Writer's Block Blockers

Some have probably heard of this, and others maybe not. Any time that I experience this momentary disorder, sort of the opposite of Tourette's Syndrome, lol, I've been able to rely on the expansion method. Assuming there is already one verse, expand it, and write in between the lines. It'll come out relevant enough, and will usually chain react into further lines and verses. It works for me but, everybody's different. What I don't quite understand is why it works.

Any effective anti-writer's-block techniques would be interesting, and helpful for everyone. And I realize that there may be a similar thread elsewhere - don't care, lol!

And...get yer post on!


Metaphorically,
Star Driftar

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stardrift

Some have probably heard of this, and others maybe not. Any time that I experience this momentary disorder, sort of the opposite of Tourette's Syndrome, lol, I've been able to rely on the expansion method. Assuming there is already one verse, expand it, and write in between the lines. It'll come out relevant enough, and will usually chain react into further lines and verses. It works for me but, everybody's different. What I don't quite understand is why it works.

Any effective anti-writer's-block techniques would be interesting, and helpful for everyone. And I realize that there may be a similar thread elsewhere - don't care, lol!

And...get yer post on!


Metaphorically,
Star Driftar

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

My feeling is, after writing for nearly 40 years, writer's block is a myth, does not exist. When a writer can not write they simply have nothing to say. When I have nothing to say, I read, dance, meditate, draw, socialize more often, drink bubbly, research topics I want to write about.

As a writer, to say that you are blocked is a "negative charge", to say that you have nothing to say is the truth and, "the truth shall set you free".

Be kind to yourself.

Peace and Light,
Dah

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

Ty, Jade and Dah. Maybe my masterpiece of monitors lodged in sheetrock is finished!

You both suggested reading, which of course, I completely agree with.

Ah ha, Dah hits the bubbly, I knew it, lol!

Also, sometimes I scuba dive, and write poetry underwater. My writer's block seems to occur soon after I've passed my bottom-time limit.

Seriously, thanks for all the excellent suggestions, Jade and Dah!!


Literally,
Stario Driftio

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

Stardrift,
I do agree with Dah that there is not a block but a lack of inspiration at a given moment. I like to read old poetry books. I also try to observe people, places, write down what someone may have said. For example today when I was kayaking, I was in choppy water and kept drifting. I said "This is the "drift effect." Now I have not pursued doing anything with that phrase yet but it could pop up in a poem. It sounds like a poetic phrase to me. When I hear names and titles of things I write them down. Even a street sign, billboard, slogan, they all can lie latent and then surface at a moment when that poem starts emerging. Often, one of your current poem is not really complete and then you add to it and create another poem entirely or a sequel, maybe preface. All these suggestions I have utilized. Anyhow whatever drives your potential to write, rev up your engine and go!
ginga

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

Dah and Ginga,
i agree with both of you concerning this myth. Writer's block is simply an expression coined by someone searching for the easy way out of writing when something was expected of them.
Perhaps this person wrote for a newspaper, magazine, or had a deadline to adhere to and came up with the brilliant expression "writer's block". Undoubtedly his/her mind needed a rest and this impulsive, "created expression" freed the person from their responsibility for a while.
Have to give credit where credit is due.

Ginga .. shutup already *joking*. Kayaking while everybody else isn't, now you're just going to have to invite everyone from the site to come and kayak. LOL

Turn the music up,
StandingBear

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

One suggestion that I have, outside of reading the great poets, is to write a letter to someone that you have always wanted to express specific things to, but never had the opportunity. Try and use as much poetic language as possible...metaphor, simile, paradox; be as expressive and raw as possible. Then, see if it "flows" as a possible epistlary poem. Then, you can take the very same idea, and change the "I" to "he" or "she" and turn it into a narrarative piece. In other words, to write the same piece as if it were happening to someone else; in the third person, or narrarator. Be sure to make the appropriate adjustments. This will lend a decidedly "panoramic" quality to your piece, and will begin to move you out of the "you and me", self-absorbed "box". It is also feasible to visit a statue or a painting in order to "sketch" it with words. Try and infuse a hidden meaning to the "sketch" (in other words, the statue or painting must stand for something). Then, you would be writng an ALLEGORICAL poem! However, I am with dahlusion on this one; when I'm not writing, THERE ARE NO POEMS!

http://www.poemhunter.com/ebooks

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

Music, listen to music. I think all song writers are poets, or can be. Art, there is a long history of poetry written to art works. The first example that comes to mind is the book of poems written by Pablo Neruda, a Nobel winner in literature, illustrated by Pablo Picasso, everyone knows Picasso, called "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair". Nature, take a moment and look at a small part of nature, a leaf, a brook, clouds, the planets. Look at your loved one, I'll bet you will be inspired to write by what you feel, see. Music, art, nature, love, spirituality are all different aspects of one thing. Our existence. There is a balance, a complex and interconnectiveness between them because they can all reflect the best traits that are in each one of us. Don't think about writing, start writing and it, the feeling that needs expression, will come out of the pen, pencil, keyboard. You will just need to guide it. Do it daily, you can write a dozen on a good day and pick the ones you like to perfect them. With practice, like anything else, it becomes easy, like riding a bike. Bike, be like Mike, let him pick his twelve string on his trike, 1, 2 HIKE! LOL!!

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

I forgot to add, study the Japanese short forms. Haiku, senyru, Tanka. The ultimate of less is more. You will find that it will teach you to remove frill, and concentrate on the essential message. There are other short forms such as the French cinquain, the English couplet.

My own example of essential, to an extreme:

Title: Flight


Wind

Kite.

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

I need to add that in my opinion, in addition the the five elements of love, nature, passion, music and the spiritual, there are at least five sub-elements to nature. These are stone, water, wind, air and fire and all of these mentioned here encompass the cosmic, both macro and micro. The possible permutations are endless and can help prompt creative thoughts.

Te
Grito

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

Poet’s Malady

What can you do when you’re Hell bent to write
And nothing of interest comes to you?
Your long suffering spouse rocks the kids every night
Could she be waiting for you to move out
So she'll rent out your room to her guru.

You stare at the keyboard:
She turns the light out.
Still you wait for the muse
To spruce up and turn out,
To talk to you, really, now do you?

This dang poetry bug
Don’t get many hugs
From the wives
Or the girlfriends
Who knew you.

But once
In your bones
It’s a bitch to get out
Beware for this fever
Can turn you about,
Letting new lines
Of thinking
You’ve wanted to spout
To come out
They may write some word pictures
Right through you.


Copyright July 5, 2009
1CrazyGrampa

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

It was nice to find some of the poets I respect the most on this site discussing writer's block.

Thanks!

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

If I may, on behalf of all of us, that's a nice compliment Faith!

Speaking of writer's block, lol (my thread), I have another tactic. I wonder how many others here do this: I'm always in the middle of at least three poems, ie, I'm never all caught up. And right now, when I did a tally a few days ago, I'm in the middle of approximately seven different pieces. Although it may seem disorganized, the biggest advantage is that I can always return to one and continue it - unless of course, I want to start a brand new one, lol!

Btw, super big ol' thanx for all the suggestions and insights thus far in this thread - juicy stuff with extra pulp!

And to Devaamido: That's a funny write with an intriguing close. If I had to choose between being stricken with writer's block (amnesia?) or a fever - I'd have to pick the former - it isn't fatal, lol!


Peace signs and heterodynes,
Stellar Driftar Fellar

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

I am new to original poetry and while I write poetry I couldn't dare compare myself to any of the talent that I've seen here. Still, I enjoyed the ideas for unblocking creativity! I'll have to try them all and see what pops up. Of course I'll share whatever these "tricks" unblock! Thanks all!

Re: Re: Writer's Block Blockers

Quote:

Originally Posted by ListninEar

I am new to original poetry and while I write poetry I couldn't dare compare myself to any of the talent that I've seen here. Still, I enjoyed the ideas for unblocking creativity! I'll have to try them all and see what pops up. Of course I'll share whatever these "tricks" unblock! Thanks all!

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

One suggestion that I have...is to write a letter to someone that you have always wanted to express specific things to, but never had the opportunity. Try and use as much poetic language as possible...metaphor, simile, paradox; be as expressive and raw as possible. Then, see if it "flows" as a possible epistlary poem. Then, you can take the very same idea, and change the "I" to "he" or "she" and turn it into a narrarative piece. In other words, to write the same piece as if it were happening to someone else; in the third person, or narrarator. Be sure to make the appropriate adjustments. This will lend a decidedly "panoramic" quality to your piece, and will begin to move you out of the "you and me", self-absorbed "box"....

I woke up very early this morning and thought, this would be a great time to write a poem. The suggestion above was ringing in my head so I decided to give it a try and came up with this poem.

CAN'T UNDO WHAT'S BEEN DONE

I can't beleive that
you're letting us go,
we were the best things
to ever happen to you

Can't beleive you'll
go on with your life
forgetting about
your family...your wife

She told me you'd given
all that was you
til the day that
I told you that I'd been untrue

At that point
'twas if all we had died
coudn't move past
the fact that I'd lied

Couldn't forgive such
betrayal of trust
to see your wife only
a creature of lust

Couldn't forgive such
a shot to your ego
It just didn't matter
that it happened so long ago

All that I tried
to win you back, backfired
just more of a drain
and you'd already grown tired

While I'm glad you decided
to spice your life up,
live in the moment,
and some wine to your cup

I just think you've forgotten
you still need a main course
spice and wine along
will only make things worst

Coming is the day
we'll sign to make things "gone"
to terminate the marriage
that somehow went so wrong

For us there's no redemption,
past the point of no return
so all there's left to ask myself is
"well, what did you learn?"

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

I was actually on a roll there for a while. I wrote another poem that same evening...trying to go to bed and it was rolling over in my mind over and over again and I was like "I have to write this down" (which meant typing it). I thought I had posted it as a blog on my myspace just to get it out of my head and onto "paper" but I must not have actually posted the darn thing and it's lost. It was probably one of the best poems I had ever written. I'm gonna try to re-create it but so far, it's just not the same. Any suggestions for others who have written that perfect poem only to somehow lose it somehow? And trust me "losing it" makes you really want to "lose it!!!!"

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

I hear you ListninEar, I try to have my yahoo page with an new mesasage page open to e-mail when I am writing a poem elsewhere and copy the poem onto the open message page. This way, even if the computer shuts down suddenly, the yahoo mail copy will be automatically saved as an unsent draft. When I finish the poem I can send the yahoo version to myself or others and I can delete it from the draft column if I want.

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

That's a good idea. I'll have to try that. I did sit down and tried to re-write the poem I had lost but it wasn't the same. I haven't actually written anything since, hence me being back at Writer's Block Blockers, but nothing else new posted yet!

Re: Writer's Block Blockers

There are so many good suggestions on this thread. I am glad I found it - or did it find me? I think the old adage(sp?) applies - you find your keys in the last place you look!

My favorite thing to do if words are absent is to sit still and be quiet. Otherwise it feels more like I am infused with something created by someone else and I'm left only to interpretation. UNLESS I interact with what invades my senses. So, I try to be mindful about what I allow to touch me, knowing that I don't have to interact with everything. I also feel perfectly ok with filtering the rest.
jean