Taming Writers Block ~ Part 2

Here are four more versatile block busters:

1. Keep your book (or article) outline right next to the keyboard. The book outline underscores the entire process at hand—the book is not just about that single, obstinate sentence.

2. Write every day! Many people find that the writing flows more smoothly when it’s a daily habit. The one thing of which you’re certain before you roll out of bed in the morning is that you will be writing that day. Ideally, you’ll be adding to the book. But the next method can help prime the word pump.

3. Spend some time with your writer’s journal, either reading over previous entries or jotting down some thoughts about your current project’s joys and stumbling blocks. You can also brainstorm in your journal, exploring subtopics, additional resources, and, if it’s a book, names of possible peer reviewers.

4. Work on several books or articles simultaneously. Try working on two or three writing projects at once. When you feel stuck or stale with one project, switch to another for a while. If you don’t overdo it, each time you change projects, you’ll bring a fresh mind to the writing.
Between the above ideas and the four mentioned in the article below, you now have an effective array of block busters in our writer’s arsenal.

~ Linda

Taming Writers Block ~ Part 1

You can blast through that frustrating writer's block in several different ways. Try each of them, but not all at once, to see how well each one works for you.

1. Stream-of-consciousness writing. Take one aspect of your topic, and write about it for five minutes, or ten or fifteen, without lifting your pen from the paper. Try to stay on course. But if necessary, write about how silly this exercise is until more fertile ideas pour out of your pen.

2. Write a snippet of poetry to clear your writing palette. Prose writers often benefit from a literary change of pace. Write a short bad poem or a long lyrical one, and refresh the creative process.

3. Stop your writing in the middle of a paragraph, whether you’ll be away from the computer for an hour or a day. It’s often easier to pick up in the middle, than it is to start a new section when you begin writing for the day.

4. If you can’t come up with the exactly right word, type in a reasonable facsimile and put brackets around it to indicate it’s to be replace upon editing. But don’t lose valuable writing momentum by pouring over your Thesaurus.

Different methods will be effective for you at different times. As you experiment with each one, you will get a feel for which one(s) to use for which kinds of block.

~ Linda

Focus on the Writing Goal

Writing can be an intimidating task. Even seasoned professionals live with the insidious fear that they'll never come up with another adrenalin-pumping idea or create any more remarkable pieces of prose (or poetry). It's so easy to succumb to those doubts. They can leave you teetering on the edge of mental paralysis, which can snowball until you really are frozen in place. And that just sucks the joy of life out of us creative types!

The following quotation aptly states the most effective way to halt the slippery slide into inertia:

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal [!]." ~ Henry Ford

Focus all your attention on the brass ring and ignore the negatives!

~ Linda

Q/t: The Right Word

Quips & Tips

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” —Mark Twain

The right word injects dynamic energy into your writing. The almost right word waters it down. If you type “distressing” when the situation was “agonizing,” you’ve lost the power of your message.

Don’t edit as you write. But when you go through the first edit, circle all of the bland words – usually nouns or verbs, and search for a more specific, energetic word. You might spend half an hour finding just the right word. But you’ll know the time was well spent when you read the revised sentence.

If you're not in the mood to haul down your Roget's International Thesaurus (an essential for any writer's bookshelf), log onto http://thesaurus.reference.com/, and keep that window open as you write for ready reference.

~ Linda

Causes of Writers Block ~ Part 2

Continuing on the Writer’s Block symptoms and possible causes, do any of these sound familiar?

You don’t feel confident about finishing that particular section. If this might be the culprit, leave that section and work on one about which you feel real excitement! Go back later and see if more research would boost your confidence for writing the earlier section.

Later consideration may even show that the section doesn’t belong there or perhaps in that book at all! You’ll find various loosely connected subtopics that don’t belong in the main body of the book but that will make either a fascinating appendix at the end or a future, promotional article. So don’t toss out information – file it!

An overwhelming restlessness has invaded your feet and your seat! This is an occupational hazard and has been known to plague even long-experienced writers. It’s an infection of unknown origin, and can only be treated by sitting at the keyboard or legal pad and putting words down.

I’ve never heard a coherent explanation of what causes this. Could it be that we shy away from hard work? Or that the old “who are you to write a book?” message lurks in a bleak corner of our subconscious?Understanding the why isn’t nearly as important as just sitting in the chair and typing. Just plow right through the hesitation and do it regardless of how feeble the words may sounds to you at the moment.

Notice, between this piece and the previous one, most writer’s blocks involve avoidance of writing rather than actually yearning to do some other specific activity. Such is the writing life. It’s acutely personal and emotional on many levels at once. But, again, the only way to experience the heady euphoria of having written something well is actually writing. Really ...

Linda