SO! I’ve written about overcoming writer’s block before, though that draft post never seems to have been finished, and, regardless, I couldn’t find it when I was generating handouts for my latest writer’s block class at Clockwork Alchemy. So I generated some ENTIRELY NEW HANDOUTS on Overcoming Writer’s Block, which I want to share with you today! The first advice, is, of course, just write!
Write! The first, best and last advice: Write. Just write! Write anything at all. Don’t wait for inspiration or the muse—just write! Don’t stop. Don’t think. Force yourself to write something. Put words on the page even if they are not the words you want. The cognitive skill of writing is so complicated that you need to get good enough at it that the act of writing doesn’t get in the way of the act of creating. Write “bla bla bla” if you have to. Trust me, you’ll get bored with that soon. Because the physical act of writing itself is has an almost magical effect of inspiring a new stream of words that you can put on the page. If you can’t think of anything, just write “I am blocked” and describe your feelings about it. That’s worth something. If you don’t know the answers, write the questions. Regardless of what you write, the answer to feeling blocked is to write. Just write!
Beyond the pep talk, I added some references to books on writer’s block – but also extracted some of the findings into a new acronym representing the way that writers who are blocked consciously can torpedo themselves: ERASED, because that’s what it feels like writer’s block is doing to your words!
- Early Editing: Editing while writing can paralyze you.
Write your draft first, edit it later! - Rigid Rules: “Rules” about composition are guidelines.
Break the rules in your draft! - Awful Assumptions: We often assume writing must be perfect.
Feel free to write your way! - Strategic Shortcomings: Complex projects can overwhelm us.
Stretch your planning muscles! - Excessive Evaluation: Don’t grade our own writing too harshly.
Finish your draft, then improve it! - Discordant Directives: Rules sometimes contradict each other.
Be willing to make tradeoffs!
There are four interventions recommended for dealing with this kind of block; don’t try just one, try them all together:
- Start Free Writing: Take on free writing like morning pages.
- Develop a Writing Habit: Pick a regular day and time to write.
- Stop Beating Yourself Up! Stop negative self-talk about writing!
- Get Social Support: Find a writing group or writing buddy.
But all of those are symptoms of what’s essentially a block to the cognitive skill of writing. Sometimes writers face emotional trauma, and that’s OK: take the time you need to deal with your issues. And sometimes, actual chemical and neurological things interfere, so if you suspect deeper issues, please, feel free to recruit help to deal with whatever’s the problem.
All of this and more are in the HANDOUTS on Overcoming Writer’s Block. Enjoy!
-the Centaur
