How to Deal with Writers Block: For When Your Character is Eluding You

My Daughter is getting ready to go to MAPS soon and every other little part of my life seems to be in upheaval at the same time. My mind is constantly on overload and even a simple chore like doing laundry, cooking dinner or even better yet advertising my Business is becoming a major drag. With other words, I am a Nut Job or is that a Basket Case? I am never quiet certain.

I should be writing on my Articles, my Blogs and even better yet the 3 new Books that are patiently waiting to be fully brought to life in the back of my head, but all that comes to mind is a big empty space. Yes, the thought Goblins have been at it again. Those darn little Monsters have snatched what little thoughts I had for my writing. These are the times that I am extremely grateful that I am not fully depending on my writing income to pay my bills. On the other hand lets face it those Bills are covered by everything I do and everything I do has something to do with my writing, my voice and sadly my imagination, which at this point would be better suited to write horror stories and self help books on how to go insane for Beginners. Not that anyone would need to read those.

This morning I got up with writing as the #1 Priority on my list. I need to write on those Books and try to push them out on their two feet, but their character simply eluded me. I sat in front of my empty computer page and waited. Nothing happened, but 10 thousand other thoughts flitting through my mind. Ever tried to shut your-self up? Not a nice picture let me tell you.

After about 30 minutes of helplessly staring into the nothing of my mind, I threw my hands up and walked away from my computer. No way was this happening and what did those little marvelous insects of my existence do? Those self same characters who were only moments before seemed to have been extinct now suddenly came buzzing around my head. Of course right when I am in the middle of dealing with something else and can't stop in the middle of it all to write it down. I hurried through my now really unwanted chore and started back to my computer (which bless its heart was still patiently waiting on me, good thing it is a machine) to write things down.

With hands poised above the keyboard I was ready to type my little ole fingers to the bone when, yes you guessed it, I stared once more into the abyss of nothingness. For crying out loud and Pete's Sakes on fire, what on the creator's great big world was happening? I could have ripped my hairs out with tweezers I was so frustrated. Finally, I closed the manuscript down and sat back. I had hit a major Writers Block smack in the middle of my creative highway. That is correct, total break down and that Monster Truck was not moving one little bit.

No matter if I make $5.00 an Article or sell my manuscript for thousands of Dollars (eh one can dream) I still have to write it first. I still have to be able to find the catch and hook the fish first before I slowly carve it into sweet bite sized bits to feed to my Readers. Hell in this case I didn't even have the worm or the fly. So something had to give.

I reached inside my trusty box of tricks to break Blocks and started working with the raw material at hand.

Trick #1

Grab an empty piece of Paper and a Pen and simply write down whatever comes to mind. It doesn't matter if it is tomorrows shopping list, your favorite joke, the various names of your Relatives or a rendition of last Sundays Football game on TV. The Point is simply to write and empty your mind of intruding information.

Trick #2

Get up and pick up a random Book or surf the Internet for interesting topics on something you know absolutely nothing about. Don't even think about writing and simply read what someone else wrote. Sooner or later your creative mind will kick in.

Trick #3

Give yourself a Nature Break. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or a glass of lemon Water and go outside for a walk. Find a nice comfortable spot and sit down. I want you to write into a Notebook everything you see around yourself and describe it down to the details that a talented Nature Artist could depict it simply using your description.

Trick #4

Have a conversation with your Characters. Get to know them a little. Yes, I want you to actually sit down and write a two sided Interview in which you are the one asking the Questions and your Character is giving the answers. With other words instead of you forcing yourself to write your Character, let your Character write itself. If your Character would be a real person in a real world, what would you like to know about this new and fascinating stranger?

Trick #5

Go to a fellow writer, a writing buddy or a friend who is interested in your story or writing in general and bounce ideas around with them. Be careful how much of your story you tell them so. Not so much because of copyright, but more because writing is a fragile flower waiting to blossom and too much criticism in the beginning can easily function like a hail storm on a fresh bloom.

Those are simple tricks that work for me, now I am wondering. Which Tricks do you fabulous Readers and Writers have when you are hitting this dreaded dilemma the Writers Block?