“It’s like getting blood out of a stone.”
“I have mounted Pegasus, but he refuses to fly.”
A couple of analogies of writer’s block, one well known, the other less so. There’s a third one I’d like to mention but damn, you’ve guessed it, I’ve got mental block about that one.
Still, I’ll press on. 😉
Creative blocks or barriers to inspiration can come in many guises, from a simple kind of memory loss mid-sentence to fully blown blocks of ideas. And it’s not just us jobbing writers who get blocks. There are also the painters, poets, playwrights, novelists and composers etc.
What’s more few of us gain comfort from well-meaning friends spouting an assortment of self-help mantras, especially the type of forthright ‘get on with it’ quotes such as how genius is “1 % inspiration and 99% perspiration”. Especially if we have absolutely no sign of that essential 1% at all.
So, what can we do to encourage the flow of words when they appear to have stopped dead in their tracks?
Well, these tips just may offer some food for thought if you’ve found ploughing on regardless to be an exercise in futility.
So first off, you losers, jump off your damn laptop. Now! It will swallow you up otherwise.
If you can get out the front door, then voilà– go. Sprint around the block, take an amble along the motorway, stroll along a leafy lane with the dog. Settle yourself in the branch of a tree. Give yourself a ‘view’ from a different perspective. Wherever takes your fancy. Just ensure your mind and body are both well away from writing. So, getting outside for a wee while is a must. There’s no need to take yourself too far outside your comfort zone though. Gate crashing your local park’s ‘Yoga for the Pregnant’ just may be a bridge too far.
Now that you’re outside, and have walked off some of that angst, have a chat. Call a friend. One who’s mentally stimulating, if possible. Tell them about what you’re trying to write. Failing that strike up a conversation with your local shopkeeper. Actually, that could be a better option. There’s more room for the unexpected to arise, especially if you barely know them. Conversation is one of the best methods to beat writer’s block. The point here is that the act of verbal communication itself can often spark off ideas – old, new, and forgotten ones.
If you simply have to stay inside the same building where your precious laptop resides, move to another room for a bit, even if it’s only the bathroom. You can use your mobile in there to call the ‘stimulating’ friend.
Oh, but what about those of you who are incarcerated? Well if you truly are locked up in a prison cell 24/7 then, I’m so sorry. Just make do with pacing your tiny room while looking out of the window or staring at the ‘patterns’ on the dirty floor, or better still, at a ‘Raquel Welch’ on your wall. This antic certainly inspired Shawshank Redemption’s Tim Robbins character. In one way or another. You could also attempt to exchange a few words with your cell mate. That may work wonders. Err, who knows?
Once back inside, don’t rush to your ‘pen and paper’ unless of course a miracle occurred, and you’re flooded with new ideas. In which case, ‘good night and good luck’. And extra brownie points if you know where that quote came from!
Sooo, instead, get somewhere away from that damn laptop, and settle yourself down comfortably to play around. Just for a while. Grab a few coloured pens and pencils. Doodle. Yes, doodle. Diagrams or random words on pieces of paper. Try to refrain from writing anything naughty or drawing inappropriate pictures. If you can. Now shuffle your bits and pieces around in front of you.
Does this help at all? Because sometimes, just sometimes physically moving stuff around in this way can shift the mental jam.
Such alternative strategies can help us sneak up on the issue and can lead to a new influx of creativity whereas a head on confrontation tends to bring on that hyper panic mode. Or another pain in the neck. Or a heart attack.
Exactly why creative blocks occur in the first place is interesting fodder. I won’t delve too deeply into this right now; this is a light little feature after all. So, generally, they can often depend on how much is riding on the work, especially in monetary terms, or how much pressure there is on meeting a deadline. If the deadline is the real killer, then try and free things up in your mind to get that editor or censor off your shoulder. Simply imagine you are only writing this piece for yourself. You may get some nice surprises. You may not of course. Whatever, there are a few things that can keep those internal threats of a boss like figure at bay. Music for a start, at least if you’re an auditory person. It can distract and somewhat split your attention so there’s less mental energy available for you to worry with.
If music isn’t powerful enough, try some form of stimulation with something else. No, not that! Instead, listen to a range of speech patterns or ideas. For example, discussions such as those on the BBC’s ‘The Moral Maze’, or meatier still, Melvyn Braggs ‘In Our Time’.
Deadlines, however, may also be a great cure for blocks. At least for some of us. These can throw off those indulgent stallers like fear and the humiliation that your writing may not be as good as it once was. Instead with deadlines, the more simple fear of missing one can be enough to stop the procrastination.
Now I’d go along with that. Stick a gun to my head dear editor. Please.
Oh, that reminds me, you poor prisoners. I’d almost forgotten about you guys. And girls. Well, if you’re lucky enough to reside in one of those backward countries that still have the death penalty, and you’re on death row – then congratulations! You’ve got a deadline.
(Ends)
Tina Bexson 