Writing Through the Wall
3 Things Helping Me With Writers Block
“You don't have to be profound at the beginning, Be prolific. If you remain prolific over a long enough period of time you will become profound” -Myron Golden
In my experience, the blockages show up when I give too much energy to my own expectations.
When I’m trying to force something to work for me instead of allowing it to work on me. I still struggle, but sometimes I get a moment of clarity.
Here are the 3 things that are helping me the most right now.
Reading : Taking time to process other people's ideas and how those ideas are presented has probably been the most reliable method of pulling myself out of a creative blockage. Once I’m a few sentences into a book my brain starts churning. Questions emerge, sometimes I mentally latch on to a particular phrase or concept that takes me off on a tangent of thoughts. The lesson in this is understanding that my mind wasn't blocked at all. I was trying to force the flow instead of following it.
Walking : Unplugging from everything for a few minutes to just walk, with no other expectations than being in motion. It can be just as much a brainstorming session as a meditative exercise. Whether you need to receive some thoughts or give yourself some time away from them, going for a walk might be the most holistically beneficial action you can take.
Writing Anyway : Writing about writer’s block counts as writing. Even if all I do is eloquently describe my frustration, words have been committed to the page and that is a small victory. Sometimes there are threads that need to be pulled, and structures that need to be pressed against. Shifting my perspective from identifying the writer’s block to pressure testing it has been helpful. Now instead of just experiencing it, I get to narrate a detailed description of an obstacle before I climb over it.
I also remind myself that I don't need for everything I write to be great, just an authentic account of a unique human experience. If our greatest accomplishments can only grow out of a commitment to repetition, iteration, and persistence, then every part of this experience is valid.
Thank you for being on this journey with me.