Blocked writer
my brain on writer’s block
Rarely have I stared at a blank screen this long, wondering when the mind’s eye might write. Three dogs on my bed, 2 cats on their half of the desk, I sit in front of a blank screen and feel so alone.
There’s a difference between loneliness and solitude. One sees the fragile glass of life as half empty, the other sees the adaptive strength of a glass half full. Both states of mind are achievable inside of a crowd.
And yet…my body feels not like a corporeal experience, it feels like a barrier to life.
Is this depression? No. I remember losing my husband, my mother and my father. That was an agonizing flu compared to this annoying cold.
What I’m experiencing at this moment in time is simply a bad case of writer’s block.
Just so you know…I’m not sitting around doing nothing. I’ve been going through book 3, cutting out redundancies, planning which sections need to be slashed, mashed or trashed.
Yes, this state of mind is good for something: When cutting words and sentences, it’s merciless.
How do you handle writer’s block? Do you…
Drink
Sleep
Drive
Cry
Walk
Run
Shop
Buy
Dance
Dream
Sit on a park bench
Watch a movie…
Scream?
If I had a bite of the hair o’ the dog what bit me, I’d have to eat my computer. Or my keyboard.
Some things just aren’t edible, even with ketchup.
Writer’s block is horrible. I sympathise because I’m grappling with it at the moment as well. I have a number of ideas spinning around in my head but can’t seem to focus on any one of them.
A big part of my problem is that I’m easily distracted. I’ll let myself get waylaid far too easily.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder if being waylaid and easily distracted is a byproduct of, and not the reason for, writer’s block??
Frankly, I’ve just about had it with this bad case of serious, scattered and mentally splattered. I want my sense of humor back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I listen to favorite music; which inspires me to play my neglected guitar to escape for awhile. It doesn’t always kill writer’s block, but makes me feel better. Song lyrics always dance around in my head–“There’s got to be some way out of here, said the Joker to the thief…”
LikeLiked by 1 person
I get music-that-won’t-die in my head, too. Sometimes it’s music I don’t mind hearing 1000 times. But I’d certainly put in the “miserable” category a mind that insists on playing Beethoven with a band of kazoos.
LikeLike
When writing gets difficult, I write about why I can’t write. Or I go do something that inspires me: a walk, go the the beach, see a museum, talk with a friend, see a movie, anything that builds up my creative mind. Sometimes our creativity needs a rest and a bit of boost. Sometimes there is something emotional going on in our heads that we need to clear out before we can write.
Use the block to your advantage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When I read the part of your reply that said, “Sometimes there is something emotional going on in our heads that we need to clear out before we can write” that seemed to be spot-on.
Writing about why I can’t write seems to be a great place to start.
Thanks. 🙂
LikeLike
I find that a free writing session or two will often clear out the head. Hoping it works for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person