It's been quite a while since my last post. I made it through the month of August without roasting. A high pressure system hoovered over our area for the entire month, pushing daily temperatures through the high 90's into triple digits. Nights brought little relief from the heat. This system also kept much needed rain at bay. Storm clouds circled the area and lightning could be seen in the distance, but the rain never came. Now September is here and the feel of fall is in the air. A strong low pressure system has finally pushed into the area, bringing in cooler air and refreshing, if somewhat scattered, rain showers. It's such a blessing to be able to turn off the air conditioner and open the doors and windows to let in the cool breeze. Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer travel season. Days are becoming noticeably shorter. School has started in most places, and football fever is on the rise. The rhythm of daily life changes with the seasons, but is no less hectic. What does this mean for the writer? Possibly more time to write...at least while the kids are at school.
You're all set to work on your writing project. You open a blank page in Word or turn to a clean sheet of paper in your notebook. Your fingers are poised above the keyboard, or grip a pen, eagerly awaiting the rush of words that will set them in motion. But the words don't come. You take a keep breath, release it...still no words. Impatiently you try a few tentative openers. 'It seems'...no. 'The research on'...not that, either. With rising panic, you look around the room asking, "Where the h*** is my Muse?" Quite likely she is vacationing on some tropical island and has left you with a case of Writer's Block!
Writer's block, that frightful malady that strikes without warning, especially when you have an intense project or a deadline staring you in the face. No matter where you are in your writing career, whether newbie or seasoned author, you can be struck dumb by this dreadful affliction. How do you overcome writer's block? Here are three tips to break the block and get the words flowing again.
Just Write
It's been said that the best cure is simply to write. Quite true, but forcing youself to continue writing within the constraints of your project may leave you more frustrated than safisfied. One suggestion is to forget your focus and just write nonsense sentences, such as, 'The cow goes mooo.' 'Marty met Ester at the county fair.' 'What I want for dinner is neither pig nor fig.' This exercise provides stress relief through humor. If writing mindless drivel is not to your taste, there are other ways to break the block.
Get Out
Go for a walk. Forget your project for awhile. Instead, open your eyes and mind to the world around you. Walking eases stress while increasing blood flow to the brain. Relax and observe. As you walk, make up stories about the things you see. Is there an old house on a hill surrounded by shade trees? Is is abandoned, or lived in? What do you think life was like there when it was built?
Stop by a coffee shop and watch the customers. Do you know that fellow in the corner who is preoccupied with his laptop? If not, make up a story about him, telling who he is and why he is in your town. When you return home relaxed, you may find that you can now tackle your project without further problem.
Stay In
Rainy, cold, or too late at night to go for a walk? Try one of these stimulating exercises. Look around the room. Whatever object, lamp, chair, knick-knack catches your eye, write about it. Describe it's shape, color, purpose. This is a more focused exercise as it forces you to think about what you are writing instead of writing disjointed drivel.
Thumb through a magazine or visit an online photography site. Find a photograph that intrigues you. It could be a photograph of a person, or a scenic photo. For a person, give him/her a name and a history. Where does he/she live? Where does he/she work, if at all? Who are his/her parents? 'Her name was Marya Ryan. She was the third daughter of oil tycoon William Huggins Ryan. While old 'Willie Boy' liked things hot--spicy foods, hot coffee, and even hotter women, Marya was as cool as the shade beneath the giant oaks that framed their manse.' Get the idea?
Of a scenic photograph, you might write: 'I propped my arms on the top rail of the weathered cedar fence and gazed out across the open Montana meadow. Clouds roiled over the mountain range in the distance. Already their peaks were covered with snow. Where I stood, the sun still shone, but the wind was shifting. There was an icy feel to the air. I watched the lowering dark mass swallow the mountains. The storm was coming.' Once again, the words are flowing.
The purpose of these visualization exercises is to engage your imagination in a creative, descriptive narrative. The next time you are frozen by writer's block, loosen up by letting your imagination take over.
Happy Writing,
StellaD
from Sweetwater Press
