Rewind: the dreaded blank page
I’m on vacation this week, but rather than leave my blog bare, I chose to share a previous post, which I hope you will enjoy again or for the first time. I first published this post on 01/09/2016, just three months into my blogging adventure. I needn’t have worried; somehow I’ve managed to keep talking your ears off for almost three years now. That doesn’t mean the dreaded writer’s block hasn’t reared its ugly head on occasion, but these tips have seen me through.
What to do about writer’s block
There’s nothing to writing. You just sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” ~Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Since I started this blog, each week I’ve had something in me just waiting to be written. Some weeks, I had the luxurious dilemma of being forced to choose between two topics—actually having to save one for later.
This week I’ve been staring at the dreaded blank page since last Tuesday’s posting. Actually, I did start writing something early in the week, but I wasn’t feeling it, and I know if I’m not feeling it when I write it, you definitely won’t be interested in reading it. Have I run out of things to say after just 15 posts? That’s a scary thought.
One of the second careers I’ve considered is columnist. I love writing. I could do it from home—or wherever I might travel. It would keep me engaged with my community, open me up to new experiences, and hopefully leave more time for family and friends than my current 9-5 (or 7:30-4:30, as the case may be). But to be a columnist would require that I have more than 15 columns in me. What happens if I don’t have anything meaningful to say—if the writer’s block won’t break?
Writer Anne Lamott describes it as well as anyone, so I hope she won’t mind me quoting her.
There are few experiences as depressing as that anxious barren state known as writer’s block, where you sit staring at your blank page like a cadaver, feeling your mind congeal, feeling your talent run down your leg and into your sock. (Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life)
She goes on to say that “the word block suggests that you are constipated or stuck, when the truth is that you’re empty. Her advice? Accept that you are not in a productive creative period and start filling yourself up. Write 300 words of anything (memories, dreams, stream of consciousness) just to keep in practice, and then go out and live; live as if you were dying (because really, we’re all terminal in this life).
Instead of staring miserably at the computer screen and that stupid blinking cursor, ask yourself, “Dying tomorrow. What should I do today?” The process of living and being totally present in life will fill you back up with observations, ideas, visions, memories.
So that’s what I plan to do. I already got my 300 words in, so now I go live, fill up, and with any luck, I’ll be back next week rarin’ to go.
People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full miss the point. The glass is refillable.”
Your turn
- Do my writer friends have any tips for breaking through a writer’s block? I’d love to hear them.
- Are there any topics you would like me to cover in future posts?
I once had to write a short story for my writing class and time was closing in on me. I decided to write about the writer’s block I was experiencing. This morphed into the onslaught of flies we were experiencing in our house late in the summer. It is one of my favourite stories and my classmates really enjoyed it too. Generally, when I am having trouble writing, I simply write with the idea of going back later to salvage the worthwhile thoughts. Usually, this works for me.
Great advice Fran. I love the idea of just free-thought writing without concern for where it’s going or whether it’s “good” as a way to break through writer’s block and possibly find a favorite story.
Christie, Enjoy your time away. I’ve never re-posted anything… but that in itself is a great way to manage writer’s block! If you can’t say anything new, say something old (and meaningful) again. I think I’m keep this in mind the next time I’m struggling for a post topic! LOL.
Always happy to inspire new ideas, Pat. 🙂 The good news is, when I wrote these original posts, I had very few followers, so the posts are brand new for most of you.
Christie i do occasionally get writers block. I used to panic about thinking it meant the end of blogging for me. Until I realised panic was not helping the blockage. So these days I know that when I go for a quiet walk, a topic (often many) will pop into my head. I think the key is just to be with it and not stress, knowing that it will pass
Great advice Jennifer. If we can look at everything with curiosity, rather than stress or trying to force things, most things resolve themselves–and we’re a lot happier in the process.
Hi Christie, have a lovely break and thanks for still posting. I get writer’s block but then suddenly I see something that prompts me and off I go. Like Jennifer says, usually a walk or run helps open my mind to possibilities. Enjoy! xx
Thank you Sue! I will be back to #MLSTL next week. BTW I love the new newsletter format!
That’s a great post for a new blogger…and WOW, you’ve come a long way since, huh?
Thanks Dee. It’s hard to believe I’m coming up on three years of blogging!
Christie, this is so true! It seems like for me either the creative ideas are flowing freely or they’re all dried up. There’s not much in between. I like the idea of taking time to fill yourself back up. Thank you for sharing at #BloggjngGranfmdmitgersLinkParty.
Thanks Lori. It’s a pleasure, as always, cohosting with you. We’re so close; we’ll have to meet IRL someday.