There come’s a time… actually scrap that… let’s try that again.
Writer’s Block! (cue dramatic music).
The greatest struggle a creative mind can ever face. Those several hours, days, weeks spent strenuously searching for the key component to our next piece-de-resistance. But fear not fellow friends, Romans and country-… sorry… I’ve been reading too many Shakespeare quotes the past week… I have the answer… or answers even. Here are my top five tips (in no specific order) detailing what to do if you ever suffer from the case of ‘Writer-Blockitis’ (totally a new word).
Before I begin… I just want to make it clear that one of the biggest enemy of writers block is procrastination. I repeat. PROCRASTINATION IS THE ENEMY. I am a known to my family and friends as the king or procrastination and it’s not a title I like to have. You see, the problem with procrastination (my auto-correct is having a field day with that word) is that you literally do not get anything done. The whole idea is to come up with an idea, whether just an inkling or a fully planned blueprint (those are the best) that you know will be a success. If you are going to stare blankly at the screen (or canvas if you’re an artist) and eventually after five minutes decide to get up and roam around the house, then I urge you don’t. You won’t get anything done and you’ll spend the next day sitting in the very seat and looking at the very empty screen (or canvas) with that same frown.
Now without further ado, I present you my tips!
TRAVEL
Now, before anyone states the obvious. This isn’t an excuse to procrastinate but an effective tool that has helped me countlessly over the years.
Take a short trip, it doesn’t have to be anything big, it may be a simple walk around the park or a trip to the library. Majority of the time I tend to get my ideas from my surroundings, and for a science fiction writer that can be wonderful. Just to watch the sunset in a park, allows me to picture an alien planet or the barren wastelands of a post-apocalyptic Earth (Yes… my imagination is quite… bizarre). Keep a notebook or sketchpad with you and take inspiration from what is happening around you.
GO THROUGH YOUR OLD PIECES OF WORK
My hard drive is littered with un-used scripts, dating back to 2010. That’s SIX years’ worth of stories that I never seemed to have completed. As I write this now, I am looking at some cringe-worthy scripts that I wrote at the age of eighteen but that’s brilliant. Why? Because any old piece of work, whether you have completed it or you wrote years ago and dismissed, they are a goldmine. Trust me. By just looking at the untouched pieces of work, you can allow your imagination to kick in and spark off new ideas to bring those pieces back to life. Especially for example, if you look back at a completed story and think to yourself ‘I wonder what I could have done…’ or ‘Oh, imagine if my character did this…’’ that’s when you know you’re onto something.
REMINISCENCE
As I write this I am humming Memories by Weezer (what a song). Reminiscing oddly enough is another great tool of combating writers block as it allows you to cast your mind back to your high school days, or past holidays or any other experiences and pick out a moment which you could write about or use the ‘What if?’ scenario to come up with a complete new idea for a story/painting/film etc.
TAKE INSPIRATION FROM EXISTING MEDIA
Now, obviously this does not mean, literally copy everything and just change the title but take inspiration from a certain character or storyline or style of art and let your imagination roam free.
FUN
This one is self-explanatory. Have fun. Make me proud!
Peace.
