The Horror of Any Writer (II)

The previous article discussed and introduced what a writer’s block is. Although it is contagious, there is no cure proposed as of yet. I do not want to propose that the following article shall provide the dear reader (and me) with the answer to a potential cure. A writer’s block appears too personal for a general cure to exist. But should this then be the end of finding a cure? No, I do not believe that. Instead, this article hopes to give the reader another set of thoughts and consideration for when they encounter a writer’s block.

The Horror Continues

Like previously mentioned in the article’s introduction, a writer’s block is something that requires to be addressed as a personal affair. Consequently, there are numerous ways for an individual to deal with it. But where does one start to look? The previous article showed the article of the famous publishing group Penguin that bore tips. Yet, these tips proved to be disputable to say the least. Once again, some individuals may fare splendidly well with their tips, whereas others do not. I want to discuss other findings with you.

Marla Morris discussed in her book On Not Being Able to Play that:

The academy can also destroy the most vulnerable thinkers… The inability to play music and the inability to work thought begins in a strange feeling of inertia… A strange sense of being stuck, immobile, frozen in space. No words come. A psychic death. An impressionistic nightmare.¹

Although Morris plays around with the academy here, which I interpret as academia (but this could be wrong since she carelessly shifts between academia and the conservatory), one could easily replace the term academy with life here. A writer’s block is what Morris means with her inertia. Morris does well to call the beast a name, but she forgets to mention a manner to resolve an individual creative block.

Another mingles within the conversation by referring to a writer’s block has something that does not exist:

I find that many of the things people call “writer’s block” aren’t actually existential problems. They’re process problems. And processes can easily be tweaked or improved.²

If a writer’s block was not existential, how does it come that people refer to it? Yes, it holds true that a writer’s block is an individual’s ‘process problem’. But is cheese not a fermented form of a ‘process’ in milk? It feels as if by naming it a ‘process problem’ they just provide a different name for the same ‘process’. To call it non-existential is to say that a writer’s block, or how the author framed it as ‘a process problem’, is not a concept worth of any attention. However, the author spent an entire article about the self-coined ‘process problem’.

What could we do against it?!!!

As I continue to write about a writer’s block, I notice that I maintain to say that we shall look at ways to undo it. The occurrence of writer’s blocks around the world result into many individuals who propose their all satisfying cure. Leslie Sartor takes another attempt on this. A writer’s block is defeated when taking your attention away from it. She proposes the following methods: (I) use notebooks to write down your angst, prayers and feelings, (II) use writing prompts, (III) speak it out loud, (IV) write an email, (V) redirect the scene and (VI) let it just go. All in all, the author wants to address the fact that a writer must turn away from their current work when feeling stuck. They should transfer their thoughts onto something else.

In the previous article, I already undermined tips from other authors to cure this accursed writer’s block. Sartor provides a few golden tips, whereas they may appear similar in nature to what the previous article talked about. They are different, because they tend to have a much more proactive approach. While it remains true that the author of the Penguin Publishing Group had proactive tips, they were less helpful than the tips that Sartor gave.

For example, the Penguin article gives examples of actions that one could do but remain very vague. They say that you should take a hike, write yourself out of it or write anything! Sartor tends to be more explicit in her tips. You should buy and use a notebook and pen down your feelings, speak your thoughts aloud or use [any] writing prompts! Can you already see how it is more proactive?

Speaking Out Aloud & Writing Prompts

When you are stuck at your desk writing and composing your draft, it may not cross your mind to speak your thoughts out aloud. Writing is a process that mainly involves putting words onto a page and not speaking them. Yet, as Sartor tipped, this technique may prove useful whenever you hit a stubborn writer’s block. You just have to say your words out loud and then type them onto the page! Perhaps, you could record yourself and then transcribe it.

Writing prompts are other cool devices that could help you in overcoming your writer’s block. But you must remain vigilant on using them. It may lead you even further astray from your task at hand. My tip would be to keep these writing prompts short and relatable to your current subject. Some individuals may even fare better on keeping things mixed and let new information force the writer’s block out.

Verdict

Mellowfield may write another article on a writer’s block in the near future. As for now, we have learnt that a writer’s block is a highly personal experience. It is, therefore, not too surprising to acknowledge that any proposed cure shall be faced by subjectivity rather than objectivity. A general cure shall be difficult to propose, but Mellowfield shall remain wary of any newly addressed cures in the future.