in front of your computer reading an article about how to overcome writer's block?  
Hasta luego, amigos!  See y'all on the next post!  
Peace.





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