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Banish Writer's Block Forever
by Stephen Blake Mettee
Definition: writer's block – When the only thing more
blank than the screen in front of you is your mind.
Perhaps nothing is more dreaded among writers than writer's block. Oh
sure, we've all read the Sunday Times' interviews of famous authors who
express surprise that anyone suffers from writer's block when, for these
gods of literature, the words simply come tumbling out, elbowing each
other in their haste to get to the screen. And, who knows, maybe these
writers never have to deal with writer's block, but the rest of us, mere
mortals that we are, must occasionally battle this particular demon.
To know one's enemy is to have a leg up on one's enemy, so let's take a
look at three common causes of writer's block—and a few strategies you
can use to beat it into submission.
Cause number one: You've got nothing to say
This malady in itself exists for at least three reasons. One is lack of
passion for what you are writing about. How can you wax elegant about
something if you have no real interest in it?
Clear this hurdle by changing subjects when possible or, when not, by
looking for an angle on the subject in which you can get interested. Find
you need 500 words on golf, but hate the sport? Write about why you hate
it. Maybe it's distasteful to you because every time you and your husband
take a weekend vacation, he deserts you to play a five-hour round. In
this case, you might write about how you and other golf widows fill these
lonely hours, offering positive strategies such as visiting a day-spa or
museum hopping.
Another reason you might have nothing to say is because you don't have
enough information on the topic. This becomes apparent when you find
yourself trying to pad whatever it is you're writing just to get the word
count up. The cure here is to go back to the library or the Internet and
do more research. When you have plenty of information, there will be
plenty to write.
This works with fiction too. Need to provide background on a 90-year-old
character's tendency to hoard? Pull out Marc McCutcheon's authoritative Writer's
Guide to Everyday Life from Prohibition Through World War II (Writer's
Digest Books) and research the Great Depression for ideas on what this
fellow may have lived through while he was raising his family.
A third reason writers find themselves with nothing to say is that they
have no plan for what they are going to write. Even if only in your head,
you have to have some idea of the structure of what it is you intend to
write. Make a simple outline by jotting down the key concepts you want to
get across and then rearrange them until they form a logical order. Pick
one concept and write what it is you want to say about it, then go on to the next. Pretty soon, the piece will
have written itself.
Cause number two: Perfectionism
If you allow your internal editor—probably in the voice of your high
school English teacher—to interfere with comments like, "Does a
comma really belong there?" or "That's not how you spell
‘liaison,' " you'll never get anything written. Allow yourself to
write a flawed first draft—then go back and edit what you wrote.
Cause number three: Self-doubt
Entertaining negative thoughts such as "I'm never going to get this
published" or "My writing stinks," drains your creativity
and sets you up for failure. If you can't banish such thoughts outright,
build up your confidence in stages. Obtain objective opinions on your
writing by joining a critique group or taking a writing class. Write and
publish short pieces in lesser-known periodicals—nothing increases
confidence like seeing your own byline, no matter what the venue.
Next time
this demon visits you, put these strategies to work and send it scurrying
back into it's barren lair.
Writers on
Writer's Block
Wherever writers gather, the conversation is, sooner or later, bound to
turn to writer's block. Here are some thoughts on it by some of the best
in the business.
"Generally, when I hit writer's block, I
stop. I can break away and work on other books. Or, I will pace around in
circles downstairs in my house and talk to my dog about it."
—Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, author of In the Forests of the Night
"I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to
write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if you sit down
at the keys long enough, sooner or later
something will come out."
—Roy Blount, Jr. author of Crackers and One Fell Soup
"You don't know what it is to stay a whole day
with your head in your hands trying to squeeze your unfortunate brain so
as to find a word."
—Gustave Flaubert, author of Madame Bovary
"Writer's block is only a failing of the
ego."
—Norman Mailer, author of The Naked and the Dead
"This may seem oversimple,
but if you think you have writer's block or are taking too long to write,
the problem is probably that you are spending too much time writing (or
trying to) and not enough time thinking."
—Steven D. Stark, author of Writing to Win
"I was trained as a newspaper reporter, so
there's no such thing as writer's block. You get fired for having
writer's block."
—Nora Ephron, author of When Harry Met Sally
"If I don't know my character well enough,
then I'll have writer's block. That's a clear sign I haven't delved deep
enough into the personalities of my characters."
—Lee Wardlaw, author of Punia
and the King of Sharks
"If I'm stuck, I write something else, do
laundry, or take a nap."
—Karen Cushman, author of Catherine Called Birdy
"I've never had the luxury of having
writer's block. When I do, I think about my mortgage."
—Larry Dane Brimner author of The Littlest Wolf
"Trust the process. Acknowledge your doubts
and then write anyway."
—Mary Pearson author of Scribbler of Dreams
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Stephen
Blake Mettee, publisher, Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press, Inc. is
the editor of The Portable
Writers’ Conference, a Writer’s Digest Book Club Selection, and
the author of The Fast-Track Course
on How to Write a Nonfiction Book
Copyright ©
2008 Linden Publishing, Inc.
559-233-6633
• 800-345-4447 • info@quilldriverbooks.com
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