Writer's block..anyone else suffering from it? If time is any proof, I've had it for the past 8 months at least. I would start writing and then scratch it out promptly ...I'm 'virtually' surrounded by crumpled scraps of blogposts, stories and poems...ok OK not poems (at least..not yet.. But just wanted to see how that looked like on paper ;) )
So here I am twiddling my thumbs wondering what would interest and benefit you the most..voila! Why not write about just that? Writer's block? Not everyone's a writer but I bet everyone's got a hurdle, a barrier, a block to get past..right? You'd be lying if you answered No (or you'd be in the wee minority atleast.)
That being said, we just zipped past the hardest part ..believe it or not..getting past that first line, first paragraph, first step is the toughest. The rest (as they..whoever 'they' are..say) is a piece of cake ..I'll have mine double chocolate with chocolate ganache topping please. Thankyou..umm where were we? Ah yes..the rest should be easy.
Here's how I propose we get over (writer's) block - plug in your 'favorite' word between the parenthesis: I'm calling this my 'fortnight challenge' (apparently I have a thing for caption writing :) I won something in school along those lines ...oh well)
Rule 1: Make it a habit: I've heard & successfully experimented with the advice (in other areas of my life that don't include writing, obviously) '14 days of doing something makes a habit out of it'. Whatever it is that you are trying to make a routine out of: try doing it consistently, religiously for atleast a fortnight. Hopefully on the 15th day, you won't have to consciously force yourself to do it. There are a few ways to help yourself cultivate a habit. Here they are:
Rule 1: Make it a habit: I've heard & successfully experimented with the advice (in other areas of my life that don't include writing, obviously) '14 days of doing something makes a habit out of it'. Whatever it is that you are trying to make a routine out of: try doing it consistently, religiously for atleast a fortnight. Hopefully on the 15th day, you won't have to consciously force yourself to do it. There are a few ways to help yourself cultivate a habit. Here they are:
- Set a time of day to attack this activity: Pick a time when you are guaranteed to have some peace and quiet to focus on the task at hand. Set an alarm or reminder to make sure you wake up (if you're a morning person). Rain or shine, let that reminder alert you everyday at the same time of what you need to get done.
- Set a duration in which to accomplish it: As a beginner, one would need all the help available with getting a bit organized. Never hurts to give some structure to chores. So, allocate a duration to the activity. Wind up the task when that allocated time runs out. You'll probably be left with the urge to finish that sentence/thought at your earliest convenience (which is a good thing if you're trying to bring back the passion into a chore).
- Choose a location: Where do you work best? Maybe it's that office space outside your bedroom or that walk-in closet that doubles up as your writing nook. Or, like one of my favorite pastors & writer called it - the 'holy of holies' where he prepares his sermon notes (Panera!)...think 'my favorite coffee shop' (the ones I know of open up pretty early in the AM).
- Stage the ambience that best suits you: If you are planning to work within the confines of your home, you can better control the environment. Stream your favorite playlist, choose proper lighting, set the temperature that works for you, have the supplies you need handy - printer paper, battery charger, memory card etc so you don't waste precious minutes of the allotted time running around looking for something. Ideally, you'd have all this laid out the previous night so you're ready to go first thing on challenge day 1.
Rule 4: Reward yourself reasonably: Any tough act benefits from reward. When you've consistently accomplished daily goals, treat yourself to something special but still reasonable. Small treats in addition to making you feel good would help keep the motivation flowing. Like most women, I wouldn't let a mani/pedi by in the name of 'small' rewards (wink! wink). You could of course do something totally different too - like buy an outfit, go out for dinner, play a round of tennis (yea I didn't say CRICKET - enough already!) or just read a book (if you're one of the lucky few that has time for such things these days). But the idea is to reward minor accomplishments along the way.
