Breaking the Block

When I don't know what to write, I just start writing about that. No ideas are coming, that's fine. I can just type out what's spinning through my restless mind. Writing out anything can be better than just getting into a futile staring contest with a blank screen. The cursor blinking on and off can bring about a sort of mental torture if we get caught up in our doubts for too long. Sometimes I just start pressing random keys and let my subconscious take over until some coherent words start emerging from the jumble of chaos. Writing can be like walking up a mountain. Each keystroke is like the next little step towards the summit. The longer I gaze at the peak, the less likely I am to make that next step and get overwhelmed by a seemingly impossible journey.

What is writer's block exactly? What makes it so difficult to just get something out on a page or a computer screen, when just yesterday everything was flowing so easily? In really examining what happens in the process of getting stuck, it becomes easier to get unstuck faster. Even if inspiration doesn't flow right away, we can at least make peace with a literary dry spell and not let it bother us as much. Being compassionate with the part of myself that gets stuck is really important these days, since

One of the ironies of getting into the sought after writing free-flow is that there is actually a lot less thinking involved than one might think. When I'm more conscious of my breathing than the random thoughts in my head, it almost seems like I breathe the right words onto the page in the right order. When writer's block takes hold, I start by taking a few conscious breaths and seeing where that takes me.

Since writing is a very sedentary art, it can also be helpful to move the body in some different ways. I call this writer's yoga. I just stretch in my chair while being conscious of my breath. Looking away at the screen intermittently is a great way to widen the focus of awareness as well. Getting locked into a narrow focus causes a lot of tension, while letting things open up allows for more relaxation and inspiration to come in.

Sometimes I type while looking out the window or somewhere else in the room. I try to just trust that my fingers know what keys to press, and then I can go back and edit things later. The inner critic seems to pop in at certain times during the process and by diverting the attention to something neutral it can allow for that ease of creative flow to come about more often. Being more compassionate and loving towards myself amidst the whole process has become vitally important. Its easy for ones self-worth to get tied into the creative process, and I find it important to have a healthy separation between who I am and what I do. Self-critical analysis is a sure way of getting stuck in all aspects of life in general.

There can be a lot of thoughts that come up about how pointless it is to keep writing, how everything has already been written about, or how I'm pretty lousy at this anyway. I try to remind myself that the only real mistake is giving up on myself and the writing process. All the most admired creative people in history are simply those who kept putting themselves out there and kept trying different things until something resonated with others. In hindsight, had I not given up so many times there's a chance I would be among those people by now!

Inspirational writing can be quite impossible if one is feeling uninspired themselves. I've written a lot about addiction and mental health recovery and spirituality. If my own mental health is not good, I start by writing out my own negative thoughts and feelings first. No matter how dark or disturbing they may seem, if I get them out in writing they always seem to lose their power. This is like writing the slate clean, making it easier to tap into some deeper wisdom that can help myself and my readers.

Knowing our own process at a deeper level is really helpful to break the block. How long can we sit before we get distracted or lethargic? Are we getting enough good food and water as we work on our writing? It's easy to get completely lost in the process and neglect our basic needs at times, especially if there are deadlines and outside pressures to deal with.

Writers often have obsessive tendencies, and perfectionism can be a constant companion whether we like it or not. Staring at a blank page or screen can feel more "perfect" than anything I could ever write. Once I start typing, the sweet nothingness of pure potential is covered up by my neurotic thoughts and feelings spilling out into the world. There's a sort of quiet desperation that can take over. I know I need to write something but everything somehow feels insufficient. The first few words and sentences of a piece can bare the brunt of my ego's self-judgments, stymieing the process further by prompting me to keep editing and rewriting, always second guessing what might already be gold.

The only way out of the egoic loop of creative criticism is to truly love ourselves no matter what, and to receive honest feedback from others. The self-love and acceptance is key, since we are always with ourselves and can't simply feed off of friends and loved ones forever. Writing is an innately therapeutic process and it can dig up old wounds and baggage unexpectedly. As we pour ourselves out as best we can, its important to hold space and love the child within us that may have been judged in the past by others. Creative writing can be difficult for some of us who were heavily influenced by essay writing or other structured forms in school. Being overly focused on structure can be a hindrance to allowing inspiration to flow out unencumbered.

Perhaps writer's block would simply end if we just allowed whatever word wanted to come out to simply emerge without any censorship or inner filter. This is one of the reasons many of us have used substances as "muses" to get out of our analytical minds and just let things flow. I myself am in recovery from substance abuse, so I rely on meditation and other techniques to achieve this same state.

Before I start writing I often sit and just breathe for a while and let all the thoughts and emotions figure themselves out. If I can't start writing once I sit down at the computer I'll close my eyes and just meditate in front of the screen for a while until my fingers seem to figure out what my mind always second guesses.

There's a sort of sycnchronizing that happens between the left and right hemispheres of the brain when we truly get into the creative zone. The left brain puts its analytical tools to use in service of the right brain's creative impulses, and we finally find harmony within our mind, body, and soul. Writer's block is basically where the left brain is completely dominant and is overshadowing the deeper aspects of our being. One could say the ego has occluded the light of the soul temporarily, until we lovingly find a way to come back home to ourselves.

I wrote a short story called "Writer's Block Blues: Rock Bottom and Recovery." It is loosely based on my own life in addiction believing that substances were necessary to help me be creative and remain productive. The substances ended up taking over and making the writing even less inspired and a lot sloppier in the end. The idea that we need something outside of ourselves in order to be at our best can be a very seductive one. When we hear of creative geniuses that drink and do drugs it can be a great way to justify our own use of the same substances. Personally I have found that being in recovery and doing spiritual practices has been scores more effective than any substance, and without any side effects.

As I'm writing this piece, I've experienced intermittent writer's block several times. I just keep employing the strategies I've talked about and seem to come out of the blocks a lot faster than usual. Before I know it, the piece is done and hopefully others will benefit from the tools that are helping me in my own journey.