The Writer’s Block Survival Guide

Tips and Tricks to get you writing again.

Writer's Block Survival Guide by Magicthreadworks

A few years back I went to lunch at this English Pub with my family. It was one of those places with dim lights, wooden tables and cushioned sofas. Behind them were books clad in leather binding stacked on the shelf. These books were too neatly placed, so for once I thought they were fake. I picked one out of curiosity and to my surprise, it was a real book. On that there was a pamphlet inside, with a profile done by Reader’s Digest on the author. It mentioned that though the author started writing pretty late in his life, but wrote close to 1000 words without fail, everyday of his last 40 years. That was quite impressive. It was the first time I was reading about something like this. His logic was, writing every day will help him build his writing muscle. I was really inspired by his process. When I did more research I found, this is a process quite a few author uses. They make it a point to write something everyday. My favourite author, Haruki Murakami has written his biography “ What I talk about, when I talk about running” around this disciple of a dedicated set of everyday activities, around which his whole life is built.

Now I was convinced and I had to give it a try. I started writing a piece a day. At first everything went smoothly, I was on a roll. Suddenly on day 3, I had nothing to write. My posts usually follow my stream of consciousness. I start with an idea and then give my mind a free rein. On this day, the only thing I was writing on repeat was “ I have nothing to write”. That was the end of my experiment at that time.

A few days later, I was watching an interview of a comedian, Zakir Khan, where he remarked that Writer’s block is just a myth. This ideally means that you are not exposing your mind to diverse concepts which could spark inspiration. All the expressions of a writer are coming from experiences they have in their lives. Only if we go out of our comfort zone and get exposed to newer ideas conflict will happen. These points of conflicts provide us with a different perspective and in return becomes an inspiration.

Now where do we find these diverse ideas?

Here is “list” which helps me be inspired :

1. Read Everyday — Reading becomes non-negotiable for a thinker. One line even about your familiar topic, written with a unique choice of words can do wonders. There are many other long form content now say — a documentary, podcasts etc. Feel free to take your pick. Just make sure it is long form, your mind to expand on an Idea, it’s important that it simmer in a thought for a while. Reading us gives you more freedom to pause, read it again and reflect, as compared to medium where you are just pacing along at the prescribed speed.

2. Keep making Notes — Whenever any idea or inspiration strikes, make sure you write it down. Don’t just keep it in your mind but make a note of it. There could be a quote you liked, a para you read which made you feel something, or idea stuck you out of the blue. There is a really heartwarming short story in the book “ Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationary Shop”, where a trainee chef picks up this habit of writing everything of interest in his Rhodia black memo pad and how this habit contributes to his growth and made him a famous Chef in Japan. I have created a Telegram Channel just to save quotes that inspire me, would love to hear yours too.

3. Immerse yourself in the topic and let inspiration come to you — Not everything about a topic might resonate with you. You need to find an angle which truly connects with you. Only then you can have an authentic voice about it.

4. Write about what you watch or read. — Most of my posts are now regarding the book I have read or movies I have watched. If I am spending so much time with content, there must be something which truly vibrates with me. At times we keep reading a book just to get to the end of it, I have stopped doing that. It is important for me that the content connects with me and inspires me to express my connection with it.

   
   

How will any of this helps?

In his book “Zen in the art of writing”, Ray Bradbury explains how he had written prompts for himself. He kept going back to them and a few of them became his stories years later. The Point is, an idea will take shape when it’s time has come. Till then don’t let it get lost in the sand of time. Save it.

A writer needs to keep collecting arrows of ideas in his quiver. An inspiration can come from anywhere, if you listen to a song long enough, its story will come to you. Though rather than making inspiration a chance, you could actually make it a practice.