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How to Defeat Writer's Block - Tips & Hints to Overcome Writer's Block
Helpful hints and tips to overcome the dreaded « White Page Syndrome »
There is probably nothing more dreadful and problematic for a writer than not being able to get going, being stuck on a menacingly white page. Many a time, one or more writing assignment make us feel like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"; one step shy of freezing to death in a haunted hedge maze. Once the choke has started its nefarious effect, it becomes quicksand, drowning us further and further into an inability to come up with something to properly put down on paper.
Even scarier is it for us freelance writers, as we usually don't have months ahead of us, but mere days and sometimes even hours before the sledgehammer of a deadline comes crashing down on our head. The problem shouldn't be so scary though, since after all our entire world functions with writing; that means lots of people did find their way out of writer's block. Otherwise, Hamlet's soliloquy would have been "To Be or"¦oh the heck-eth with it!"
Nike's right: Just Do It
As Sean Connery offers to his young apprentice in "Finding Forrester", the key to writing is to physically do it. As soon as you think about what needs to be written, you ARE writing; you're just not writing it down. Like getting up in the morning, going through the motions and the mechanics of it will get the engine started and before you know it, it all comes flowing back.
Get your fingers working, and let it all come out as it comes out, no matter how awkward the wording and chaotic the structure. Once you've had enough, read back what you got, and revise it with a more organized and cool-headed perspective. "Write your first draft with your heart", ol' Sean says, "and rewrite with your head". We should all know better than to doubt 007!
Find the fun you should be having
Writing shouldn't be a burden, even though most of the time it's a job with a certain income as the bottom line; if one has a certain talent for writing, it usually makes the ordeal easier and more agreeable to perform than for someone who can't type two phrases without asking 4 people about the grammar and spelling. Writer's block does that, makes you feel like writing is the last thing on earth you'd rather be doing. And THAT usually has to do with the job part: the subject of a piece isn't really appealing.
So before getting into the grunt of the assignment, warm yourself up with something that does translate into fun for you; write a quick little something, a few phrases, 3 or 4 lines only, about something you DO feel like writing about, that puts you on the path of a good vibe. Write that joke someone told you in that bar the other day, the recipe that got you gaga when last gracing your kitchen, a prayer your grandmother used to have you say before bedtime to save you from monster under the bed, or just a cute little love note to your significant other. Even better, keep those short essays in a dedicated folder; who knows, maybe one day you'll get to publish them into an anthology entitled "Short writings that got me writing".
Lay it out in clear and simple form
It might help to break the spell of writer's block if you clarify exactly what you have to write about; knowing where to go will help knowing where to start. Make a quick bullet-points list of the things you need to address in an article, chapter or paragraph. It'll make your subject less scary to look at then in the chaotic mumbo-jumbo form it seems to be in your head.
Example: writing about mowing the lawn
· Size and number of lawns you have to cut
· Kind of terrain to be faced
· Cost of gas
· Keep the lawn mower in order
· Don't lend your lawn mower to neighbor
Once the list is compiled, give each of the items a short description, a bit of meat to clarify the points you want to make with each of them.
Example: writing about things to consider before mowing the lawn
· Decide if you're going to mow only your lawn or turn this into a business venture of some kind, like offering your service to the neighbors.
· Would in choosing and buying a lawnmower to determine if you're going to do golf course-like terrain or the "Swamp that ate
· Is it better to buy a gas-powered engine or electric; is there a power outlet near by the terrain, is it better to pay for gas cause there's not that much to do in the first place, would a battery-powered model do the trick.
· Am I mechanically savvy enough to keep my lawnmower in order, will I be able to learn about maintenance, do I have storage space to keep it away from the elements, can I have access to yearly check ups when I buy it.
· If my neighbor has bad luck and the mower breaks on him, I'll have to assume he broke it - might make for a really lousy summer or hating my neighbor.
Usually, within these little descriptions and phrasings, you will find good chunks of the article you wanted to compose in the first place but weren't able to visualize. Otherwise, simply take these phrases and make them bigger and longer to work them out until you get something that resembles a body of text. Then it's all downhill from there.
Stick to your strengths
Earning a little money to write a few paragraphs sounds easy at first, and might be followed by the temptation to take on as many freelance jobs as possible to make a bigger buck. Pretty soon though, the grim reality settles: humans can't be fluent on every single subject. That is one situation where the white page starts wreaking havoc, and that is when deadlines begin to be pushed, jobs to be dropped and freelancers to be blacklisted.
As the old adage says, if you don't know what to write about write about what you know. Before bidding on a job or accepting a freelancer position, it is essential to establish a list of one's areas of interest and strength. Once that list is drawn, challenge yourself into crafting at least two articles for each of the chosen areas and subjects. If you like movies, write a review of the last DVD you rented and an opinion piece on the latest troubled celebrity's shenanigans. Finance is a doozy? Then dish out something about tax season and retirement funds. Anything that will help make sure you can and like to write about a subject. When subsequently applying for a position, you'll have plenty of samples to offer and proof that you are the choice candidate to cover the required assignments.
You ARE good enough
Self-consciousness can be a killer, and leads to a depressive state that quite simply freezes our ability to articulate our thoughts with the pen or keyboard. There are hundreds of thousands of writers of any kind out there, so of course there's bound to be a few better ones; it can be pretty easy to start judging one's own writing with others and feel inadequate in comparison.
Keep in mind that freelance writing isn't an Olympics try-out, nor an American Idol audition; Simon Cowell isn't going to humiliate what you thought was talent on national television. Stick to your guns and write your piece the way you felt it should be done, with your own voice; if we all wrote exactly the same things the same way, they'd be no need for human writing, and we could just use feed-it-some-keywords software. Without ignoring constructive criticism, don't let the works of others deprive you of your je ne sais quoi. Instead, use it as a learning tool or inspirational source, without veering into downright thievery of text.
Remember that if you did get a freelance position or were awarded an assignment, you probably showed some qualities to begin with; have faith in your employer's judgment and your own capacities. Read some of your own previous work to refresh your memory about it, and don't let self-depreciation dictate what you can and can't do. But most of all, RELAX. Clarity of mind won't be reached among tumultuous worries.
See how others cope
Like going through a rough break up or not knowing which necktie to wear, talking about your writer's block or learning how others cope with it might help bring a little relief and put things back in perspective. These resources websites will help provide a comforting step in that direction.
Maintained by PhD-holding education experts, this site is dedicated to helping students overcome procrastination and other "psychological impediments" that stop them from complete their school work.
Site that deals addresses writer's block in all its incarnations. Offers diagnosis on what causes the block, resources to confront it, exercises to avoid it and more
Advice from an established fantasy writer on how to overcome the feelings of inadequacy and fear towards one's own writing.
Resources for teachers to help their students overcome their fear and blockage of writing.
The site, dedicated to all things written-word, offers complete section of tools to fight the white page; from books on the subject to forums and even software.
Complete and rich dissertation and study concerning the problem.
Community of exchange for writers to share, discuss and help each other out. Like The X-Files states, you are not alone.
One Comment
Great post. Always good to have inspiration too, to look to the writing you enjoy and find exciting. I try to tackle the beast of block by looking to the masters, and offer it to my readers on Mondays at QuietRebelWriter.