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Writer’s Block:

June 24, 2012 by orvietoorbust

Dictionary.com defines writer’s block as follows:

“a usually temporary condition in which a writer finds it impossible to proceed with the writing of a novel, play, or other work.”

Bingo!

Now that I have a diagnosis and understand the symptoms, I’m ready to find a cure.

This paralyzing syndrome, I’ve discovered, is quite common among those who write on a regular basis. There are different schools of thought on what brings about writer’s block in the first place – the most common seems to be that writer’s block is a vicious cycle generated from a fear that your work might not be good enough, followed by anxiety, which in turn stops the flow. It could be caused by a lack of inspiration or maybe you don’t have enough interesting material to write about.

Whatever the cause, writer’s block steps on your creativity hose, preventing ideas and coherent thoughts from making it onto the page. An acute ailment, this disorder must be eradicated before it becomes a chronic condition. If you’re determined to snuff out this insidious and confidence-blowing virus once and for all, here are some suggestions from writers who’ve had “the block” and overcame it:

#1: Take a break. Walk away from the project and do something fun.

#2: Sit down and type ten of the worst pages you’ve ever written.

#3: Turn off your computer screen and write as fast as you can. Edit later.

#4: Give your ideas time to form and try writing about a variety of different things.

#5: Seek therapy.

#6: Make a schedule and stick to it. Write everyday.

#7: Eat chocolate and make yourself a nice cup of tea.

#8: Have a change of scenery.

#9: Be authentic in your writing: if it’s not working it may be a “lie”.

#10: Go to Italy immediately for inspiration!

Thanks to fellow expat writers Debbie Oakes, Barbara Zaragoza, Giuliana Sica, Rhonda Walker, Mark Leslie and Lisa Chiodo for their contributions to this post – I couldn’t have done it without you. “Write on”!

by Toni DeBella

Posted in Culture, Expat in Italy, Italy, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Travel, writing | Tagged Dictionary.com, how to overcome writer's block, Itlay, travel, writer's block, writing | 19 Comments

19 Responses

on June 25, 2012 at 12:11 am | Reply Debbie Oakes

Love it! That’s what I call taking the ball and running with it! (As a rugby lovin’ Kiwi that is ALL GOOD!)
- on June 25, 2012 at 5:26 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Debbie, You got the ball rolling…(is that a bowling term?). One suggestion was “write about the writer’s block” and so I did..thanks again for your support. hugs. t
- on June 25, 2012 at 5:41 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Oh, BTW Debbie, do you have a blog or website I can link back to you? toni
on June 25, 2012 at 1:16 am | Reply Christian Clinton

#11 Drink good wine and everything falls into place.
- on June 25, 2012 at 5:22 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Drinking good wine is the answer to most dilemmas, no? hugs.toni
on June 25, 2012 at 2:59 am | Reply Martha Hubbard (@MeSaare)

I like suggestion No. !0
- on June 25, 2012 at 5:26 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  I LOVE suggestion number 10 too. 😉 t
on June 25, 2012 at 7:19 am | Reply Denise

I think every creative outlet can be blocked every now and then. Put #1 into effect. Change the tea to wine in #7 and then proceed to #10!
- on June 25, 2012 at 9:38 pm | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Hi Denise. Yeah, how ironic that my writer’s block unblocked by writing about writer’s block. 🙂
on June 25, 2012 at 7:59 am | Reply Riki Schumacher

Hi Toni, I am really enjoying your blog, so glad I found you. I am a jewelry artist, and get designer block at times. Always good for me to reach deep inside, and pull out what is meaningful to me in my life. Always dissolves the blockage! Hope that helps.
I’m going to Italy in early October, and staying in Orvieto for only one night, unfortunately. Any suggestions on where to eat dinner? Maybe next time I can spend more time.
Take care,
Riki
- on June 25, 2012 at 9:12 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Hi Riki, thanks so much for the compliment and for writing. Yes, if you are only going to be in Orvieto for one night I suggest you eat at Al Saltapicchio. Have you been to Orvieto before? If not, send me your email and I will send a thing I wrote up that I give to friends with my picks of what to do and where to eat in town. What kind of jewelry do you design? Oh, while you are there, you have to check out this women’s jewelry shop. It’s hidden in the back streets and she has a laboratory right on site. She works with silver but and fabrics….hard to describe but it is soooo cool. She is becoming quite famous for her designs. I will try to remember the name and get it to you also. Thanks again Riki. hugs.t
on June 25, 2012 at 2:11 pm | Reply janinevasta

Carissima! Of course if all else fails…#10…. Every time! I was sitting at a table on the Corso today, inventing lives for the most interesting looking passerby…. I know exactly what you mean. Come back soon Toni!!!! jxx
- on June 25, 2012 at 3:29 pm | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Yeah, #10 I actually put in there myself (but I bet you already guessed that?). I’ll be back if you will. hugs.t
  - on June 26, 2012 at 2:10 pm janinevasta
    
    Of course I will. I would of course rather be here waiting for you….but we just have to get the timing down pat for next time. Promise!! Abbracci!
on June 27, 2012 at 7:14 am | Reply lindyloumacinitaly

Forget the first nine Toni, number ten will work every time. 🙂
on June 30, 2012 at 10:37 am | Reply Cathy Powell

The last one is the best suggestion Toni 🙂
- on June 30, 2012 at 3:56 pm | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Cathy, yes along with writer’s block, Italy is a cure for depression, obesity, leg cellulite (walking) however it does promote being a wino….:) Hugs.t
on July 1, 2012 at 2:27 pm | Reply Jerrold Mundis

I’m in favor of any technique that helps, and any one of the many that have been mentioned here may be helpful to any given writer. Or may not.

I’ve been breaking writer’s block for more than 25 years in a one-time consultation for people ranging from full-time professional writers, including one who’s had ten books in a row on the New York Times bestseller list, and another who is a Pulitzer prize winner, to part-time writers, graduate students, and aspirant writers.

I identify six major forms of block (these also apply to other creative artists as well as writers, such as composers, photographers, and painters — but not to actors — and, actually, can apply to great numbers of people for great numbers of projects or undertakings). They are:

1. Paralysis

2. Avoidance behavior

3. Last-minute crisis writing

4. Inability to finish

5. Inability to select from among projectsfinish

6. Block specific (able to work on other material).

I can’t summarize a four-hour session filled with concept and technique here, but here, without going into detail about them or discussing the many subtle ways they can play out, are what I call “The Three Big Killers” in block:

1. Perfectionism — which is a form of all-or-nothing thinking, triumph or catastrophe, with nothing possible in between.

2. Fear — which is a product of the first and second Big Killers, but which can be identified as a separate entity. All fear in writer’s block, regardless of where it starts, can be boiled down to the simple statement: “That I can’t do it.” And what is the “it” that I can’t do? The simple act of putting words on paper. Period. Nothing more. Nothing less. The simple act of putting words on paper. No more magical an act than painting a board or throwing a board. (Find an equivalent analog for whatever task or project *you* have in mind or are facing.

3. The Baggage Train — these are all the things we wish to *accomplish* with our writing, such as I want to be rich, I want to be admired, I want to make them laugh and cry, I want to save the whales, I want to bring peace to the middle-east, etc., but which are not the *act* of writing itself. The problem arises because, while it looks like I’m trying to write, and I *think* I’m trying to write, I’m not: I’m trying to get rich, save the whales, get my ex-wife and all my ex-lovers to say ‘Boy, I really should have stayed with him. Look how sensitive and insightful he is,’ etc. The key is to disconnect the baggage train from the locomotive, which is writing, which is the simple act of putting words on paper, so that thing get out of the station.

Any single one of these Killers operating in you with sufficient strength, and you’ll be blocked ; any two present at the same time, and you don’t have a chance.

I hope that is of some help. I wish you the best with this problem. (Incidentally, I am not invulnerable to block myself. In fact, I have a *huge* potential case of it. The difference is, I know what to do about it. Actually, I break writer’s block several times a day for myself. If I didn’t, I would be paralyzed.)

Be well,
Jerrold Mundis

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/88517
- on July 1, 2012 at 5:20 pm | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Thanks Jerrold, that was quite a comment.
  toni

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