You are a writer: a wordsmith, a master linguist and a blooming pot of creativity. You have so much to say and in such exciting ways, but you have hit the ultimate roadblock. The blank page looms in front of you like a barren glacier, stark white and screaming with impenetrability. You don’t know whether to cry, yell or run, but you know you have to do something—your deadline is hours away. Do not fret; you have come to the right place. I am here to carry you to safety.
As a fellow victim of writers block, I offer my best and fastest fixes for the dreadful disease plaguing your genius.
First, you must assess the possible causes of your creative blockage. Are you stuck in a rut, writing the same characters, storylines, or metaphors? Are you feeling lethargic from the five midterms you just took? Or are you simply uninspired? In order to fix this mental blunder, it is necessary to locate the source of your writing woes. Once you do this, you can begin to implement a generative plan to put the blank page behind you.
Now that you have nailed down the source of your silence, you can try the following method: walk away. If the words are not flowing, there is no use in staring at a blank screen or an empty page. Go outside, walk around in the multitude of fallen leaves and breathe in the Fall air. People watching might just spark a word or two to fly from your frozen head. The weird world awaits you with all of its wonders.
If the walk outdoors did more harm than good, you may need to proceed to the intermediate step: go live your life. I have found that when my writer’s block is at its strongest, it is due to the fact that I haven’t been letting myself live. So reach for that guitar collecting dust in your closest, or the old set of paints in your desk drawer, or go to the gym and work up a good sweat. Finding time to do the things you love will reset your mind when it is time to crack open the books and get to writing that academic paper you don’t want to write, or the creative story you don’t know how to begin. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it is a stress-reducing distraction.
The clock is ticking and that seven-episode Netflix binge-spree did little to flog your neurons into mental action. What next? Think abstract. Brian Eno, the master music producer and influential creative genius, long ago developed a system for artists of all crafts to produce exciting content. Along with his longtime friend and music partner, Peter Schmidt, he handcrafted a “game” of sorts, called Oblique Strategies, wherein lie a collection of cards with inspiring aphorisms to wet your deft whistle. Though Oblique Strategies has long been out of print production, you can find an online version of the game here. Play around with one or two of the limitless options that Eno and Schmidt have crafted for your convenience. They are meant to be vague and odd in order to effect original material.
Last but definitely not least, one of the best things a writer can do to curb the block is to read. Sounds simple enough, right? But reading a book or an article by the writer you aspire to write like can be the winning ticket for a successful story. By no means am I advocating plagiarism or copycat writing, as the former is illegal and the latter a slippery slope. But, to be a better writer, one must be an excellent reader. Take your favorite book off the shelf and pin down why it is you love to read it. Is it the language that the author writes in? The seamless character development they implement? Or the inspiring message the story leaves you with as you breathe in the last words on the page? Make it your goal to write like you read: with passion and diligence in every sentence.
The end of my fast fix is here, and though I may or may not have inspired you to put pen to paper, I hope I have given you a creative crumpet or two to nibble on.
The writing process is hard. It is no wonder that even published authors struggle to produce successful books after their first, second or third hit. Creating a fictional world for a real person to live inside is not easy, especially with the distractions of such a tech-savvy generation. All you can do is try until it feels right. For now, good luck my literary acolyte. May your mind be full of brazen promise and your pen happily fat with purpose. Go forth and write!