Writing can be a heavy experience but not as difficult as surviving writers block. Writers block is a nasty experience which poisons any creativity left inside the would-be author. In my case it leads to extreme procrastination where cleaning the oven suddenly becomes a vital challenge which must be met before returning to the keyboard.
Scott Berkun has written a list of things which may help the stuck writer to move beyond writers block. It is well worth reading and saving in a safe place for the day when nothing seems to work and the stress begins to choke you.
Here are some of his points (but you should go to the article itself)
- Start with a word
- Write about how it feels not to be able to write
- Have a conversation
- Read something you hate
- Warm up
- Make lists
- Switch to something harder
- Run like hell
- Whiskey
- Rummage your scrap pile
I really like his suggestions – except for whiskey, if I was to drink when I was blocked I would just lose another day and return to the keyboard the next day with a higher level of anxiety. Not a good idea for me. Also I would like to add one more to the list: blog. The feeling of producing text is, for me, addictive. When I blog I am more likely to be able to write in other areas. But beware blogging can also be a powerful form of procrastination…