Creative Ideas to Overcome Writer's Block

Writing online - a never-ending flow of cogent and pithy prose; a continuous flood of sage wisdom and provocative articles that draw readers from around the globe - the goal of every online scribe. The truth of the matter is though, that writers often strike a few roadblocks in their creative lifetimes.

You've seen it before - the blank page; the empty text capsule; the blinking cursor at the start of that first line...and not one thought, coherent or otherwise to set down. You scramble frantically for something, anything, to write.You check your impeccable research for a tag, a phrase, a hook of some kind - for something to jump out and grab your interest, to jog your brain into gear.

The cursor blinks back at you, unhelpfully. It's steady mindless "blink-blink" becomes a beating pulse. You begin to imagine that you can actually hear its reproachful blinking, marking time, marking each breath, marking the very beat of your heart.

Poe-like, you begin to wonder... If you murdered your keyboard, and buried the computer under your floorboards, would the incessantly blinking cursor, like Edgar Allan's tell-tale heart, cause you to give yourself away? Or would the little blinkety-blink drive you to the edge of insanity.

Here I sit, in the very circumstance that has driven so many good writers to roll over and give up. I have no less than four other articles on the go at this very moment, and not one is showing any signs of growth. I have researched each one to a fare-thee-well, gathered pictures, maps and videos to support my text, and physically assembled all the capsules for each hub. There they sit. ...and now I have four blinkety-blink cursors flashing at me.

What to do? Melodrama aside, how can a writer overcome these bottlenecks to creativity?

I really don't advocate murdering your keyboard, or throwing wads of crumpled paper at the cat, though one English professor swore by that method, but a judicious bit of stomping about might just get a few things moving, besides the dog or the cat.

A friend from school had honed one particular technique for overcoming writer's block to almost a fine art. He called his method, skillful avoidance . He theorized that writer's block was actually your brain's way of telling you that you had been vastly overworking it, and that it, and you, needed a break from writing.

His first line of defense at such times was to make another cup of tea, or pot coffee, whichever took his fancy first. This inevitably involved much more time and care than usual. He would rinse out the cup or pot several times with hot water, and cover it with a fresh tea-towel to keep it warm.

He also managed to make quite a production of assembling and measuring the ingredients. Actions that would normally have taken mere seconds on a normal morning now became as precise and measured a ritual as a Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Satisfied with his painstaking preparations, my friend would then stroll back to his desk, seat himself in front of his computer, take a leisurely sip of tea, carefully set his cup aside, flex his fingers once, twice...and miraculously, the words would flow.

Taking a leaf from his book, I have refreshed my coffee cup - three times. The muse has not struck.

Perhaps a quick re-reading of some of the research would jog a few brain cells - maybe enough to unstop the bottleneck.

No help there. The four cursors blink back as blankly as my mind.

One often effective way of dealing with writer's block is to change tasks to another creative endeavor.

This does not mean you should avoid doing up the dishes, or undertaking a spot of house cleaning. Those are also salubrious diversions, because they free up your (creative) subconscious, while your conscious mind is busy with mundane tasks.

Housework also wins brownie points from room-mates and/or significant others, who may only perceive that you took time out of your busy day to help out around the house.

Of course, if your room-mate or significant other is familiar with your writing habits, their response may be to survey your spotless abode in appreciation and ask if you are struggling a bit with the writing today.

The theory behind this practice is solid and widely accepted, though. Giving your brain a complete break from a problem will draw the answer from your subconscious mind much more quickly than cudgeling your poor over-worked cranium.

Very often a solution or breakthrough presents itself after sleeping - perhaps a nap is on order?

After re-organizing my beading supplies by color and composition (semi-precious, cloisonne, lamp-work, blown glass), I decided that too much of my day had already slipped away. Though my house is now clean, most of my laundry is done, and the brisk walk around the block had been chilly but delightful, I am still faced with those four blinkety-blink cursors every time I return to my computer.

Perhaps a better way through the block is to just write. Something is bound to shake loose in there sooner or later.

Any writer faced with this temporary state - and it is temporary - can take certain steps to overcome their own inertia, or lack of forward motion.

I have discovered that if all else fails - the repeated coffee breaks, cleaning binges, and other creative diversions were non-starters - and the short walk, or the hot or cold shower got my blood flowing but not my thoughts, there is still one last-ditch, never-fail, stand-by method...

1. Just start writing
2. Write anything
3. Keep writing
   
4. Write about the fact that you can't think of what to write about
   
5. Write about ways to overcome writer's block

Maybe I'll try some poetry next...

© 2010, Text by Elle Fredine, All rights reserved