Writer's block, an owner's guide: Cures for writer’s block- or are they?

Write in response to an ad in the personals.” “Go to the zoo. Find the monkeys, watch their antics and write about the relative who most resembles one of them.” Here’s a list of ways to start writing which, despite being dressed up as a hyper-important global newsflash, is still interesting and attractive.

It’s not a patch on my own list of cures for writer’s block, of course.

And this stuff works. These techniques are good ways to get yourself producing words.

So what’s wrong with them, why am I still digging for more understanding of the challenge of writer’s block and for more clues to productive writing?

Because my personal definition of writing happens to be about purposefulness. What’s the use of writing about what I had for breakfast, or ten uses for blue things, when I’m supposed to be producing a novel, a textbook or an academic paper?

Yes, there are answers to that question. If this sort of thing works for you as a warmup, hey, great, let me be the first to encourage you. But if it’s all you write today, there was never any point to starting.

So I still search, but as I hinted before I feel like I’m getting there; I’ve identified the area I really want to approach, study and describe; I’m circling it now and pretty soon I’ll close in on it.

And your response?

Published on January 13, 2005 at 6:46 am. Linking to this article? Thank you! The permanent address is http://www.todayiwrite.com/journal/cures-for-writers-block-or-are-they.html

Today I Write