Unblocking the Writers Block

Writer's Block. This is the monster capping the fount whence exist the worlds that we materialize unto paper, and I have had my share of wrestling with this monster. Fortunately, for me, though I have countless times been to hell and back with depression due to frustration with the monster, I never fixated upon the idea that writing was not for me. On the contrary, the personal battles I fought all the more convinced me that writing self-professed "genius" work during the witching hours is absolutely worth it after all the arm-twisting, eye-poking hardships courtesy of this monster we call the Writer's Block.

And to aid fellow comrades-in-ink, I have listed below techniques that I have used so far and have personally proven effective in getting the fount flowing again:

1. Talk about your story to an imaginary friend. Remember when you were little and your folks discouraged talking to your invisible friends? Well, talking about your thoughts aloud is actually constructive to creativity, especially if you are trying to create entire universe out of nothing. Most of the time, an imaginary friend, or a stuffed animal is more agreeable than a live pal who might instead try to contrast the original flow of your story. And the last thing that you would want is for your cream cake to turn into jell-o.

2. Write the easy part first. If you are, more tuned writing the middle of your story than the hook, and then write the middle! There are no cannon that we have to write following the traditional succession of the story, although that will be how your story is going to be read, of course. But jump-starting into the middle of the story - which you consider your favorite - can help push story forward. Or, you can work on the title. Make up five distinctly different titles. Meditate on them and contrast and compare.

3. Try freewriting. Sit down and write anything for an arbitrary period-say, 10 minutes to start. Do not stop, do not edit. Just write whatever comes to mind. Turn off the monitor if it helps. For this part, be tolerant about typos and grammas, or if it is all gibberish or even psychopathic. If you are using the pen and the paper, do not worry if your notebook reads as a crazed chicken wrote it on the run. Gets your hand moving and your brain will think its writing. It is okay for now to write crap during the construction of your first draft. Or, if that proves too tedious, write five words - literally. Jot down five completely random words. When you get the hang of it, write five more words. Next, attempt at a sentence. Or you can doodle. At least your writing hand is moving across a page. Words will come along soon enough.

4. Write pretending you are somebody else. Why not use the voice of your old English 101 professor? Or, if that proves quite morbid with her ghost wearing her boring khaki uniform slacks with pink socks and white tennis shoes bothering you, lend your voice to a character who isn't you. It will give you a greater breadth of perspective by trying to see your topic from someone else's style and interest.

5. Write somewhere new. Change your tools. If you have been using the computer for most of your work and your prose is beginning to become more of a chore, why not take up your loyal pen again? I have a pen and a leather-bound notebook that has taken me to new writing places that find me sitting with utter abandon over a story while I write in the midst of human traffic. It will convince you to take your prose more seriously as you silently convince the people wondering around you that you absolutely know what you are doing.

6. Be easy on yourself. You have to give yourself a break even if you consider your current creative output is not exactly print-run material, yet. Remember that there is always room for improvements, and it always pays to be positive.

7. Use a temporary routine. Take a brief walk around the block and do a quick stretching exercise. Drink juice exactly every 30 minutes. Eat chocolate after every paragraph. Take a shower, change clothes before you start working on a chapter. This will add physical structure to the mental workout of your writing.

8. Listen to the Orphan's Lament album of Huun-Huur-Tu. Or to a new station over LAUNCH cast that you have not heard before over the local radio station. This will provide your prose a brand new ambience and give it a new flavor, as if you are visiting some exotic nook of the world while you are writing. This will definitely get you excited.

9. Finish a chore maybe before you start and after you wrap up. Do the dishes or pull out some weeds. Physical exertion over a chore will remind you that you know how to do things, and will make writing a book appear achievable. Besides, you will realize you will think straighter when your environment is clean and in order.

10. Come up with a writing rulebook. You will experiment ending sentences with words that begin with a punctuation mark. Alternatively, you will attempt at writing an extra long sentence that will also be as long as a paragraph. Limits will provide you with more focus and give you a change of perspective.

Now that you are armed with techniques, it is now all up to you to ask yourself: how much do you love writing? Are you up for burning your brows over the midnight candle? Are you most happy when you are creating something out of nothing, making every fantasy possible? If you answered yes, then perhaps do deserve to feel the writer's block, though it is a monster, use it to your advantage. Besides, you will not fully be a writer or appreciate writing if you have not suffered the block. And another thing, if you can be discouraged, then you probably deserve to be discouraged.