When i wrote my post about writer's block not being a real thing, |I pressed the post button with a little trepidation. I had experienced the frustration of not having anything to write, even when i knew my brain was wriggling around with ideas so much that it made me itch.
Not that long after a few people commented that it was just what they needed. They were going through a dry spell, and were confusing that with the mythical Writer's Block.
They said that my words helped calm them and put things into perspective, until they were once again putting their thoughts into print.
So maybe this is the time to recap what I said back then, and still claim to be true today. There is no such thing as writer's block. That term implies there is some kind of insurmountable wall in your mind, impeding the flow of ideas and preventing you from getting your thoughts and ideas out there. There is this notion that this wall has set itself up solidly in your head, and as far as vision goes, there is a sign on the wall which warns, None Shall Pass, and until this sign comes down, you might as well turn around and go back home.
Here's where the good news comes in. While there are times when you seem to be on hold, when what you write seems lame indeed, and where fresh ideas are as rare as mice in a cat motel, it's like the Zen saying, real but not true. You are having a rough time, and your mind being the original Puck, loves to stir things when it has nothing better to do.
It's then you remember it's real but not true. It sure is exasperating, frustrating, annoying and a dozen other negative "ing" words which make you feel you can't write anymore. But that's where real and true are so far apart. The feelings you are having are real. The catastrophes are not. They are just the product of an over active imagination, skewed to the negative side.
Maybe you just have run out of steam, or you are plain old tired. In which case the writing doctor prescribes rest, diversion. Get some badly needed sleep. Go hang with friends. Take a road trip. Do another favourite activity like playing an instrument, singing, drawing, cooking, reading, catching up on those old movies you wanted to watch. Just take yourself away from the writing minefield for awhile. Take the pressure off.
Have you been couped up too long at the keyboard? Perhaps a good run or other exercise is what you need. The mind and body are part of the whole package, and if you only work on one of them, the rest is going to suffer.
If you take even a couple of weeks off, it will not destroy the creative process. In fact it will give you time to let ideas flow again without that nasty road block in the way. And if along way you have an idea, just jot it down quickly and then let it go, give it time to start growing inside.
Maybe if you pick up a couple of books by your favourite authors it will make you realize what you like about them, and without stealing, you can borrow some inspiration from them.
Perhaps simple meditation will be your cup of tea. Not the lotus position, incense burning, mantra chanting meditation. But rather than sitting quietly by the river, or in a quiet space type.
We restart our computers, charge our phones, but we often neglect to give ourselves time to reboot. We need that time to recharge, let go off all the fears and doubts, and start fresh again.
And a caveat here. Some people need a lot longer than others, so don't impose a timeline and make it into a contest. You will know when you are ready, because the ideas will begin to form and grow, and you'll literally be dragged back to your device, where suddenly you'll find the words flowing on to the page. And if you want, you can say "I'm back baby", but that won't be accurate because in reality you were never gone.
