Seeing this week’s nonfiction prompt made me cry. April for me has been a disproportioned sine wave with a lot of lows. I barely completed my Camp NaNoWriMo thanks to the instinct which made me change the goal from word count to hour count.
Writer’s block is nothing new to me. I’ve endured months of it with no success. But back then, the writing was only a hobby. Now, I dread the times when I stare at the blank pages willing myself to write something, anything. The frustration makes me grumpy, not that I am sunshine otherwise. I snap at everybody only to feel bad later on.
Books have always rescued me from such situations. This month, even they deserted me. I read like crazy only to continue staring at white sheets of paper. I finished the entire Lady Julia Grey Series by Deanna Raybourn with such obsession that I dreamt of Brisbane and Julia bickering and solving new cases. At least if I remembered a quarter of those silly dreams, I’d have attempted my first ever Fan Fiction. Alas, it was not to be. I woke up feeling groggy and irritated; not the best way to start a day.
I turned to music and ended up with a similar result. Nothing worked, not even the daily prompts I get to see on my newsfeed. I read a few more books, skipped a week of the YeahWrite challenge, tired some crafting, and watched the saved episodes of CID. For the previous week, I forced myself to attempt both nonfiction and fiction grids (I would get a free review after all). The nonfiction was decent, I suppose with few errors but the poem, sigh! It was one of the worst ones I’ve written. Still, I posted it, desperate to get back on the track.
I’m not sure, but I feel a little better now. It could be the after-effects of celebrating my birthday (Sunday), but I am confident I can write can this week. A flash fiction flowed easily. I sent it before the deadline.
What I think eventually helped was my persistence to not give up. I bought myself a new pen, mixed inks to create purple and reddish black colors. The incentive to use these colors served to an extent. Constantly reading books was a bonus. Even if I use the Regency language in my writing, the paper is not blank anymore.
What works effectively to kick aside the writer’s block is ultimately the determination to write. It may take days or weeks to get over it. And there are no standard cures. Each barricade is a new one and has to be dealt differently. But, the underlying force will always be the grit to survive and move on.
Writer’s block is nothing new to me. I’ve endured months of it with no success. But back then, the writing was only a hobby. Now, I dread the times when I stare at the blank pages willing myself to write something, anything. The frustration makes me grumpy, not that I am sunshine otherwise. I snap at everybody only to feel bad later on.
Books have always rescued me from such situations. This month, even they deserted me. I read like crazy only to continue staring at white sheets of paper. I finished the entire Lady Julia Grey Series by Deanna Raybourn with such obsession that I dreamt of Brisbane and Julia bickering and solving new cases. At least if I remembered a quarter of those silly dreams, I’d have attempted my first ever Fan Fiction. Alas, it was not to be. I woke up feeling groggy and irritated; not the best way to start a day.
I turned to music and ended up with a similar result. Nothing worked, not even the daily prompts I get to see on my newsfeed. I read a few more books, skipped a week of the YeahWrite challenge, tired some crafting, and watched the saved episodes of CID. For the previous week, I forced myself to attempt both nonfiction and fiction grids (I would get a free review after all). The nonfiction was decent, I suppose with few errors but the poem, sigh! It was one of the worst ones I’ve written. Still, I posted it, desperate to get back on the track.
I’m not sure, but I feel a little better now. It could be the after-effects of celebrating my birthday (Sunday), but I am confident I can write can this week. A flash fiction flowed easily. I sent it before the deadline.
What I think eventually helped was my persistence to not give up. I bought myself a new pen, mixed inks to create purple and reddish black colors. The incentive to use these colors served to an extent. Constantly reading books was a bonus. Even if I use the Regency language in my writing, the paper is not blank anymore.
What works effectively to kick aside the writer’s block is ultimately the determination to write. It may take days or weeks to get over it. And there are no standard cures. Each barricade is a new one and has to be dealt differently. But, the underlying force will always be the grit to survive and move on.
The image is taken from Pinterest.
Writer's block is terrible, no? It affects us all, sadly. The good thing is that there is an other side to the writer's block, and persisting helps. Good for you for persisting and aiming to write through it!
ReplyDeleteYes, Asha. It is terrible. Thank you. There are times when I want to give up, but I know I wouldn't be able to survive that way.
DeleteI've been struggling with writer's block lately so I feel your pain. I think the best way to deal with it (for me at least) is to consider that each of us needs a rest period. It can be a rest from work, exercise or even the thing we love the most, writing. Our brains need a timeout so we can reset and focus on creating again. I'm glad you found your way back!
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely. Each person has their own way of handling things. After all, there is no standard rule or procedure to follow to get back onto the track.
DeleteThank you. :)
I feel your pain. What I've been doing lately, if I can't write, I revisit old pieces or do research for submissions. Then I feel as though I'm still pursuing writing. Glad you've made it back.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way to keep in touch with what we are writing. Yes, me too. I really cannot afford a block right now. Thank you. :)
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