(#3) 9 ‘UN-Blockers’ for Writers (Pt. 3/3)

This is a continuation and last of a three part series on the prime nine tips to avoid writer’s block for bloggers or any type of regular writing task. Check archives if you wish to start from part one first. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy - W.C.C.

-------------- Prime 9 ‘Un-Blockers’ – Part 3 of 3 -------------


7) Do crosswords, Sudoku, & mind puzzles before bed. – Huh, I don’t get it? Credible research shows that the human mind is at its best when it is being taxed. Your goal is to keep that gray matter of yours from truly turning gray. The more your mind works, the more fresh synapses are formed, networked, and linked to one another. As you read riddles or do math, your brain is building endless tables of relationships and storing it all away in your sub-conscious mind. Amazingly, that exercise will help your writing wordplay and speed of thought in ALL facets of life, not just your writing. I know this point is a bit ‘heady’, but if you keep ‘an open mind’, your effort will put you ‘head and shoulders’ ‘ahead’ of other bloggers! ( … Sorry )

8) Interrogate yourself OUT LOUD. – Oh no, now you’ve crossed the line? Whenever I am really stuck for an idea, I simply ask myself a few questions as if I am being interviewed by someone else. Yes, it helps if you have multiple personalities, but you will be surprised that it is far easier to dictate your ideas than it is to initially translate them into the written word. It’s easy, just hide from your spouse so she does not keep answering you while your practicing. Simply start asking simple questions about your topic and then try answering back to yourself. As you work your way to the more complex stuff, jot notes down and outline your answers as you continue to audibly answer your queries. Soon enough, you’ll have to get a towel to clean up all those overflowing creative juices. (Yuuuch?)

9) Be Smart and Flexible but ‘limit’ yourself. – Yes I am the master of contradiction. The implication is however that set yourself up to SUCCEED not to fail when you start blogging. Send the kids to school, close the door, turn off the phone and WRITE. The more distractions you allow in, the slower your brain will work. No matter what you’ve heard, brain research shows that in fact there is no such thing as multitasking. The truth Is that each distraction by definition is pausing or DISTRACTING you from your writing. If you hit a log jam and must remind your spouse to ‘buy milk on the way home’ then get up, take a measured break, do some jumping jacks, and eliminate the distraction. Try to define set goals such as “ I will write a half hour per day” rather than “I will write from Noon until 12:30”. The reason is that you want to be flexible enough that if you get on a writing roll, then keep going. Conversely, if you happen to magically become deaf, dumb, and catatonic over lunch, then why sit there staring at your keyboard forcing inspiration and suffering desire. It is important to set limits on your writing however. Since writing is still a subjective skill you need to accept that no matter how long you work, your blogs will never be as perfect, or as complete as you desire. If you fail to set limits, you will find yourself writing longer but not necessarily better posts. Also your eyes will become big bloodshot dinner plates from all that quality time in front of that glaring monitor. Do yourself and your blog followers a favor. Set reasonable writing limits and once reached do SOMETHING else.

So that’s your ‘Prime Nine’ ways to un-block your Nirvana-seeking noggin when writing blockage-free blogs or just about anything else. Once you have found your blogging niche and writing voice, then all that’s left is to ‘Hunk up’ those skinny little ‘sea legs’ of experience. There’s no magic to get there however; it’s just a matter of practice at regular intervals and the discipline to get up and repeat the process over and over again. When all’s said and done (never), with diligence, a little organization, and some sun-time away from your computer, it won’t take long for you to bulk up to that ultimate blogging-builder’s physique that we all dream about! Oh yeah, even if that blogging thing doesn’t work out – at least you’ll end up with a really nice tan.


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Ok, there you have it - more than you probably ever wanted to know about avoiding Writers Block. If you missed any of the three parts, just check the archive in March for part one and April for part two. Remember to check back often, unless on travel or server issues, I try to post by 1400 Hrs. and 0200 Hrs. Central time every day. –W.C.C.