Zechariah Barrett's Blog: Pushing the Limits - Posts Tagged "strategy"

Some time ago, I wrote a bit of a 'poem' on Writer's Block.

"I grunt and I yawn,

I spot a frolicking Faun.

The Faun says to me,

Why so pouty?

It is Writer's Block I say,

Oh if only I had a day,

Where I could write with ease,

Instead of getting words by a squeeze.

It’s Friday again,

Just look at Big Ben,

When it hits midnight,

I’ll have a chapter to write!

Sir, the Faun says to me,

Do not be so whiny!

The words await you right here,

Amdist the trees and the deer.

You see that one nibbling there?

He doesn’t have such a care!

He’s living life but with eyes open wide,

He doesn’t have such a need to decide,

Which words to keep and which words to throw,

It’s as his footsteps in the snow.

They just happen, I say!

In the course of the day.

So shall the words come,

Says the Faun, like the beat of a drum,

They are consistently there,

Just look about somewhere,

And let the inspiration flow,

The story shall come to you, I know!"

I've certainly had my share of times when writing doesn't come as easily as I would hope. It is then that I'm often inclined to break, and yet more often to procrastinate.

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During the course of writing my last novel, I had more than a few bouts of Writer's Block. At some point, however, I produced an assumption. What if the block could be reduced by changing my writing location? My typical spot was in front of our computer at home, so I decided to try somewhere a bit more 'bookish."

This determination led me to, lo and behold, a bookstore! Specifically within the café section. There I took my briefcase (with my collection of manuscripts), my most reliable mechanical pencil, and a few blank sheets of paper.

For the next few hours, I munched on crumpets, sipped hot cocoa, and reflected on my story thus far. I brainstormed ideas on what would happen next.

Would kind of dilemma was the protagonist to encounter next? What were the characteristics of this dilemma? From where did this dilemma originate? Had there been other dilemmas like it? What help could the side characters offer? What internal dialogue was there for the protagonist or side characters? If the dilemma could think, what thoughts were passing through its mind?

I wrote down many thoughts that I deemed plausible. I would, in turn, reflect on those thoughts and generate further questions, until at some point I received inspiration. Then I would begin to write some of my story. Perhaps it was only a bit of dialogue, or a scene in the story that I hadn't gotten to yet. The important thing was, I wrote.

Other times, when inspiration was slow in coming, I might scribble and sketch, but with the story in mind. Perhaps I'd try to draw the protagonist, or a creature that he encounters. These sketches could provide me with further ideas for descriptions, characterizations, etc.

And then there were the times that I just relaxed, munched, and sipped.

The end result of these endeavors was that my book was completed without so many delays, and I was less inclined to procrastinate. Writer's Block had not been totally overcome, but it had been frequently fought back.

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My method likely won't work for some other writers. That's to be expected.

I think that an important part of the writing journey involves strategy. Formulating battle plans that may increase the writer's chances of success in the war against Writer's Block.

A vital part of my strategy is prayer, for to me, it provides purpose, assurance, and passion for the fight ahead and in the thick of the action.

It is imperative that one finds what works for them and their personality, so that they may persevere in the pursuit of their dreams. Without the annoyance of Writer's Block.

So march on writers! Strategize, conceptualize, observe (a deer, if you must), and most of all, write!