There is no such think as Writers Block
Posted By Kathleen David on March 8, 2007
Or keeping that creativity flowing
According to Peter who tends to move onto another project and then back to the one he is working on when he gets stuck. I try to do the same thing when I get stuck in a project. I’ll start something else that I may not finish just to clear the brain and have another run at the problem I am working out in my head.
I also find that when I hit a brick wall on something going off and taking a walk or even a nap can help me regroup. Then I can come back and try something else. On occasion I can’t see that I am that frustrated but Peter will and strongly suggest that I go do something else for a bit.
I think everyone has their own tricks when they hit the wall on a project.
So the question to the group is what do you do when you hit the creative wall?
I am very interested in the answers.
I am grateful when the wall goes away for a while.
I love the pun in your header! For me it’s definitely a matter of how you Think about writer’s block. A lot of the time when I can’t write something I go off and do the dishes or other housework, as I recognize I need to burn off nervous energy or whatever and doing something Zen-like such as washing up can help organize my thought processes. Clearing the brain is definitely the key!
I generally do things like stare at walls, obsess over the fact that I’m blocked, think of the problem in terms of not being able to solve it, and a variety of other bad habits that make me thank God that I don’t have to write for a living.
Considering that I went off and did the dishes and finished a sculpture while I was composing this post in my head, I too have to go with “Do something else until it comes back”.
Actually, since I am rarely working on fewer than three projects at a time, plus housework – looking at your “multitasking” post – I find the only way to really break through a block is to sleep. Find something else to get your mind off of it long enough to forget and be able to sleep, and sure enough when you wake up, all is solved. (Or more accurately, when your subconscious mind figures it out and wakes you up at 2am, you will be forced to finish it.)
I also try doing something else, usually housework. Since I dislike housework, my mind usually scales the wall and I can go on. If that doesn’t work or I have a deadline, I just start talking to whoever is unlucky enough to be around. I talk about anything and everything, related to the project or not. Finally, if all else fails, I fake it through the problem area, writing whatever comes to mind. When I come back to it later, I don’t feel as much pressure to actually write something and I can fix it.