Writers produce writing. We wait for inspiration, yes, but
we eventually write. Writing is not about the waiting; it's about the
actual words on the page.
And if you're contemplating a book, you need
pages of it, produced regularly and methodically.
So there must be writing practice as well, and good methods to
overcome the negative self-talk of the Inner Critic, for your dream to be
realized.
Happy is the writer who has this rhythm. She or he can click
along, getting the writing done. The pages pile up; there's a real sense
of accomplishment.
Then the writer hits an obstacle. It might be as simple as
starting a class where you find yourself in deeper water than you're used to
swimming. Maybe you have to share your raw efforts. Maybe you are
asked to read a good book and it puts your own writing in a different
light--"Listen to that dialogue! I'll never be able to write like
that." You compare yourself to your dream, and come up lacking.
Slowly the regular writing rhythm changes, and the pages each day
get shorter. Ideas seem to dry up. Eventually, if this isn't caught
early, the writing stops.
We're all familiar with this infamous disease. It's called
writer's block. After a few days of it, a week or a month, it's hard to
even remember how to craft a sentence.
Cures to Writer's Block Are Pretty Simple
Keeping your creativity alive and flowing is the best cure to
writer's block. I've learned that even more important than production of
pages, the successful writer must find a way to tap into this creativity each
day. This is actually what holds up that nurturing rhythm, that allows
you to produce those pages that eventually become a book.
The goal is to learn how to keep the well filled, without
exhausting your creative energy.
Sounds like a no brainer. Often, it's terrifically hard to
put into practice.
But I've found two techniques that allow me to pay attention to
the internal process behind the writing: techniques that keep me open to
explore all the new avenues that my book journey presents.
My two techniques are:
* fresh writing every day
* keeping a brainstorming list of ideas
Fresh Writing Every Day
Even when I am knee-deep in editing a book, I try to produce fresh
writing every day. It keeps my Inner Critic at bay. It keeps me
alert, energized, and discovering. Basically, it makes sure most of my
writing is reasonably good.
How much is enough? New writers can start out writing a couple of
paragraphs, building gradually to two pages, about 500 words, per sitting. Two
pages is just enough to engage the creative self but not overwhelm it. It's
fine to keep the pages unpolished--and eventually you'll get into a rhythm of
lightly revising as you go. The goal at first is simply to build stamina for
your writing practice. The momentum of the practice gets you enthused,
and once you are producing 500 words regularly, you might find yourself upping
it to 800. How about 1000?
Fiction and memoir writers might spend their two pages on a short
scene, a description of character or setting, or even a list of unanswered
questions about their story. Nonfiction writers can use this time to build
research facts into interesting prose, or develop anecdotes to illustrate a
theory.
Note to those who love to edit their work: It's important to
make sure revising time doesn't replace fresh writing. If you find yourself
wrestling word choices, try a freewrite to get the creative flow moving again.
Getting started can be a challenge. Anne Lamott, author of
the modern classic on writing, Bird
by Bird, has an empty one-inch photo frame on her desk. When she
sits down to write, it reminds her "all I have to do is to write down as
much as I can see through a one-inch picture frame." Once you start with
enough fresh writing for this short assignment, you may find yourself easily
writing more.
Don't worry if it's any good--we often can't tell when we're
producing writing that's fresh. We don't have the perspective because we're
too engaged. Plenty of time for the editor self to judge that later.
Your eventual goal is simple: two pages, every day, with depth and
meaning. You'll be amazed at how quickly they become enough to make a book.
The Brainstorming List of Ideas
One of my students is a professional journalist, with many awards
behind him. He's writing his memoir now, and when he got really stuck a few
months ago, I suggested he begin a list.
He was to write down all the topics he might want to write
about. Important: Don't edit or censor them, and include the ones
that terrified and bored him. Even topics that might not end up in the
book. Everything went on the list.
He did. With some reluctance.
Once he had the list in hand, he found himself adding to it quite
often. He still was stuck, but his imagination was getting involved
again. After a few days of jotting down ideas, he had over thirty.
And there were a few he couldn't stop thinking about so he sat down one morning
before the family got up and jotted down some notes.
Of course, you know the end of this story. The notes got him
more interested. And soon he was writing.
And he still is. He hasn't gotten writer's block again
since. He told me the list insured he always had something to write about
every day that was relevant to his memoir.
He gave me permission to share some of his list. Although it
won't make sense to anyone else, it gives you an idea of the kinds of things
that can be included:
red flannel shirts with leather elbows
miscarriage
disgust with spuds
Uncle S. and his smelly pipe
laughing too hard at the dinner table
rain on dirty windows
I recommend all book writers start keeping a brainstorming list.
It is the key to connecting your current life, your interests, passions, fears,
and hopes, with your book. It enlivens the material with you. And best of all,
it keeps you writing regularly.
Brainstormed ideas don't have meaning at first--not until they're
written about. As E.L. Doctorow said, "It's like driving a car at night.
You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip
that way." Like images caught in headlights as a car passes by, or like
notes taken from a dream fragment, certain phrases or words encapsulate
complete scenes you'll develop later.
Note: For the list to work, you need to jot down enough to jog
your memory.
Keeping a brainstorming list is an ongoing task. I suggest adding
to it at the end of each writing session. Use it throughout your book journey.
The last few pages of my writing notebook are reserved for my list, where it's
easy to locate. Some writers start a computer file for their lists, adding one
or two new items every writing session.
It's important not to censor your list or eliminate topics that
don't seem to "fit" the book. This is not the time to decide. Often
your Inner Critic is talking you out of a delicious clue from the right brain:
an insignificant image that finds its way to your list may become the very
thing you need to bring emotion to an otherwise dull scene.
Ready to try it? Here are the steps.
Your Weekly Writing Exercise
1. Get out your writer's notebook or open a new document on your computer, saved to your desktop or some place you'll see it frequently.
2. Write down 5 topics you're interested in writing about, that could possibly be part of your book or current writing project. Don't censor the ideas that come--even if they seem off base right now.
3. Save this and walk away for an hour. Come back and add 3 more ideas.
4. Do this until you have 25 listed.
5. Pick one topic from the list and set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes. Begin freewriting on it, again not censoring what comes through.
6. Repeat each day for 1 week. See what you get.
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