Writers Block

Don’t take it so seriously

lskomal — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:24:52 +0000

While the tricks I use to get through my own personal writer’s block work for me most of the time, there are those moments when I fall prey to the machinations of my own demon. I highly doubt that only writers deal with their demons. Being criticized, whether by self or others is probably more common then I realize. And it is particularly daunting when I let it get to me. At those times, I personify that fear into what I have dubbed my Inner Critic. Regardless of his origins, and yes it is a ‘he’ for some reason, I do know my critic is really me. But for my own purposes it helps if I make him his own entity. And he is nasty one.

What has helped me get perspective and take care of the task at hand, which is writing, has been to take the opposite tact of my inner critic, who takes himself very seriously. I don’t take myself seriously. If my critic hurls insults, I shrug it off as merely opinion. If my internal demon is rude and obnoxious, I laugh at him and then tune him out. If my critic doesn’t like what I have written, I shrug because I know my writing isn’t for everyone. And when it comes right down to it, he is not my editor. So my advice is whether the critic is external or internal makes no difference. Ultimately, you have all the control.

Writer’s Block

lskomal — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:24:14 +0000

For those writers who find the blank page as daunting as I do, I offer this advice: Finish it. It is the same advice given at a writer’s conference on Whidbey Island back in 2002. The presenter had this huge build up during his presentation about overcoming the inability to write. At the start, he said he had just two words that would “cure” it. And those words, “Finish it” were his cure. How to “finish it” is another matter. This is what I do:

–Free write. Just sit down and write whatever pops into your head, even if it’s my favorite, “blah, blah, blah.” I keep doing this as dumb as it sounds, until something breaks, which it inevitably does. Just the mere act of writing seems to be the magic that jumpstarts the engine.

–Re-read something that you wrote a while ago and truly think is good. This helps me come up with the column which can be hard to find fodder for every week. I cull through my other writing and inspire myself. I guess the idea is, “If I could write this, then surely I could write something else quite as good.”

–Read a favorite author. Sometimes another person’s writing can help motivate. I pick passages from tried and true works that I love. Truman Capote is a favorite because his lyrical style is something I very much admire.

–Find a sentence you love. I often use this technique to start the column writing process when I am really stuck. I also use it open new chapters. I search my mind to find one single sentence that will launch the process, or summarize the idea of the essay or create a striking lead. As a publisher once told me, “Even if you are only writing only one sentence a day, it’s more than the day before.” Sounds comical, but when you’re really stuck, it can help move you forward.

–Read the dictionary and thesaurus. Words help launch me into the world of writing faster than anything else. If I find a new word that tickles my fancy, I will try to construct a sentence around it or try to find some place to use it in my writing for that day.

–STOP self-editing. It’s a major problem with most writers, especially me. I will often condemn my thoughts before they get onto the screen. It’s dangerous censorship, so I suggest, in the spirit of free write that you just put it all down. Don’t go over it a million times, don’t read back to edit, and don’t criticize it. Just let it be.

Now, back to removing my own writer’s block.

Getting to the point

lskomal — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:59:04 +0000

Why do you write? Why do I write? In my writing seminars, it’s a common question I pose. For those of us scribblers born with the drive to write daily, it helps to identify our underlying motivation. For me, I write to be heard. It’s a simple motivation really, but begs the question how do you know you are indeed being heard?

After the plane flight had safely landed and I admitted that what I felt was a miserable impasse in my writing career, I revisited my old motivation. Happily, I was able to edit it. Yes, as a writer I needed to be heard. But the measure of that had to change. Instead of establishing hard and fast measures of reaching readers, such as how many e-mails was I receiving with feedback, how many books were sold, or how many reviews were posted, I realized I had to abandon them. At best, they were not accurate. At worst, they were limiting. For instance, how often did I write something that resonated with a reader and never found out about it?

As I write now, my focus has shifted. I challenge myself as a purveyor of the written word with no detailed result in mind. I release the universe from my predetermined expectations of how success will come and open myself to the new definition of that word. I am happy to report I find more peace and creativity in my writing day because of that.

Welcome to my blog

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:07:36 +0000

Welcome to my blog, which is called Writer’s Block, specifically because it is about writing in general, and the process with which I write in specific. I hope you find it not only inspirational, but informative and entertaining. On a recent trip from visiting some college friends, I sat on the plane and dismally contemplated my career as a writer. I had hit a stalemate. My novel was finished, edited and tweaked over the course of five months, and my New York agent was in the process of trying to sell it. In the meantime, I was supposed to be working on the next book proposal. Instead, I fretted about the novel which was being paraded around Manhattan publishing houses like a high priced strumpet. Since waiting is not my strong suit but fretting is, I chose this path each and every day, and turned a frustrated eye to the blank screen on my computer where the book proposal should have been. It was more than just writer’s block. It was a career crisis. All my eggs were in this one basket and sitting on that plane next to the snoring oversized man with the deviated septum, I examined just what that meant. It was the beginning of a turning point in the way I view my writing and my career.