Jun
05
Writer’s block. Real? Or an excuse?
Winter is definitely here – the last few days have had me pulling out those winter woollies, finding my slippers from where I tossed them last Spring, chopping veges for thick soup with lashings of sour cream!
Of course, the upside is that winter can be such a great time to write. The garden is not making unreasonable demands, the summer beaches and waterways are not singing siren songs, the long evenings indoors provide quiet time to simply write. Ah, but here is my old friend, writer’s block!
Writer’s block.
Is it a real issue, or just another trick I use to procrastinate?
Do you ever suffer from this? Does it paralyse you, completely freeze your creative juices?
If so, what do you do about it? How do you get that pen scribbling again?
Share your thoughts and experiences; above all, tell us how you managed to unblock!
I love the Oscar Wilde quote: “I don’t believe in it (writer’s block). All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?”
However, I have productive periods and weeks, sometimes months of writing nothing more than shopping lists and excuse notes.
What helps, I think, is a rigid routine. Sit at the computer at the same time every day; when distractions are minimal; with the same cup of coffee; switch off your phone and ignore the temptation to open your inbox or peek at facebook – and write.
Gag your inner critic and write anything. Even the most abysmal garbage on first draft can be shaped into a workable story with focused reworking and editing.