Writers’ Block — Remove That Roadblock
A while back, two of the major highways in the Albany (NY) Capital District — the Northway (Interstate 87) and the Thruway (Interstate 90) — both endured heavy rains, flooding, and landslides that temporarily blocked those roads to traffic. As a driver, such a roadblock can be annoying, frustrating, and time-consuming. As a writer, you may also experience a similar roadblock, a writer’s block that prevents you from finishing your writing project. Thus, you must find a way to remove that roadblock and get back on the highway to productivity.
The first thing you should do is make sure you are physically ready to write with a pen or pencil and paper or a computer. Once you are settled in and somewhat ready to go, you may want to try one or more of the following techniques.
Just start writing. This may sound counterintuitive, especially if you feel you have no ideas whatsoever. However, in the movie Finding Forrester, the main character, a writer played by Sean Connery, tells his young protégé, “The first key to writing is to write, not think.” In some ways, thinking inhibits your writing because you edit yourself too soon. You may get so hung up on having the perfect first line or introductory paragraph that you can’t progress any further. In this situation, you should force yourself to write continuously for three to five minutes without ever stopping to…
