Any writer form any group most had a time when he couldn’t write anything; even a single line, or kept writing then scratching with a strong feeling that everything he writes is rubbish !.
This writer’s block was, and stills a part of any writers life and follow him like a curse, from Shakespeare and other writers form that era who had a block and this become a story itself when they couldn’t finish appropriate play for the queen which made them risking by losing their heads because of the writer’s block !.
And to John Steinbeck who had a block while he was writing “of Mice and Men” that eventually took him 10 years to finish it !. to those days with Stephen King while writing “the Green Mile” and he wrote about writer’s block in “Secret Window” which you might’ve been seen as a movie starring Johnny Depp .
Of course, like everything this condition have many explanations, but I’m usually interested by finding solutions for the problem than the problem itself .. So if you are a writer, then here’s what might helps you :
First of all if you had the writer’s block then there is no worth for brain storming or brain straining or anything you might do to have your thoughts and ideas back. So you need to relax and leave writing for a while –or days- . It’s just like when you have something to say and forget what it is, psychologists always recommend you in such a case to think about something else and don’t force your brain to remember cause that will make forget more !.. yep that’s our brain , what can you do about it ?!
After that you need to go where thoughts grow and multiply!. Scientists found that thought and ideas a lot in three places their names start with “B” : bus, bathroom and bed. If you think about it for seconds you’ll find it’s very true.. especially the bus .. maybe it’s the way the bus move and stagger on the road; it’s hypnotization. And the fact that you don’t need to car about driving; instead you watch the city form the big windows passing by you like a movie, and people get on the bus while others get down .. I don’t know, maybe ?!
Anyway, you may wanna also do something like : baking, painting, planning .. but most importantly praying, and I don’t mean here that you pray to have your thoughts back –although that could help- but actually you get thoughts while you are praying or in church ..etc. which remembers me by a story from the Arabic culture, goes like this :
Once upon a time a nervous man entered on a past master “Help sir !”. the man cried “I have a great treasure that hid it in the desert so no man can steel it, but now I can’t remember where !”.
The past master thought for a while then answered “Go and pray until you find it”.
The man went surprised by this answer but came back in the next day “I found it master !”. The man very happy said “I was praying but my mind kept thinking about the treasure, then I remembered”.
“Yes” The past master replied “I figured that the devil will remember you by the treasure so you can’t focus on praying !”.
But anyway you can do any work that doesn’t require a much brain stress.
Those three simple steps usually work with me, hope they’ll work with you .But most importantly remember to relax and don’t panic, otherwise you’ll become like Henry Roth who had writer’s block last 60 years!. And if you have other tips, please do share with us .
