Writers Block is just an Urban Myth! Stop promoting Supersitions.
Yes, ‘writers block’ is just an urban myth. It’s a lazy man’s excuse to not do the hard work. A lazy woman’s excuse to not put in the hours. Just a terminoloy that is created by those who are not willing to write and are more concerned with thinking. Have you seen “writers’ block”? Can you describe what it looks like?
Today the mind is back into focus and I guess it makes a difference as to what kind of food one is eating. The laptop on the lap affects in the way that the laptop is shaken by my speed of typing maybe because I hit the keys with a lot of force and speed. I read P.G. Wodehouse for a bit and then I did some chants before I sat down to write. I noticed that the laptop needed some charging. I had no agenda to write anything in particular except the agenda to write. This I feel should be the focus of any writer.
And creative person knows that we creative people are gifted and blessed because the muse speaks to us. And we are all just putting those thoughts in a tangible form. This is the reason that when people create something they are so involved in it. They forget everything around and get absorbed in their work so wholeheartedly that it seems they have been possessed.
Ask any creative person where the idea comes from and they won’t be able to tell you. They might intellectualize it and connect some dots in the aftermath but that’s just “ after math “. Calculations are done after something has happened. If you interrupt someone in the process of creative work you will get a rude shock. I can personally say that when people try to interrupt me in my creative actions with their questions and suggestions then it takes superhuman strength for me to stay civil. There is tremendous energy involved and anybody can be hurt. Even the artist who tries to control it.
Now coming back to the Urban myth of Writers Block.
Yes, ‘writers block’ is just an urban myth. It’s a lazy man’s excuse to not do the hard work. A lazy woman’s excuse to not put in the hours.
Writers Block is just one of those satisfying phrases that serve the purpose of adding unnecessary complexity to a simple task and is used by people who don’t like to face the truth. The truth is that certain things require more effort. Just like the word ‘Struggle ‘ is used by many actors in the entertainment industry. What are you struggling against? If there is a struggler then there has to be something they are struggling against as well.
The only thing you struggle against is the acceptance of circumstances and the willingness to change your ways.
Similarly, “writer’s block” is just a terminology that is created by those who are not willing to write and are more concerned with thinking. Have you seen “writers’ block”? Can you describe what it looks like? It’s all in the thinking, so it should be really called the ‘thinkers’ block’. So even if these so-called blocks exist then newsflash they are self-created by you and you alone are responsible for it.
The block is in your thinking and not in anything else. There is a block in your thinking that prevents you from writing.
You may argue that thinking is an essential part of writing. Yes, it can be said that but according to my experience and several top-notch writers, it’s the actual writing that is the most essential part of writing and it is this writing part that makes for a book, poem or screenplay. Nobody has ever thought out a book. Everyone has written it. And as for the thoughts then let me ask you? Do you know where the thoughts come from?
I’m here to liberate you from primitive thinking and false beliefs by giving you a fresh perspective. This sounds so immodest but I enjoyed writing it and I’m gonna keep it. It’s the muse who is sharing this through me. And truth be told you will have to liberate yourself. This article will only point you in the direction.
The words carry a lot of importance and the writer needs to be more sensitized to this improper use of language. Whatever you say is being fed to your subconscious and there is the beginning of your writers’ block.
When you say you have writers’ block. What you mean is that there is something that you want to write and you don’t know how to proceed? And then what you do, is you spend time thinking about it. Maybe you attempt to write and try to force something which seems inorganic or you simply keep staring at the paper. If it’s the former you tend to stop after you realize that it’s not helping move things forward or you are not liking what has been written. So you say to yourself the writers’ block.
It’s not very different from the situation of someone who wants to do yoga and keeps sitting and thinking about how to do it rather than trying the posture and failing to do it but then trying again until she succeeds.
Now if the thing has still not permeated the conscious frame of mind, you may continue to argue that yoga is different as it requires physical muscle. And this just means that the beliefs have taken a stronghold over you and offered friction. It’s like moving a big block on the ground that will require a strong force to move it.
But I will tell you that the mental faculties also work in the same way, the more you use them the better you get at it. And I have another example to illustrate my point to pierce through your ‘thinking block’.
I don’t know how many of you took up maths in high school and studied calculus. If you have then you are aware that differentiation and integration can be complex and requires to be solved by writing it down, unlike simple multiplication and addition and subtraction problems that most people can do in their heads.
Similar is the case with writing. Whenever I’m faced with a dilemma as to how to proceed I solve it by writing. I write it down and it also requires me to write down all the distractions that surround me. It helps me in focusing my mind and to see the problem in the light. It frees up my mental faculties to take upon the problem and it always comes up with a solution that is satisfying.
You too can employ this simple technique to handle your problems before they become thinking blocks and you start to call invent new problems or believe limiting thoughts of others.
This is what is a thinker’s block which stops you from being able to look at things how they are and prevent you from taking the right action.
For a writer, the only action is writing and that action defines the writer. And this action is enough to solve any problem that arises in the process.
I wanted to write this article a couple of days back but I was distracted and I didn’t spend enough time writing. And when I did, the article came forth.
So what’s the solution when you don’t know what to write?
It’s simple isn’t it, you write down- “you don’t know what to write”.
You write what you are feeling at that moment. And you can write this ten times — you don’t know what to write. And something else will happen then you can write. Like you may get bored writing this repeatedly. You then write that you are bored of writing this. And if there’s disbelief in what I shared then you write that down. But you write everything down.
This worked for me and it works for me right now and it will work in the future. My agenda is to write. I’m just a writer who writes all day.
It was the muse who told me this and I have shared this with you.
Enjoy the writing.
Be happy :)
