Post by wordy on Jul 31, 2011 18:46:36 GMT 10
Breaking the Block
by Cassandra
Sometimes, the words stop coming-- or worse, they come out all wrong. Writer's block can be either a complete shutdown of the ability to create, or it can be the failure to create what the author intends. According to the New Yorker, before the Romantics the ability to write was seen as something to be controlled. It was rational, it was simple, and it wasn't something you could lose-- and then along came the Romantic poets and the notion that the ability to write was conferred upon some lucky person by a flighty muse, liable to being taken away at any moment.
The French didn't believe the problem was psychological, as the Romantics did. Rather they thought it an issue with language; that the words became unwieldy.
What stops us from writing? Is it metaphysical, or is it a case of diseased language? It can be either. A project can become overwhelming no matter the size, and the author might begin to believe that they are incapable of finishing it. Some scientists turn towards the frontal lobe, believing the problem is in the brain. Writers may blame trauma and a particular circumstance that will stop them from creating. A insult may curb one's self-worth and the doubt will pause pen from reaching paper. Perhaps even the pressure to keep succeeding can be a symptom. Dashiell Hammett, author of The Thin Man, said that "it is the beginning of the end when you discover that you have a style". Or maybe it's simply exhaustion.
What, then, can the author do?
Change setting. If you normally write on a computer in your bedroom, go to a cafe with a notepad and pencil. Do a free write. Time yourself, for three minutes or ten, to write anything. It can be what you're thinking: this is boring, my shoulder itches, I wonder what to make for dinner tonight. It can be what you observe around you. Describe your non-dominant hand in minute detail. Try to notice every freckle, every crease, every chip in your nail polish. If you're writing prose, read some poetry. If you're writing fiction, read the newspaper for a bit. Look for nuances in already existing work. Begin every sentence with 'I'. Make up lies and pretend they are truth. Take a break and go outside.
The best thing to do is not to stop. Even if your syntax is a mess and your diction ridiculous, you can always change it later on. Spellcheck, editors, thesauruses, and unsuspecting friends were invented for a reason. If all you can write is fifty words about a character you despise, that's still fifty more words than you had. Put it away for a while, go for a walk, and see what pops up.
Writing is thoughts on paper, whether they are your own or that of someone else. Thinking is hard, and most people don't like to do it. But that doesn't mean you can't try.