So you've decided to write interesting, awe-inspiring, and unique articles for the cyber space world. Some have even opted to leave their day jobs to focus on creating brilliant works of literary genius to be published by the myriad of web hosts and companies paying for fascinating and interesting articles. There are some who go as far as to make expensive purchases (i.e. a new computer system or writing software) to bedazzle the world with their words of wisdom and/or commentary. Trained in the basic skill of blocking out the daily noises that are an integral part of writing from home, you plant yourself in front of your system and it suddenly hits you. That blank new document page on the screen is a reasonable facsimile of the content in your mind. You've been stung by the insidious writer's block “bee”.
Some panic and feel that their literary career has stumbled to a steadfast halt. Others try to compensate by spewing loads of verbal diarrhea across the page to hide the void that emanates from within. We've all read articles that seem like they were written solely for the express purpose of taking up space. We usually get about a third into the piece and then click the mouse somewhere, anywhere else to avoid the mundane piece that a victim of the writer's block bug has slung together to say, “I'm still creative dammit!” in a defiant manner. Or more often than not, the article forced out by the victim of writer's block becomes a crude example, a novelty piece to be laughed at or forwarded to a friend with the subject line reading, “What the hell is this guy/girl saying?” We then chuckle lightly and the article, which could become the butt of jokes and negative attention, usually falls into the abyss of forgotten Internet ramblings.
Here are just a few thoughts to aid us and protect would be readers from sub-standard work.
- To begin with, a forced article is just that, no more no less. There is an old adage that says the best time to do something is when you don't feel like it. Does this hold true for writing too? Do you write about the familiar childhood feelings that the smell of fresh baked pumpkin pie brings back for lack of anything else to say? Do we regurgitate an old recipe or reminisce a childhood story to combat this “brain-fart” that is currently plaguing our creative mode of normal writing?
- Take a deep breath and slowly step away from your keyboard. No one has a gun to your head and more so than that, once you've submitted your work that you weren't ready to write, there's no turning back. You want to set the bar higher for each article that you write. There's no need to fill in space when writer's block creeps up and knocks you to the ground. So, do you just sit and wait for a barrage of novel ideas to strike you like a bolt of lightening? Not necessarily. I would hasten to say that even Steven King, John Saul, and Jackie Collins had their moments. The years in between some of the great writers of our time can attest to this.
It would seem that time is a common cure for writer's block. Since we write because we are passionate about doing so, have no fear that your creativity will return with a passion. Researching and just general web surfing for enjoyment can often get the creative juices flowing again. And last but not least be blatantly honest with yourself when you re-read what you have written. Show it to someone and ask for his or her candid unbiased opinion. As writers we must have a tough skin; after all you will be exposed to the scrutiny of the World Wide Web. Rough copies can be essential. Point form and bullet notes can keep one on track as well as easing the burden of writing from start to finish if you brain is stuck at the starting point. It isn't doing our work justice if we dive into a pool of ideas, especially if the pool has no water in it!
