Monday, January 5, 2015

When I Have Writer's Block

1. I think of whatever's annoying me at the moment (as I stated on Twitter, my brain is basically one eternal Seinfeld marathon, because I obsess over everything), and then I write about it. For example, I've filled up more than one page about the people who blast music and videos from their cell phones in cafes, so that it gets to the point that I want to hurl headphones at them.

2. I take advantage of the free-admission days at museums like the Art Institute, where I look at my favorite pieces of art, like the Miniature Rooms and the Impressionists' paintings. I sit on a bench and stare up at the beautiful art, thinking about the artists at work in their studios and how they didn't give up until they created something beautiful. A trip to the museum is enough to make me take out my journal and start writing, so that I can keep writing until I write something that is (hopefully) beautiful.

3. I eavesdrop on people's conversations at cafes, on the subway, at bus stops, in the grocery store, or in the laundry room, and then I write down what they say so that I can practice writing dialogue (and maybe even create interesting characters partly based on the people I listen to). For example, my journal is filled with lines I've overheard, like, "I can't believe he liked more of her selfies than mine. I thought it meant something when he followed me on Instagram," or "No, you can't sit there. My friend is sitting there, and he has every right to keep sitting there. It doesn't MATTER if he finished drinking his coffee an hour ago." and "I can't believe I had to sit through that whole movie. There were hardly any scenes with boobs in them." (I swear I'm not making any of these lines up. Chicagoans are weird.)

4. I reread my favorite books, like A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway or Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. Reading a good book is like one of those rare days in Chicago where the weather is perfect and everyone stays outside to soak up every minute of it, because they know that it will be freezing cold or windy by the next day. Truly good books that make you think and feel things that no post on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook will EVER make you feel in the same way motivate me to get back to work on my own stories.

5. I buy a cheap ticket to a play at one of the tiny theaters in Chicago, where more often than not the actors are ten times more talented than many of the A-list celebrities starring on the big screen. Sometimes I'll see a play that I know little about and ends up making me angry, like the one that spewed a bunch of distorted, bigoted crap about Catholics and made me want to stand up in the audience and shriek, "You're all going to HELL, you HEATHENS!" (I didn't, though I definitely felt tempted.) Sometimes I'll watch a play that is almost as good as one of my favorite books or paintings, so that it makes me marvel at how people utilize the talents that they were given and created something original and amazing. Either way, after immersing myself in the playwrights' world for a couple hours, it makes me want to get back to my own world that I created in my writing.

What about you? What kinds of things do you do when you have writer's block? Is there anything about your hometown in particular that helps you deal with writer's block?

P.S. Have a safe and happy New Year!

20 comments:

  1. Love these! It's always good to pay attention to the things and people around you--you never know what you'll hear or see that will inspire you. I haven't been to a play or musical in so long I think I'm having withdrawals...maybe that's one reason I have writer's block!

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    1. Hi Sarah,
      You could always watch clips of plays or musicals on Youtube; one thing I also like to watch are Jane Austen films, which are on Youtube (and some of them are full-length). One of the things I love about Chicago is its great theater scene. I wish I had more money for the big, fancy theaters, but at least there are the tiny theaters that sell cheaper tickets.

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  2. Happy New Year! I avoid most people on a daily basis. Isolation really helps my creativity.

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    1. Hi Murees,
      Happy New Year to you too! I read somewhere that when you experience certain events on your own, you become more aware of your surroundings, because you're less distracted. I've found that to be true.

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  3. I read and also watch movies. Certain books on writing and creativity also inspire me. The best thing though is to just put it on my to do list, usually starting with 30 minutes if I've been away from writing for a long time.

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    1. Hi Karen,
      I have several books on writing and creativity; my favorites are the ones by Natalie Goldberg. I like watching movies too, especially if the movie is about a writer.

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  4. I would love to read the journal for number three! What a hoot!! When I have writers block I literally will sit there for a few seconds and just go blank. Eventually something comes through. Or on my drives to work something will hit. But more often then not, that hit part happens when I go to bed trying to sleep!

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    1. Hi Tammy,
      Sometimes I wear my headphones with the sound turned off so that the other people can't tell that I'm listening to them. :) Occasionally I'll Tweet weird things that I see or hear. You could keep a pad of paper and a pen by your bed so that you can jot down ideas before you go to sleep.

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  5. Love the museum idea and the rereading. I reread a lot. If I already have a story idea but feel blocked (some days during NaNo for instance...) then I just start writing anyway. Usually by the time I get a few hundred words in I've slipped into the story and the character voice and something interesting is starting to happen...

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    1. Hi Deniz,
      I think one of the hardest parts about writing is to just start writing; like you said, it's easier to keep going once you get started. I often end up worrying about what I'm going to write beforehand, which makes it more difficult for me to figure out what I want to say.

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  6. Me? I try to de-stress. Typically when I can't write it's because I'm putting too much pressure on myself. That, or I just don't have enough time to really get into it. I have a folder full of stories I LOVE that I've been working on for years, and sometimes popping back into one of those for a few hours totally refreshes me. I think in order to really write, all you have to do is reignite the LOVE of a story.

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    1. Hi Crystal,
      I like the idea of keeping a folder full of stories; I usually write first drafts in notebooks and then I have to hunt around for the notebook after I fill it up. It's hard for me to de-stress, because I truly am neurotic; even in my dreams I'm worrying or working.

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  7. Sometimes I'll jump around in my ms to write what's fitting my mood. Like yesterday when I was super grumpy I skipped ahead to an argument. ;)

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    1. Hi Rachel,
      I haven't tried that strategy before but I like it, especially because sometimes I'll stop writing or refrain from writing altogether if there's a particular scene that I don't feel like working on.

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  8. I may have to steal your list. Or bookmark it. I can't imagine your writer's block lasts long with these great cures. :)

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    1. Hi Emily,
      Feel free to use my list, and thanks! :) One of the reasons I like to write in cafes is that it's a good way to cure my writer's block, because there's usually something weird/interesting to see/hear there.

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  9. I'm a people watcher too. I love the woman who thought being followed on instagram 'meant something'... Ah, modern life at it's best :-)

    I'm a bit blocked at the moment, so I definitely think it's time to sit in a cafe and visit a gallery!

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    1. Hi Annalisa,
      When I heard that woman talk about her crush and Instagram, it made me think of that TV show Catfish, where the people claim to have "relationships" with the people they meet online, even if they've never actually met in person.
      And yes, definitely go to a cafe, because then you can drink a nice cup of coffee and perhaps eat a delicious pastry too. :)

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  10. These are all really great ideas! I think you have a great advantage living in a big city. The people-watching is usually top notch! I really need to start writing down what I hear people say on the bus or at the bus station. I'd say that's where I encounter the most colorful people of this small midwestern town (because there really isn't much else to do here).

    I preach all sorts of methods to my students for dealing with writer's block. I really should practice what I preach more, come to think of it. The problem sometimes is just finding the energy, of course...



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    1. Hi Catherine,
      Thanks! I grew up in a small Midwestern town, and you can do plenty of people-watching there too; you just have to be more subtle about it because otherwise they'll gossip about it, as small-town Midwesterners are known to do (I myself am still really bad about gossiping).
      It's hard to find the energy to write after spending the day teaching and writing lesson plans and comments on students' papers. That's why I started going to coffee shops at least once or twice a week, even for just an hour at a time; it was a chance to escape my work and just write the stuff I wanted to write, and the coffee gave me the energy. :)

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