All of us experience "blank page syndrome" from time to time. You sit in front of the computer and stare, tap on the keys to be sure they still work, grab a coffee, pop a mint, adjust your chair, flip over to Facebook, read your email, let the dog out, nap, answer the phone, let the dog in... but writing... You've got nothin'. Here's a bit from Wikipedia: Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. The condition ranges in difficulty from coming up with original ideas to being unable to produce a work for years. Throughout history, writer's block has been a documented problem.
There can be lots of different causes, here are a few that come to mind:- Stress
- Lack of sleep
- It might be caused by the work itself
- The muse might be on vacation
- Adverse circumstances at home or work
How do we cope?
Chocolate is good, but freewriting is probably better. Taking a walk and letting nature infuse the muse. Reading a good book. Art. Music. Write anything - even if it is bad - just to prime the creative pump. Sometimes I whip out my favorite pen and a sheet of paper and see what comes. It's much slower, but sometimes mixing up the routine can help stimulate the imagination.Our friend Jacqueline Seewald turned me onto this article so I will share. It gave me some ideas I hadn't thought of before, so check it out.
A survey of 2,500 writers found that writer’s block was caused by high expectations, fear of failure, and unrealistic deadlines. Here are 21 ways to beat writer’s block.
Hopefully there are a few ideas here that I can use. I'll let you know how it goes!
Enjoy the journey.
Bonnie (BD) Tharp, author of women's fiction: Feisty Family Values and Patchwork Family. With a new Young Adult manuscript ready for an agent or publisher, whichever comes first.
For more information http://bdtharp.com
