Q.: What do you call a cab with three writers stuck in traffic while on the way to a writing conference?
A.: Writers blocked.
Tag Archives: Writer’s Block
Monday morning writing joke: “Blockage”
There once was a writer from Minsk /
who wrote once, but couldn’t write since /
Writers block, he would say, /
chipped his confidence away /
or so that was his pretense.
Filed under Monday morning writing joke, poetry by author
Writing tip Wednesday: “Conquering writer’s block”
4 Tips On Conquering The Evil That Is Writer’s Block
by Ashley Jones
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/blogging/4-tips-conquering-evil-writers-block-01074259#1IGzOmJ9sSQZJ1DM.99
It’s funny that I’m writing this blog about writer’s block considering I was drawing a complete blank when trying to think of a topic. Writer’s block happens to the best of us, and if someone tells you they haven’t experienced a bought of writer’s block they’re likely lying.
So what do I do when I’m struggling with my writing? Sounds weird, but I like to pace around my apartment. My tiny apartment is shotgun style and it takes me approximately 15 seconds to get from one end to the other. I pace like this about 10 times. This works well for me. It makes me feel less sedentary and helps me generate ideas. I think one of the best things you can do if you’re suffering from writer’s block is distance yourself from your project for a while.
This leads me to my first major tip you should try next time you start to feel like words are the enemy:
- Step away from your computer.
- Read something you enjoy.
- Write like you speak.
- Start with a working title, and then jump in.
- Take your content one step at a time.
Aaron Sorkin (The Newsroom, The West Wing) was recently on Late Night with Seth Meyers. The two did the typical let-me-plug-my-latest-project interview. But they also talked about Sorkin’s writing process. Sorkin said whenever he experiences writer’s block he will shower and change into clean clothes to start again with a clean slate. I think this is a great idea. There’s no reason to sit and stare at a blank page. Get up and start moving around; do whatever works for you. This will help clear your head and make room for all those awesome ideas to come through.
No, Facebook doesn’t count. Pick up a magazine or check out the latest entry from your favorite blogger. You can even read a few industry blogs to see what’s new. This will get your mind off your work and help inspire you. These quick distractions can help you connect ideas in a way you didn’t see before.
Don’t try to get hung up on trying to use jargon or industry-speak. Start off by writing conversationally and the ideas will start flowing. It’s way easier to get a good pace going if you feel comfortable with the language you’re using.
Write up a quick title that focuses on the general idea of your blog. Then try to get your initial thoughts out. It doesn’t have to be grammatically correct or even make complete sense. Once you’ve got your thoughts out you can clean it up later and you’ll feel better once your ideas aren’t swimming around in your head.
If you’ve got a lot of content to work with it can feel daunting. Break your content up into sections and tackle them one by one. I usually separate my main ideas out into bullet points. Then I take those points one by one and start fleshing them out. This makes my content much more manageable and I’m less freaked out by the amount I need to complete.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/blogging/4-tips-conquering-evil-writers-block-01074259#1IGzOmJ9sSQZJ1DM.99
Filed under writing tip, Writing Tip Wednesday
Sting tells TED audience of the only way he could overcome writer’s block – The Globe and Mail
Sting tells TED audience of the only way he could overcome writer’s block – The Globe and Mail.
Sample:
Sting is a prolific songwriter, author of a decades-long career first with the Police and then on his own, filled with pop-chart toppers, platinum records and music industry trophies to show for it.
Then came the drought.
Sting explained at the TED Conference in Vancouver how he fought his way back to his art after a prolonged period of creative darkness, when the songs stopped coming. Hint: it took him back to his hometown, and ends where the neon lights are bright.
Filed under TED talks, writing tip, writing tips
Writing Tip Wednesday: NO SUCH THING AS WRITER’S BLOCK?
by BRUCE HALE
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=O8uEK&m=JmGfH2oV7FLsQz&b=LL0Iif2G_NnGJtQ4.3UMsw
One of the most common questions I get is, “What do you do about writer’s block?” It’s hard to answer. Not because I don’t know,
but because I don’t really believe in writer’s block.
I mean, think about it. We’re the only profession that romanticizes avoiding our work. You don’t hear accountants talking about ‘accountant’s block,’ or dentists moaning, “I couldn’t remove that molar today, Bob; I had dentist’s block.”
But here we sit with our holy bugaboo, writer’s block. Now, don’t get me wrong — I do believe that we have days when it’s hard to write, but I label that as plain old, garden-variety fear and resistance. The same fear that keeps you from asking out someone you ave a crush on (fear of failure). The same resistance that keeps you from starting that new exercise regimen (resistance to change).
Fear and resistance are debilitating enough on their own without giving them a catchy name. So let’s just deal with them the way we do whenever and wherever they show up in our lives. (And no, I don’t mean by surrendering.)
PERFECTION IS THE ENEMY
I’ve noticed that when I feel fear around my writing, it’s usually the fear that it won’t be good enough. Perfection syndrome is insidious, and the only way to beat it is to address it head-on.
First, realize that nothing you write will EVER be perfect — even stories that get published. You can look back at a story you published nine years ago and see things you’d do differently today. Perfection is unattainable.
I think honestly, the best we can shoot for is “as good as I can make it right now.”
So once I’ve given myself permission to write an imperfect first draft, I just jump right into it and start. I write as quickly and sloppily as I can, never minding about proper form, just getting my ideas down on paper (or computer). I know I can always improve the story in the revision stage.
WRITING WARM-UPS
But say you have trouble even getting to the stage of writing a first, sloppy draft. What then? Just as you would with physical exercise, try doing some brief warm-ups before your writing session. You could do a personal journal, or write a journal from your character’s point of view. You could assign yourself a random topic or write about a memory.
One of my favorite ideas is to compile a Bradbury List. Just like Ray Bradbury did when he was a young writer, come up with a list of titles off the top of your head, drawing from childhood fears and fantasies. Then, as a warm-up, pick one title, set your egg timer for 10 minutes, and write a stream-of-consciousness entry about it. Don’t try to craft a story; just let the writing flow.
You may find that you pick up some good material for a future story. You may just get past that initial fear of the blank page and ease into your writing flow. And you may just discover there’s no such thing as writers block.
Here’s the signup link:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=O8uEK&m=JmGfH2oV7FLsQz&b=LL0Iif2G_NnGJtQ4.3UMsw
Filed under Writer's Block, Writing Tip Wednesday
Writer’s Block
Writer’s Block, n.: The place where a writer lives with his/her imaginary friends. Something like the neighborhood of make believe.
Filed under block, word play, writer, Writer's Block, writing, writing tip
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