Overcoming Writer's Block

Frozen Words
by
Noelle Sterne

You're barreling along in the middle of a piece, congratulating yourself on great progress when suddenly, for no apparent reason, you freeze. Paralyzed, you stare at the clock and watch your life, fame, and creativity drain away like sangria from a cracked pitcher. Don’t despair or bury your head in the refrigerator. Just keep going.

This admittedly obvious remedy also frees you from an insidious writer’s malady – the one called the "I-must-produce-only-gold" syndrome. Part of the cure is to accept the inevitable byproduct of writing . . . the "garbage" that every writer creates on his/her way to anything worthwhile.

As a mentor once told me, "Write out the junk." Doing so is essential to reach your goal. The process is often a means of discovering where you want to go. To keep going, try these five methods.

Freeing Tools

1. Combat the "only-gold" syndrome by repeating like a mantra, “It's only my second draft” (even if it's your thirty-fifth). Writing takes time, persistence, and relentless effort. Another worthy mantra is Justice Louis Brandeis' pronouncement: “There is no good writing. There is only good rewriting.”

2. Talk to yourself in the middle of the draft. I use italics: What do I really want to say? What got me fired up in the first place? What feelings do I want to express? How do I want the reader to feel? Should I use metaphors or straight talk?

You can delete your questions later – but I’ll bet from your asking, the answers will pop up like toast from a hot-wired toaster.

3. Have faith in the self-talking method. The answers will surface. American poet Richard Wilbur knew this: “Step off assuredly into the blank of your mind. Something will come to you.”

The secret, and scary part is to “step off,” even if you feel like your brain is as vacant as a twenty-something comedy. Muster your writerly courage and swallow, in a literary free-fall.

4. If you still run into a blank wall, talk to yourself again. One of my first draft paragraphs looked like this: “Or, as Richard Wilbur says, ”Just jump off into the blank of your mind. Something should come to you.” Check quote and correct.

Your mind is a fantastic, retentive, associative computer. You can prompt it to produce whatever you need.

5. Keep writing alternatives. Repeat your last good phrase and begin pumping out whatever comes to mind. However forced, lame, ridiculous, or off-the-mark, write the junk out. It's only your fiftieth draft.

For these drafts, I've also developed a system of slashes and codes. To separate the alternatives, I use slashes: “stupid/stupider/go sell shoes.” Mark your best variations with a special symbol, such as * or +.

I also use several codes:
W = WORD, VERY BAD.
FIX = FIX THIS!
REP = REPetition of words, ideas, sounds.

Create any system that makes sense to you.

These five ideas may sound elementary, but they work. They're effective, powerful tools that help you smash your writing mini-blocks. How do you deal with mini-blocks?

Author, editor, ghostwriter, writing coach, and spiritual counselor, Noelle publishes nonfiction and fiction in print and online venues. In Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books), she helps writers and others apply practical spirituality to release regrets, relabel the past, and reach lifelong yearnings. See www.trustyourlifenow.com.

Would you like to have a private tutor? Creative Writing Institute eagerly awaits you. Check us out! writer's block, breaking writers block, overcoming writer's block

What is Foreshadowing?

Tips on Foreshadowing by guest blogger Bob Bruggemann

Wikipedia says foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story. This is an example of foreshadowing:

Sam thought about what the perpetrator said. It was nothing he hadn’t heard before; he’d been threatened many times. The light turned green and he swung around the corner. His eyes panned down the quiet block of single family homes and he knew something was wrong. His partner’s house was dark and so was his. Sam rolled up to the curb and turned off the engine. Leaving his cap on the passenger seat, he pulled out his service revolver, loaded a round into the chamber, and cautiously stepped out of the car.

Sam’s actions give a blatant description of what could happen next. The reader has been forewarned that something might be wrong. It could be a false alarm or it could be something devastating. Only time will tell.

The reader will fall into this trap easily and without suspicion. It’s perfectly natural for a man to enter a tense and dangerous situation with his gun drawn… but suppose he enters the foyer and the lights suddenly come on.

“Surprise! Happy birthday, Honey!” He finds a room full of neighbors in the living room, holding up drinks for a toast. The joy fades as they focus on Sam’s cocked 9mm pistol.

This scenario is a variation of foreshadowing called “misdirection” or otherwise known as a “Red Herring.” See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreshadowing for more examples on the following:

o Premonition
o Master patterning
o Red herring (misdirection)
o Prophecy’s and omens

As an author, you control your world, along with everyone and everything in it. Never be afraid to experiment and push your muse to the limit. There are no limitations to your imagination.

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Sale ends December 31, 2011. Reserve your seat before classes fill up. Can’t afford the tuition? Buy on the payment plan – four payments of $50 every second week. You will receive a $23 REBATE in February or March.

*Practical Gifts for the Writer*

Writers the world around want relevant gifts to encourage their hearts, make creative writing easier, prevent writer’s block, and increase their stash of writing tools. Sit on Ho Ho’s knee and ask for these cool items:

1. A writing course, of course, at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.
2. The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago, about $35 on Amazon.com, or The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., $10 and up. These are excellent reference books. They will answer all your questions about grammar and give you guidance in literary composition. A must have for any writer.
3. The Writer’s Market – Learn the latest from editors and those in the know! This is the best marketing resource I’ve ever found. It’s easy to understand, easy to use, offers a variety of support tools, names the editors, and points you to the right market to sell your work. Ask for the online edition because they update it monthly whereas the book is updated yearly. Find it at writersmarket.com for $30-$40, depending on which one you choose. A must have for every selling writer!
4. The Writer Magazine – highly recommended. Stay up to date on trends at http://www.writermag.com/en/sitecore/content/Home/The%20Magazine/Current%20Issue.aspx
5. A writing journal to record the events of your life.
6. Business cards – tell Santa what color you would like and what you want them to say – or make your own on good card stock!
7. Personalized stationary for that “special” correspondence – or – make your own!
8. Great books on writing: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (for ideas and motivation); Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (highly recommended); On Writing by Stephen King (half autobiography and half lessons for writers); On Writing Well, The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser (lots of non-fiction writing tips). Don’t forget that you can buy used books on Amazon.com.
9. A ream of paper to print your creations (specify exactly what weight you want)
10. Printer ink
11. A gift certificate from a bookstore.

Get more writing tips in Creative Writing Institute’s newsletter, The Writer’s Choice, at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com, and don’t forget our huge Christmas Sale.

Ho, ho, ho. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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