Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Overcoming obstacles

What do you do when the words will not come? Or even if they do, your heart is not in it. When engaged in a creative activity, your mood can seriously affect the outcome. If it is miserable to write, it could be miserable to read.

‘Writer’s block’ is just an obstacle. And such things exist to be overcome. You have written before and you will write again. Right now, you just need something to get the juices flowing.

When this happens, I usually attempt to finish what I am working on. If it cannot be completed, then it must be put aside for its own good. I sit down and start writing something purely for enjoyment.

The subject matter may be lurid, and the work overly dramatic. The action could be gratuitous, and the plot as thin as a piece of paper. It matters not. What is important is to relax and have fun.

It has been said that when you write a first draft, it is just to get everything on the page. You can always go back later and smooth things out. But first, there must be something worth the toil that will be necessary to make the silk purse out of the sow’s ear.

There is that magical moment when your eyes are wide and you are typing as fast as your fingers will go. You remember how much you really love to write. The barrier has been broken and the words once more flow freely.

4 comments:

  1. Well said, my friend. I have been brought to a halt thinking but never when I "let go." People are disquieted by my unabashed themes but if I heed their concerns, I'll lose heart thus lose my impetus to write at all. My passions are the material my mind fashions best.

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    1. Inspiration takes many forms. Sometimes the unconventional approach works best...

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  2. This is a great strategy. Keep writing, but just write on a completely different topic. Sometimes I go do something completely different. That helps too, but can keep you away from the task for good if not careful. ;-) Thx for input!

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    1. You're welcome, Tamela. You have touched on the most important thing, which is to keep writing. I have found that it builds the energy for when I get back to the work I had set aside.

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