Coping with Writer's Block

Writer's Block. If you haven't had it, you haven't been writing long. Ask authors about their worst writing struggles, and you'll likely hear about incoherent dialog, poor character development, boring plotlines, imperfect meter, or perhaps being socially insignificant. But you'll almost always hear about their staring at white pages or blank screens without a word coming to mind. Maybe it's at midnight, or perhaps in the middle of a long afternoon, but the paralysis, and the frustration, is the same.

I've seen many articles tackling this common struggle that suggest what boils down to Nike's "Just Do It" slogan. Write something, they say, anything to get the juices flowing. One columnist said to look around the room and write down an item, such as "lamp." Then describe the lamp, its style and color, structure, the manufacturing process, its previous owner, and anything else you can think of. Chances are that you'll not be finishing this exercise before inspiration for your real project comes to mind.

That sounds great, but after "brass lamp, circa 1988, bought from K-Mart, handed down from Grandma" is sitting on the page without any further revelation, how long do you wait before putting away the pen (or keyboard) and watch the latest Star Trek rerun?

I have used haiku similarly, but found myself at times unable even to complete those seventeen syllables. I decided I needed to prepare a pre-emptive strike. I now have a list of "soft projects." These are writing prompts, kept in a notepad file, based on things I've thought I'd like to write about sometime in the future.

Now, I've admitted in the past that I am more fortunate than some when it comes to inspiration. I am an ekphrastic poet, which means I derive inspiration from a visual art such as a painting, sculpture or photograph. In my case, it is my own photography that inspires my work, and I'm fortunate because I can set aside exceptional pictures as I take them for future poems.

I write more than poetry, however. My soft project list allows me to do the same with day-to-day visions or impulses that I do with my photos. I park on the list any idea I deem worthy for further exploration and subtract from it when a project is completed. I call it "soft" because there are no target or due datse associated with anything on the list, nor have they been promised to a publisher or website periodical. They are simply there when I need them, or reminders of past notions.

One advantage to this list, at least for me, is that I think about these items when I'm not writing. You might say I'm composing in my mind while performing otherwise mundane tasks, such as driving to fill my gas tank or a trip to the grocery store. Lunch hours provide a nice respite for contemplating my soft projects as well. So, instead of looking the list over and thinking, "now what?" thus allowing writer's block a foot in the door, I usually already have a head start on the project.

OK, you're not me. But you can plan for writer's block, minimizing its frequency, duration and severity. A soft projects list- Just Do It.