Dare the Writer's Block
Did you ever encounter a Writer's Block?
Sure, you must have. You are not alone. It's a common ailment faced by all writers at one time or other.
According to dictionary, writer’s block is one’s inability to think of something to write. Or one’s inability to find an appropriate term to express a particular feeling or a situation according to the situation or context of the theme or subject, the writer envisaged. The situation is akin to hitting a dead end.
It’s a situation every writer faces one time or other. Thankfully it’s a temporary phase.
Take stock of the situation.
Instead of worrying and imagining as if it’s a permanent disability, better read it and toss the problem turning it and viewing it in different directions. There are a plethora of reasons for blocking your creative juices flow. Each writer has his / her own way to fight the writer’s block. The one which works for a writer may not work in the same way and yield same results for another writer.
Be specific about the reason that’s blocking your movement.
In my view, starting a write up or a story without a proper subject. is the main reason for the blockade.
Don’t cram too many ideas or themes in your mind. Fix one of the ideas in your mind and start writing. It saves a pretty amount of frustration.
Stop when you are stuck up.
When you reach a dead end, don’t hang around the spot where you were stopped. Take a quotation book and find a quotation that is matching or related to your subject. This certainly opens a way for you to proceed.
Read a lot
After all the influence of your favorite authors will never desert you. Somewhere in some form, you will get a clue that will make you move forward.It doesn't mean, you lift the idea of the author in toto.Take the ckue to add your own wrting style. Lifting an idea of anpther author amounts to Violatiom of copyright. Refrain from it.
No stopping of the flow.
Many writers, when they are stopped by a writer’s block, they will be overwhelmed by disgust. That’s the last thing one should do. Instead write something, even if it’s not related to the theme, you started. The idea is not to stop the process of writing.
Find your comfort zone.
Don’t bother about conventions. If it’s necessary to break the convention, do it. Remember it’s not always necessary to start your writing from the beginning. Start from the middle and move towards the beginning if it’s comfortable to you.
Change the set routine.
If sitting before the keyboard becomes monotonous, take out your scribbling pad and pen and start writing. Here the point to be noted is to shift your mindset. Test if the new mindset works. Remember there are no set rules to break the writer’s block.
Change your location.
Get away from a familiar scenario to a new and unfamiliar location. The new surroundings will stir up your jammed thoughts.
Set short goals.
Don’t fix a deadline for finishing your writing. While the deadline is hanging over your neck, your creative juices refuse to flow. If you come up with single sentence that fits your theme, go to your keyboard and record it before it evaporates.
Ask a friend.
When you are blocked, no amount of hair pulling will clear the block. Remember the saying, ‘Two heads are better than one head?’ Call a friend and show the write up and ask for a suggestion, of course over a cup of steaming coffee. It works.
Don’t demand too much from yourself.
People face writer’s block not because of their inability to write, but they expect too much from themselves. Don’t do editing after every 10 lines. Put the task of editing to the last. If you happen to be a bit poor in grammar, it will demoralize you making the block more thicker.
Keep ready an alternate diversion.
Diverting yourself from the frustrating scenario will refresh your mind. Hear your favorite singer. Or see a comic movie in bits on your VCR.
Reassess.
If there is a flaw in the theme itself, the writer’s block will stand on your way and will not allow an inch further to move ahead. In such cases, find the exact location of the flaw. After doing this, leave the spot. Go for a walk. Have tea at the roadside tea kiosk. This rejuvenates you. Then start changes gradually.
Keep a journal.
A small pocket note book should be kept handy. Whenever an idea or a hint flashes, jot it down. This list of ideas will stand in good stead whenever you face a writer’s block. In case of a dead end, refer the list and see any of them will fit in to your subject. It clears the impasse.
Sometimes the intro and sometimes the conclusion.
Break the task in to small segments.
Often, many writers will get stuck either at the intro of the write up or at the conclusion of the write up. When such condition stops you, break the whole write up in to small segments.
Don’t see the whole plot in its entirety. it looks daunting. Instead break the plot in to manageable small segments. And start working on each segment.
Check if all the paragraphs of your story or write up are seamlessly fitted and connected with each other. Any incoherence will make you feel stuck up.
Right word in right place.
Repetition of the same words will make a write up stale and lifeless. You are aware of this fact, but you are helpless. This problem crops up due to inadequate vocabulary. And due to this you will not be able to proceed further. This situation frustrates anybody.
The solution lies in building up your vocabulary, by extensive reading., practically everything
Discover your creative time.
People especially who are in the creative fields will perform best in a particular time of the day or night.. During this period they carry on their jobs with ease and effortlessly. William Faulkner says, “"I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o'clock every morning." This knowledge of knowing their respective productive times will lessen the chances of writer’s block.
Write what you know.
Often times people commit this mistake of writing about what they are not familiar with. Writer’s block is something new for those, who write about what they know.
You are not alone.
Writer’s block is being faced by all. Wisdom lies in overcoming it with your own methods. There are no set rules for overcoming writer’s block.
Time for a Little introspection.
It's a fact, that writing flows freely when your mind is clear. It becomes a drudgery when you are gripped by fear. Especially when you are a successful writer and not aware of the truth what are the factors in reality that plagues you and hindering your progress.
So, wisdom lies in using writer's block as an opportunity to reflect and find out the culprit that's causing the havoc. Once you know the factor that's responsible for your grinding halt, it's easy to find the solution on your own.
Following may be the reasons.
Fear of failure
It's not only in the realm of personal development, fear of failure is one of the reasons for halting progress in writing sphere also. You fear a blow to your self - esteem. You feel humiliated. Because knowingly or unknowingly, deep in your heart you linked failure with humiliation. Realise every failure shows a solution also.
Fear of success.
Sounds ridiculous. We all know people crave for success. But why on earth people fear success? Yes, there are people who believe success will burden them with more responsibilities. Success builds expectations. It’ true in the case of writers also . And the fear of success will stand before a writer in the form of writer’s block.
Fear of rejection
The next monster that scares a writer and arrests his further movement is fear of rejection. We tend to think that rejection is rejection of us.
Fear of mediocrity.
We always strive for perfection. Perfection is something relative, not absolute. Not knowing this many writers in a bid to achieve perfection commit mistakes, though they are capable of writing better.
The only solution is Just do it.
All the said fears are but natural for any person in the creative fields. Weiting is not an exception.Writer block can be fought by staying at it. Not by quitting.
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