5/6/10

The Key to Unlocking My Brain ( Writers Block )

If you follow the blog, you may have noticed that I have not been writing much.  I have had the most extreme case of writers block.  I have had difficulty writing tweets and facebook updates, and now it's time to do something about it.  What ? I don't know, but I plan to chronicle my journey through the destruction of my writers block.

Step 1: Google
Search results include the average mix of tips, tricks, and hacks for curing your writers block.  Standing out is an entry from 43 folders, by my standard its a source that can be trusted, written by Merlin Mann.  The post is called, Hack your way out of writers block. See it here http://www.43folders.com/2004/11/18/hack-your-way-out-of-writers-block .  The majority of the tips don't really pertain to me, mainly because they are all solutions for short term writers block.  My writers block seems to be a long term issue.

Among the tips I found helpful are:
-Try Free writing
-Quit Beating Yourself Up
-Write Crap ( and fix it later )
-Listen to new music
-Make a pointless rule


Step2:  Implement
I'm going to go try some of these out and write up the results for you.  I will be back in a while!

The first thing I tried was to quit beating myself up.  This is what got me to write this post in the first place and the second thing I tried was writing crap, which is what you're reading now.  Both of these methods seem to work quite well. When I forced myself to start writing this horrific piece of narrative trash, I came up with ideas for several more blog posts that I think are going to be good.

These two methodologies are meant to work together, combining the two forces you to start writing and keep writing.  The true source of my writers block was thinking about what I was writing.  I have been trying to focus on quality and connecting with my audience. I got to the point were I was so concerned with how I was writing, that I couldn't write.

Step3:  Prevention
Going forward I plan to prevent my writers block by routinely doing some of the things from the above list.  I like the idea of free writing daily or at the least weekly and letting my thoughts flow onto paper.  I already enjoy listening to new music, but lately I have let myself fall into a cycle of stale music and have really stopped trying anything new at all.

 I need to continue following the two rules I used to write this piece, don't beat yourself up and write crap, which makes me wish I had a full time editor to veto my too crappy crap.  I want to try creating a pointless rule to follow, but I think I would just end up with something abstract and pointless.  If my writing skills ever get strong enough to support such a trial I may attempt the final rule. However, making pointless rules sounds like fun for other parts of my life, maybe I will trying doing it elsewhere...

Spread The Love, Share Our Article

Related Posts

1 Response to The Key to Unlocking My Brain ( Writers Block )

May 24, 2010 at 6:05 PM

That's why I go for quantity over quality. It's a numbers game with me.

Post a Comment