Slaying the Posting Dragon, or How I Deal With Writer’s Block

May 24th, 2007 • Click to view Related Articles
Filed Under: Personal Development • The Lighter Side

My good friend Joe at Working at Home on the Internet tagged me the other day with the most interesting meme :

How do you Fight the Demon of the Blank Computer Screen? (Writers Block)

Mmmmm……………..

How should I answer this?

[10 minutes go by]

What do I do when I can’t come up with a post?

Mmmmm………

[15 minutes go by]

Eck!!!

[sigh.....]

Sound familiar? It’s happened to me a couple of times over my 361 post blogging trek. I just couldn’t type any words. The mind is blank.

What do I do?

I walk away from the computer. It just ain’t meant to be.

And that’s how I slay the dragon- when it breathes fire on my keyboard and makes it impossible to write, I simply get out of the way. It will get tired and the computer keys will no longer be too hot to touch.

To me, blog posts are streams of consciousness - a translation of a feeling or mood that is clarified (and oftentimes expanded upon) on the page. Even when I respond to a meme (like this one), I still try to tap into my current stream.

So I draw off of that - what is going on with me right now? What’s rockin’ my world? What’s making me happy right now? What did I learn today? What songs are playing inside my head?

Some things are more on the surface than others - for example, when I wrote about officiating a wedding. It was easy to start tapping the keys on that day.

Other times, it’s way down below, like when I describe my internal battles (personified by Harry Halffull and Mopey Murphy).

There’s always something rattling inside me - and when it’s ready to come out, it just flows. The title always comes first, and then I riff off of that.

When the rattling is - “oh my, I need to post SOMETHING“, then the dragon appears. So I just wait him out. My blog isn’t going away. The blogosphere will certainly survive without my ramblings for one more day.

So Joe, I know this is pretty Zen-like advice, but here it is - we all have that flow of consciousness. Tap into it. And when it’s blocked by your demon, just wait him out too. The power of your mind is just too great.

There Are 17 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Joe on 24 May 2007:

    Hey Terry,
    That sounds like a good way to handle that demon. I sat outside reading Lorrelle’s book to get some inspiration, and it worked. :-)
    Thanks for your help!
    Best,
    Joe

  2. Comment by Kent Blumberg on 24 May 2007:

    Works on many species of dragon. When I just can’t figure out how to find the next client, I walk away from the problem for awhile - perhaps I blog, or work on an e-book, or do something - anything - that will take my conscious mind off the problem. Like yours, my dragon eventually gets bored and goes somewhere else (perhaps to your keyboard?).

  3. Comment by Lisa Gates on 25 May 2007:

    Terry, this is such an awesome, unsuspecting post.

    There is truly no such thing as writer’s block. Writer’s block if the story we tell ourselves to justify not writing, as if our misery will line up a cue of acolytes.

    Be present. Your authentic self will show up, just like it did for you today.

  4. Comment by Terry Starbucker on 25 May 2007:

    Hi Joe, Kent and Lisa! Thanks for your comments.

    Joe, sounds like you’ve got your demon on the run - well done!

    Kent, the “walk away” is so critical, isn’t it. Clears the deck, so to speak. Hope your dragon stays away from my computer! :-)

    Lisa, thanks for your kind words - I think you are right, the “block” just doesn’t exist.

    All the best to you all!

  5. Comment by Herman Najoli on 25 May 2007:

    Hi Terry. Life has enough anxieties. Blogging doesn’t have to be one of them. There have been times when darkness has clouded my inspiration and the ability to produce has vanished from my consciousness. In those moments I’ve always sensed that demon lurking by. The strange irrational fear of losing my creativity implants itself in that part of my mind that doesn’t realize that there is nothing to fear except fear itself. I summon all my courage and pounce at the frightening image lurking in the shadows. In the ensuing battle, I realize that I am fighting myself. The demon was a figment of my imagination! This realization jolts me back to life. Darkness disappears and light floods my inner being. Creativity and inspiration begin to flow out of the depths of my imagination. My tongue gets loose. My fingers start writing. My mind begins to produce. Energy begins to flow out of my inner being. Thanks for the inspiration!

  6. Comment by Hilda on 26 May 2007:

    Hi Terry,

    I share your approach and walk away too. When I feel I should write, and nothing is coming, I ask myself what would I rather do instead. And when I permit myself to do what I want, I come back to the writing energised and inspired.

    Works like magic ;-)

  7. Comment by Arnie on 26 May 2007:

    Terry - sometimes you just start rambling (I also have a cheat sheet of ideas, incase I’m blocked), here’s another idea - go look at some quotes - sometimes you’ll see one that will strike a cord with you. Now, on the other hand, sometime you just need to step away and do something else.

  8. Comment by Terry Starbucker on 26 May 2007:

    Hi Herman, Hilda and Arnie - thanks for stopping by!

    Herman, you are welcome, and once again your thoughtful reply was a joy to read (and an inspiration for overcoming that fear).

    Hilda, it’s that SHOULD word - that’s my trigger that I need to be doing something else - something I WANT to do. Pretty simple, and magical too!

    Arnie, when I first started blogging I indeed used quotes to find inspiration - the one that comes to mind that got me started was Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena”. Better to get in there and try than standing on the sidelines. I never forget that. Do you also have one that you come back to again and again?

    All the best to you all!

  9. Pingback by Seven Must-Read Articles for Freelancers | Copyblogger on 4 July 2008:

    [...] How to Deal With Writer’s Block [...]

  10. Pingback by Newbie on the Net Blog » Writer’s Block on 4 July 2008:

    [...] we get another solution. Because “walk away” is a slangy way of labeling what Terry Starbucker does. And yes I was tempted to wonder if he wanders over to Starbucks to while away some [...]

  11. Comment by Dhane Diesil on 4 July 2008:

    Writers block is something we all encounter sometime or another.

    Here’s what works for me:

    1. Power down the laptop. Walk away/

    2. Go take a walk or take a drive to one of your favorite places. (One of mines happens to be the bookstore–look at some magazines while you’re there to get some new, fresh ideas.)

    3. Carry a tape recorder every where you go. For some reason I come up with some of my best ideas when I’m in the most ironic places. It helps having a recorder on my phone so I can grab them then. But they seem to sprout up at the weirdest times.

    Once I’ve done that, I go home and power up the laptop, download all my voice memos and notes, and BOOOM…no more writers block.

  12. Comment by Jaq on 5 July 2008:

    This is always my problem. Thanks for the tip!

  13. Comment by Starbucker on 5 July 2008:

    Hi Dhane and Jaq - thanks for stopping by.

    Dhane, I use the bookstore strategy too; it indeed is a great place to recharge the brain batteries. Happy landings at your new blog too!

    Jaq, I’m glad this post will help you. Happy writing!

    All the best to you both.

  14. Pingback by WP Foundations // Premium & Free WordPress themes for designers » Seven Must-Read Articles for Freelancers on 6 July 2008:

    [...] 4: How to Deal With Writer’s Block [...]

  15. Comment by Cynthia Morris on 7 July 2008:

    Great post! I agree that getting away from the computer really helps. I think of sitting to write at the computer as ‘wearing a suit’ - you’re all prepared to launch your words into the world. But that’s not where the most creative ideas happen. So… walking away and:
    taking a bath or shower
    walking outside
    taking a nap
    going to a yoga class

    all these things - mostly physical - help me when the writing flow isn’t happening.

    Thanks again for a great post!
    Cynthia

  16. Comment by Linas Simonis, PositioningStrategy on 12 August 2008:

    The worst thing in business blogging is a false “rule” about post frequency.

    If you are a business blogger, you must not feel the pressure to post frequently. A business blog is different from a teenager blog.

    Teenager blogs evaluated to business blogs, so there are different rules but a few have noticed them.

    I even wrote an entire e-book on this topic - “The New Rules of Business Blogs”. You are welcome to check it out in my blog at http://www.positioningstrategy.com. Please feel free to post it on your blog or pass the e-book to whomever you believe might benefit from reading it.

  17. Pingback by Stopping to Celebrate! 100+ Party Links that Mark Our History - Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas . . . You’re only a stranger once. on 2 November 2008:

    [...] Terry Starbucker Slaying the Posting Dragon or How I Deal with Writer’s Block [...]

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