here is a lot to be said about "breaking the mold", although it is
not a common phrase among writers it implies the same thing, that is Do
Something Different. How many times have you heard writers talk about
"writers block" or maybe you have even experienced it yourself. It is
common and it is real and if you haven't been afflicted, you likely
will.
So ... what can you do? Well lot of things. Most experts will tell you to simply walk away from your work for a while, and this normally means overnight at a minimum, sometimes an extended "vacation" from your work is needed. The reason that the overnight break is so important is that your brain has a chance to rejuvenate itself overnight, the same way muscles do. Any athlete knows that muscle builds when it is at rest, it appears that so too does the brain.
But just like athletes that have learned that other forms of exercise of different muscles can still keep them moving ahead while resting other muscles, the same is true for writers. In writers case, moving away from a current piece and moving, at least temporarily to another piece gives that part of the brain a rest while it fires up another side.
Many authors who experience writers block agonize that if they walk away from their work that they are now becoming unproductive, but this too can be overcome. The way to do this is to have more than one piece of work on the go at the same time. If you are writing non fiction, the best therapy is to actually write fiction, any fiction, whatever appeals to you, pick any topic, children's stories, romance, western, contemporary, historical ... anything. Once you immerse your brain into a different mode of thinking it allows your brain to process whatever was causing the writers block, but it still allows you to be productive.
Practice the same exercises that athlete's do ... rest some parts of your body while still exercising others and remain productive, it's a win-win exercise.
Copyright Colin Knecht
bookmarkselfpublishing.com
So ... what can you do? Well lot of things. Most experts will tell you to simply walk away from your work for a while, and this normally means overnight at a minimum, sometimes an extended "vacation" from your work is needed. The reason that the overnight break is so important is that your brain has a chance to rejuvenate itself overnight, the same way muscles do. Any athlete knows that muscle builds when it is at rest, it appears that so too does the brain.
But just like athletes that have learned that other forms of exercise of different muscles can still keep them moving ahead while resting other muscles, the same is true for writers. In writers case, moving away from a current piece and moving, at least temporarily to another piece gives that part of the brain a rest while it fires up another side.
Many authors who experience writers block agonize that if they walk away from their work that they are now becoming unproductive, but this too can be overcome. The way to do this is to have more than one piece of work on the go at the same time. If you are writing non fiction, the best therapy is to actually write fiction, any fiction, whatever appeals to you, pick any topic, children's stories, romance, western, contemporary, historical ... anything. Once you immerse your brain into a different mode of thinking it allows your brain to process whatever was causing the writers block, but it still allows you to be productive.
Practice the same exercises that athlete's do ... rest some parts of your body while still exercising others and remain productive, it's a win-win exercise.
Copyright Colin Knecht
bookmarkselfpublishing.com
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