Breaking Writer's Block (Aurora Antonovic)

Breaking Writer’s Block
or
How To Be The Sparkling Creative Genius You Always Knew You Could Be

There’s nothing like a looming deadline, and a pocket empty but for a sourball and lint, to make those who earn their living by the written word, scramble to break writer’s block when it hits.   Although writer’s block is a common affliction that happens from time to time to even the most seasoned writers, there are a few tricks of the trade that will help writer’s block dissipate when it’s your turn to suffer.

One of the reasons for writer’s block is over-commitment. You have too many different projects going on, and the last thing you seem to be able to do is get your mind off the endless list of things-to-do. Although it is tempting to chain yourself to the computer during these times, and just plough through the workload, such a method is actually counter-productive. Something mindless is often just the trick to release pent up creative juices. A quick walk in the park, a methodical scrubbing of the tub or raking of the leaves, some gardening, or jumping rope can do wonders for stimulating the part of the brain that needs to get busy producing some brilliant poetry.  I’ve been found on my office floor close to deadline, doing Pilates. While to an outsider, it might not look like I’m working, I’m actually writing poetry as I stretch.

Music is something else that inspires verse. I have my tried and true CD’s nearby at all times, but I have also found that listening to something fresh often helps me think in a different direction. Scouring the internet for new bands, or raiding your friends’ CD collections, just might help you find what you’re looking for. Another trick I abide by, is listening to classical music, particularly if I’m working on a rhyming piece.   Even if I don’t like the composition playing at the moment, it seems to put my brain into metrical gear. Also, once you’ve got the music resounding, be sure to enjoy the moment. Take a spin around the room, or pretend you’re a member of a famous ballet company. You might be surprised at the kind of poetry that comes to you after five minutes of imagining yourself to be a dying swan, or Camille.

Art is another feature I like to keep all around my writing area, and I change it often. An inexpensive way to do this is via the computer, by Googling for images. When writing haiku or tanka, I like to look at nature scenes, and if I’m writing about something seasonal, I find appropriate images for that, as well. And if you have the ability to paint, get out the watercolours and work on something with your hands while your mind drifts off somewhere else, and comes back to you with a delightful piece of rhyme.

Sometimes writer’s block is because of burn-out: you’ve used up all your ideas over and over again, and bled your brain dry in the process. This is when it’s time to sap someone else’s strength! What are other poets for? Pick the brain of your writer friends, find out what they’re currently working on, or ask them to look at the few scraps of words you might have scribbled, and see if they can give you ideas. Ask someone to collaborate with you – sometimes working with others provides the necessary stimulation to complete a poem. Don’t limit yourself to always working with the same sex, same few poets, or bind yourself to one style only. Open yourself up to new and creative ideas. Don’t forget to allow the tried-and-true classic poets to inspire you as well. There are lots of great poetry collections, and I’ve been known to turn to Shakespeare or Shelley for inspiration when my poetic well runs dry. Sometimes reading nothing but poetry for an entire hour or two makes me come up with a few gems of my own.

And who says your work has to always be autobiographical? Most of my poetry, personally, is not, and hasn’t been since I was a teenager.  Writers are an inventive lot, so make something up!  Or take other people’s stories, and turn those into poetry. I have been known to take snatches of conversation and make them into something presentable, or to borrow a great line from someone’s tale(with permission, of course), and build a poem around it. 

The opposite is true as well: look at everyday occurrences as poetic opportunities. That incident in the mall, or the argument with your best friend (hi, Marc!) just might provide the impetus for a great piece of verse.

If you know more than one language, write in that, even if you’re not very good at it. Think of it as a mental exercise. Translate the poem back then into your mother tongue. It just might give you a different perspective on the same theme.

Switch forms: take a previously written piece of yours, and write it in a different style. I’ve taken haiku and turned them into tanka, or turned sonnets into haiku, and free verse into rhyme. Sometimes I also simply write what I want the poem to say, and then turn that subject matter into form later.

Keep snatches of verse stored in one area. What might be a great line or phrase now, can be the inspiration at a later date for a really great poem. Open these files up from time to time and read through them – you never know when a poem will be born.

Eat. Nothing keeps a writer from passionately partaking of art like a growling stomach. I like to keep healthy snacks near my writing area as well as lots of water so that I won’t be tempted to leave my space needlessly. Sometimes poetry can even be built around food! I have written several about dinners with friends, with lots of metaphors going on, that were quite fun to write, and well received.  You never know when that baloney sandwich is going to turn into publishable material, and don’t laugh – I’ve done it.

Relax. Nothing kills poetry like forced language. If poetry isn’t coming to you, begging to be captured on paper, maybe it’s time to pull out the bath salts, your favourite magazine, and take a long hot soak. Or get someone to give you a massage – that ought to be good for at least half a dozen poems!

Above all, don’t beat yourself up. I know from personal experience that banging one’s head against a desk is counter-productive to poetic health. Everyone suffers writer’s block at some time or other. And in trying some of these ideas, you might come up with a few of your own. If you do, don’t forget to send them to me at three in the morning, when I’ve scarfed down my last bag of Doritos, as I’m looking forlornly at a blank page, quietly sobbing.  And if you base it on anything I’ve written here, just remember – I want collaborative rights.

published in Poetic Voices and Dana Literary Publishing