The Book Stacks

There are many reasons that people might find writing difficult. Perhaps, like my mother, you just don’t like writing. You may not be feeling inspired. Performance anxiety or perfectionism could be standing in your way. Maybe you’ve been staring at a blank page so long that you are certain that you suffer from writer’s block. My biggest problem with writing has always been getting my thoughts in order. It could be deadlines staring me in the face, or just a really stressful day. That’s all it takes to turn my brain into mush. What do I do when faced with any of these situations? (Yes, except for the disliking writing, I’ve been there.)

• If it’s inspiration you need (or clearing up some of those niggling little errors in your writing style), you could head over to Fiction Scribe. JM will get you on the right track.
• Write Anyway is a great place to go if you’re not even sure where to start. Teri offers some great writing warm-up to get your brain working.
• Go see a film. It’s strange, but sometimes when I find myself unable to figure out “what happens next” seeing any sort of film will get my creativity going again.
• Try a change of scenery. Take your notebook and go to the park, the library, or a coffee shop.
• Go do something else, but take your notebook with you. I’ve gotten more ideas while folding laundry or working in the kitchen.
• Take a shower or bath. Douglas Adams would agree with me on this one. The closer he was to the end of a project, the more baths he took. For me, the shower is like inspiration point. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to record thoughts in there, though (now that I can’t make my little sister sit in there and take notes for me…yes, I was an evil big sister. Sorry, Dani).
• Stop worrying about every little thing! Get it written down, and edit it later when you’re done. I am Queen of “But…that’s passive voice” and “wait, I just started two sentences the same way.” Just write it down and move on. It’s too easy to get bogged down in the details.
• Just can’t face that story you’re working on? Go work on a different one for a while. Sometimes working on another story will give you a new idea for the first one.

The best way to get used to writing is to sit down and do it. I was the worst procrastinator until I got this blogging job. I still find it hard to get my thoughts in order, but I *am* writing something every day. Slowly, it’s becoming easier. So get out there and write something! Be it a blog post, poem, novel, or short story, just get some words on paper. That way, someday I may have something new to read and review.

writing, Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, Douglas Adams