"THE THRILL IS GONE"

               

                      WHEN WRITER’S BLOCK GIVES YOU THE BLUES

I AM NOT A GREAT LOVER OF THE BLUES IN MUSIC OR OTHERWISE, BUT THIS MAKES ME THINK OF THE GREAT BLUES LEGEND BB KING, DOESN’T IT YOU?

WHAT DOES HE OR THE BLUES HAVE TO DO WITH WRITING YOU ASK? WELL NOTHING WITH BB KING BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WRITING. 

DON’T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN YOU’RE ON A WRITING ROLL ONE DAY? THE WORDS SEEMS LIMITLESS AND YOU FEEL EMPOWERED AND VIRTUALLY UNSTOPPABLE.

 THEN THE UNIMAGINABLE OCCURS, AND YOU ARE TOTALLY STUMPED. I HATE WHEN THIS HAPPENS! AND SO I ASK MYSELF WHAT DO I DO NOW? CHASE RABBITS? 

THAT’S A PHRASE MY PASTOR USES QUITE A BIT, IN BIBLE STUDY. WE’LL BE ON THE MAIN SUBJECT THEN OFF ON A TANGENT. WELL SOMETIMES, WHEN THIS OCCURS I DO JUST THAT. I VISIT SOCIAL MEDIA, CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM. 

SOMETIMES THIS HELPS TO REGAIN MY FLOW BUT SOME DAYS IT ONLY SEEMS TO DISTRACT ME MORE. I KNOW THIS WILL SOUND STRANGE FOR SOME PEOPLE (NON-WRITERS) BUT I CAN NOT WRITE IN ABSOLUTE SILENCE. I NEED A LITTLE BACKGROUND NOISE. I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I HAVE A VERY SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, I CAN ADMIT THIS, SO EASILY DISTRACTED. I CAN BE IN THE MIDDLE OF FINISHING A THOUGHT AND JUST LOOK AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD FOR A SECOND, AND LOOSE MY MOMENTUM. 

MY SISTER ACCUSES ME OF HAVING ATTENTION DEFICIT SYNDROME, SHE MIGHT BE RIGHT ABOUT THAT ONE. BUT I WRITE FROM THE COMFORT OF MY BEDROOM, I HAVE AN OFFICE BUT THIS SEEMS TO WORK BETTER FOR ME. ANYWAY, I TURN ON THE TELEVISION, AND KEEP IT AT A LEVEL WHERE I CAN HEAR IT BUT NOT LOUD ENOUGH TO BECOME A BARRIER. I WORK A DAY JOB AND FOR MOST PEOPLE THEY FIND IT EXTREMELY HARD TO LISTEN TO ANYTHING WHILE THEY WORK. I ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS. SO MY HABITS ARE CONSISTENT. I’M A MULTI-TASKER ANYWAY, SO I’M ABLE TO THINK, LISTEN, AND WORK ALL AT THE SAME TIME. 

SO, LETS TALK SOLUTIONS FOR THOSE OF US UNABLE TO PERFORM ON THIS LEVEL: THE POPULAR CONSENSUS OF USEFUL TOOLS TO HELP YOU GET BACK YOUR WRITING FLOW IS

1.      GOING FOR A WALK: I GUESS GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE WILL HELP TO MAKE THINGS BECOME CLEARER WITH A CHANGE OF SCENERY THIS COULD AID YOU I SUPPOSE BUT IF YOU’RE ALWAYS WALKING WHEN WILL YOU FIND TIME TO WRITE?

2.      ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS: HMM, SO NO TELEVISION, NO SOCIAL MEDIA, NO TEXTING…

3.      DO SOMETHING TO GET YOUR BLOOD FLOWING: WELL I HAVE A FEW PERSONAL IDEAS OF MY OWN FOR THIS ONE. OF WHICH I WILL NOT SHARE, HEY YOU’RE A WRITER USE YOUR IMAGINATION‼!

4.      PLAY: I INTERPRET THIS TO MEAN PLAYING ANGRY BIRDS ON YOUR PHONE, MY FAVORITE IS MAHJONG ….PERHAPS POST SELFIES ON INSTAGRAM, SNAPCHAT WHATEVER DOES THE TRICK.

5.      CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT: GUESS THIS MEANS I NEED TO LEAVE MY BEDROOM AND GO TO MY OFFICE WHERE THERE IS NO TELEVISION ONLY MY DESK AND POSTERS ON THE WALLS.

6.      READ A BOOK: I AGREE TOTALLY WITH THIS ONE! WE ALL NEED INSPIRATION TO WRITE!

7.      FREEWRITE: THIS I SUPPOSE MEANS, WRITING FREESTYLE, LIKE SOME HIP HOP ARTISTS DO WHEN THEY’RE SPITTING RHYMES. ARE IT COULD MEAN WRITING ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH WRITING BUT NOT WITH WHAT YOU’RE WRITING. DOSE THAT MAKE SENSE? OH WELL ON TO THE NEXT ONE.

8.      LISTEN TO MUSIC : ANOTHER OF MY FAV’S I LOVE JAZZ AND CLASSICAL MUSIC, ALSO GOSPEL THAT REALLY INSPIRES ME TO WRITE.

9.      EXERCISE: I CAN SEE HOW THIS WOULD HELP GET YOUR MOJO BACK AS WELL TIGHTEN AND LOSE A FEW INCHES FROM YOUR WAISTLINE.

10.  SURF THE WEB: I SUGGEST PINTEREST, THEY HAVE SOME VERY INTERESTING THINGS ON THERE.

IN LIEU OF THE LIST OF TO DO’S I GAVE YOU, WHAT I TYPICALLY DO TO STAY FOCUSED IS SET A ROUTINE.

I DO THE SAME THING EVERYDAY, EXCEPT WEEKENDS.

IT’S LIKE HOW I START MY WORK DAY. I RISE AT THE SAME TIME EVERYDAY, I DON’T HIT SNOOZE ON THE ALARM, I ALLOW THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME FOR GROOMING EACH MORNING, SO I CAN BE OUT THE DOOR ON TIME.

THIS WORKS FOR ME, BECAUSE ROUTINE IS KEY AND KEEPS ME ON POINT WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING.

MOST DAYS, I USUALLY GET IN A COUPLE OF HOURS OF SOLID WRITING TIME. SOMETIMES, THROUGHOUT THE DAY WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES, I JOT DOWN DIALOGUE OR GO OVER SCENES I’VE ALREADY WRITTEN TO TWEAK THEM A BIT. THIS ALLOTS EVEN MORE TIME TO MY CRAFT.

THE POINT IS, YOU NEED TO REMAIN CONSISTENT IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. THIS HELPS ME GET THROUGH WRITERS BLOCK. AND I WANT TO HELP YOU. I DON’T EXPERIENCE IT A LOT BUT IT DOES HAPPEN. MOST THINGS ON THE LIST I GAVE YOU, I DO THEM MYSELF, BUT THE ONE I REALLY AGREE WITH IS READING A BOOK, ESPECIALLY WHATEVER YOUR WRITING GENRE IS. ROMANCE IS MINE AND SO I LISTEN TO BOOKS DAILY

AUDIBLE.COM (SHOUT OUT TO THEM) HAS A GREAT SELECTION OF AUDIO BOOKS. SO WHILE I’M WORKING AWAY, I LISTEN TO STORIES THAT KEEPS ME ENGAGED AND INSPIRED. THIS HELPS ME OUT TREMENDOUSLY BECAUSE IT KEEPS MY MIND FOCUSED ON WHAT I NEED TO DO AS A WRITER. IT HELPS ME TO MAINTAIN A STEADY WORKFLOW AND REACH MY DAILY GOALS.

SO WHEN I GET HOME IN THE EVENINGS AND SIT DOWN TO WRITE, I’M BETTER EQUIPPED MENTALLY AS WELL STRATEGICALLY TO GET TO THE MATTER AT HAND.

WRITERS BLOCK IS AN UGLY WORD BUT EVERY WRITER EXPERIENCES IT ON OCCASION. I GUESS THE MAIN IDEA OF DEALING WITH THIS CURSE, IS IF WE CAN’T ELIMINATE IT ENTIRELY, WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO BEST GET THROUGH IT.

I SPEAK FROM A PERSONAL PROSPECTIVE, AS A PERSON WHO DOESN’T LET SETBACKS STOP THEM FROM REACHING THEIR GOALS. I VIEW ISSUES LIKE WRITERS BLOCK OR ANY OTHER TEMPORARY SITUATION AS I WOULD AN OBSTACLE COURSE. THE PLAYING FIELD IS LAID OUT FOR YOU BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS, HOW YOU APPROACH IT. YOU KNOW THERE WILL BE HURDLES AND YOU WON’T CLEAR THEM ALL, BUT YOU CAN’T STOP, YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING, NO MATTER WHAT IF YOU WANT TO FINISH THE COMPETITION.

WRITING IS A COMPETITION, BECAUSE YOU FACE OPPONENTS, SUCH AS WRITERS BLOCK, DISTRACTIONS, AND THINGS THAT AFFECT US IN GENERAL, LIFE. WE JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DON’T LIVE IN A PERFECT WORLD, WRITING OR OTHERWISE, BUT MUST BE READY TO FACE THE REALITIES WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING. PLEASE UNDERSTAND WE ARE HUMAN AND PLAGUED BY THE DAILY ISSUES THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS. 

WE AREN’T PERFECT AND NO MATTER HOW WE DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES, WE CAN NOT LET IT STEAL OUR MOMENTUM. STAY FOCUSED, AND BY ALL MEANS KEEP WRITING!