Hello fellow writers!!
I hope that everyone is safe and and doing well (at least as much as we can in these difficult times)
Like everyone else, I too am staying at home because of the nationwide lockdown and being drowned in COVID-19 statistics, fake news and online homework from school.. These are the days when I spend most of my time re-reading some of my favorite books, trying to keep up with the enormous amounts of assignments that my teachers pile me up with and honing my creative skills.
In times like this, I know very well how your brain just does not co-operate with you. It can go on countless amounts of man-hunts for ideas, but you always have to return home empty handed. We all know this as Writer's Block.
But worry not my friends, because every well-known writer (and me) has gone through this creative-crisis, and fortunately for all of us, I have the perfect solution for you with tips n tricks from many bestselling authors like V.E Schwab, Neil Gaiman, Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir. We all need a creative push sometimes, and often you stumble upon a good idea, so here are some tips n trucks that I personally found very effective:
Step 1 - Figure out what your problem is
You have to know what your problem is first of all to get out of it.
But here's the thing- we all don't actually know what writer's block really is. Writer's block feels like hitting a brick wall in you thought process. No matter how hard you push, or kick or punch, the wall doesn't budge. But there's also this other thing that you often confuse with Writer's block, namely a Writing slump. Writing slump is just the unwillingness or demotivation to write. A state when you simply don't want to write, when you don't have the motivation, that drive. When that passion that is pushing you forward just...lacks. I will definitely elaborate on that in some other post, but for now, lets stick to Writer's Block. (If you now understand the difference and think you are in a Writing slump, feel free to check out a way out here)
Writer's block happens because when spewing out your ideas, you force them to go through this filter in your mind that blocks out all of them. This filter is there because of your need for perfection. (letting that sink in).
OK, now what?? You have to allow yourself to write garbage. Write bad ideas, write rubbish. Frankly, JUST WRITE. Don't force yourself to just write just good ideas.
Step 2- Feed that monster, fill up that creative well
The great Victoria Schwab says in her podcast interview with Yin Chang in 88 Cups of Tea that she always perceives her mind as a huge creative well that needs to b filled up. Unless you put in something in that well, you won't be able to pull out anything. As long as there is no input, there will be no output. So fill it up. How?? By consuming art as much as you can. It doesn't necessarily have to be books. There are various forms of art- movies, songs, paintings, pictures..........
Binge watch a Netflix series, listen to endless songs and podcasts, travel, research.....there are so many things that you can do!!
Immerse yourself in art. Drown in it. Let it flow through you.
Step 3- Find your quite place
When you feel yourself overwhelmed by that huge storm of ideas inside your mind, when it starts to feel as if your brain is going to burst open with that overflow of creativity... that is when you SIT down and process through the input. Sift through it. Work on it. Let it develop inside your head. Find a quite place for a few minutes, just some silence and a little peace to calm your mind and find out what works for your project. Kindle that little spark into a flame so that it can light your way to your dream.
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Whew!! That was long one! I really hope that it was helpful for anyone who often struggles with Writer's Block (like me). Don't forget to tell me what you thought of this post, how you get through your writer's block, what are you reading these days and lets make this a productive and positive online community. 💛💛
Hoping for a better tomorrow,
Your writing buddy,
Aamna