09Vol1: Breaking the Block

[Katty]

Breaking the Block

By Rojo

Almost every writer suffers or will suffer from writers’ block at some point in his or her writing career. What makes the difference between a writer who will succeed despite the writers’ block and those who will not, is what he or she does to break the block.


Sounds

For the most part, everywhere you go on Earth you will be surrounded by noises of some kind. The sounds around you when writing hold a great influence upon your writing. Some people say mathematics is the universal language, but I say music is.

Some people need to be relaxed and soothed while writing while others need to be pumped up, excited, and feel as if they are on top of the world when the write. To figure out which category you fall under, the best thing to do is simply experiment. Instrumental music or recordings of nature tend to work for those who need to be soothed. Finding the write kind of music to listen to when you wish to be excited can be hit and miss. Just as athletes have to experiment with the music they listen to before a competition to find out which helps them the best, so will you have to experiment. Never be afraid to explore different areas of music. Something you might have condemned in the past just might turn out to be the perfect thing to listen to while writing for you.

Often times, the noises in our lives we are not given the option of choosing can affect us more than the music we do chose. If you write in a basement, everyday noises such as a furnace, dehumidifier, or clothing dryer turning on or off can jerk you out of a train of thought, ruining your mood. Like-wise, noises found in other parts of your house can be just as distracting. The doorbell ringing, a television turned on in the background, sounds of food being prepared.

If, as a writer, you cannot remove these noises distracting you from your writing area, then it may be time to remove your writing area from the distracting noises. Libraries and parks can be excellent places to test out. There are not many distracting noises there, and a portable music player can block out the few you do experience.


Distractions

Mankind has the habit of creating excuse as to why the time is not right to write. These excuses, while sometimes accurate, can ruin a writer. If you create a habit of falling to distractions constantly, then you are also creating a habit of not writing.

Take a look at your writing environment. Dust gathering by on the inches on the end tables? Three-days worth of dirty dishes piled up beside the sink? Laundry creating one giant, heaping mess of stench around your washing machine? All will need to be taken care of at some point (hopefully, sooner rather than later) and while you know you really should be writing, your brain takes advantage of these distractions, nagging you about getting them done.

Take a deep breath, now.

Set the washing machine size load to extra large. While the laundry is being taken care off, take out of the Pledge and start dusting. Move the laundry to the dryer. Load the dishwasher. Then get the dog clean water while you are at it.

While this may sound like you are falling into the pit of procrastination, you are really and truly tricking your brain. Once the tasks are finished, take another deep breath and look at all that you have accomplished. By this point, our brain should be screaming in panic, having realized that you have back-stabbed it.

Look around. There is nothing left that must be completed—except for getting your favorite Sims married (fighting that particular battle is for the next Giantkiller issue!)—to distract you. Open Microsoft Word or your notebook and just. start. writing. Sometimes, the only way to kill procrastination is by over-feeding it.


Whether it is your first time experiencing writers’ block or your twelfth, always remember: the only thing keeping you from writing is yourself. Writers’ block is a mental game. If you can trick your brain, then you might very well be back in business.

Best of wishes.