Overcoming writers' block

Today's blog post is a guest post written by one of our Invisible Poets moderators Donna Smith. It contains some great advice and encouragement for all writers about a topic with which we are all very familiar.

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I have seen a few post recently where people are having writer's block or losing inspiration. 

As writers this is something we all go through and every one of us can relate to this feeling. Our brains sometimes need a switch off. We  can't be constantly thinking of the next poem or project as we have other 'stuff' going on too. 

Therefore we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves when it happens. Here are my top tips to deal with it when it does happen.

1) Don't stress or worry when it happens. Remember it happens to us all and it's only a temporary state.

2) Do what works for you. If reading others poetry helps to re-ignite the spark, all well and good. If not and reading others brilliant pieces is making you feel worse, switch off your phone and don't engage for a while and give yourself a break. 

3) Ask for a prompt or a title. When you have the theme given to you, half the job is already done. 

4) If you do want inspiration go to Matt Elmore pinned post at the top of Invisible for all the exercises. There are loads of different themes/exercises that may set you off on a specific poem and it may be a style you've never tried before. They also lead you to the wheelsong blog which is full of useful tips to help with your writing. These exercises have helped me to come up with a few poems and some have been my best work. 

5) Re-visit your own old work and correct spelling mistakes and grammar. This way you are at least doing something constructive with your writing. You may even see that a word needs adding or a different sentence would make it better. You could even end up with a completely different poem at the end of it. 

6) Delete, tidy, organise your work. Put your work into categories, genre, etc so that if/when an opportunity arises for a competition or publication for a specific type of poem, you can quickly see what you have got in that field.

7) When you can, tune in to Live Poets Society with Steve Wheeler on Invisible Poets. UK time 8pm on Fridays and new from today 8pm on Tuesdays with Matt Elmore and Brandon Adam Haven. Listening to other people's work being read out is a massive inspiration. Sometimes just hearing a certain word can set you off on your own journey.  

8) Going to go back to number 1. Just try not to worry. Know that we have all been in the same boat at some point and we understand how you are feeling. 

If anyone else has any more tips, please feel free to add in the comments section below. Happy writing. Xx

Donna Smith

Image from pxhere used by Creative Commons licence

Beating writer's block

Writer's block... you know it. That helpless feeling that you want to write, you know you need to write... but the words just don't come. Or you write words, and they either make no sense to you, or they are fit for nothing more than the trash can. All writer's suffer from it at some point in their lives. Some have regular bouts of it. 

Wikipedia (that super intelligent font of all knowledge) helpfully states that writer's block is a non-medical condition. I had a snigger at that. That means, without too much extrapolation, that writer's block is psychological in nature. Now... if only there was a psychologist to hand to explain this.... oh, wait... there is. 

When you experience writer's block and you feel as though your muse has deserted you... create some inspiration for yourself. Here are seven useful ideas to get your flooded engine kick-started again:

1. Pick up any everyday object.... an old tea cup, a pair of muddy boots, a set of car keys... your dog or cat.... and write something about them. Doesn't need to be anything flowery or profound. Just write. 

2. Listen to some music. Any music will do. Close your eyes. Listen. Write about the first thing that comes into your mind.

3. Sit in silence. Close your eyes and listen to the noises around you. Some will be distance noises like the wind, traffic on the roads, children playing in the street.... write about that.

4. Grab any old image, or photograph... and write a poem about what that image evokes in you.

5. Turn on the TV or radio news. Yeah, I know it's depressing. But the very next new item that is presented becomes the basis of your next poem.

6. What was the last conversation you had? Can you remember? Write about what was said (or not said).

7. Let your imagination run wild. Think of two characters from history, or from a novel or from the world of pop music or the movies. Pair up the most ridiculous two you can possible imagine. Micky Mouse and Barack Obama... go on holiday together... there's a poem right there. (NB: I would have used Micky Mouse and Donald Trump, but there isn't a ridiculous angle there). 

I'm sure you can come up with plenty of other ideas to break open that writer's block. So come on... share your ideas in the comments box below. I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions!

Steve Wheeler

Image from Wikimedia Commons

It’s in You and it’s Gotta Come Out!

Have you ever watched the sequel to a movie you loved so much only to leave the screen asking yourself what happened?! I laughed, I cried, I kissed two and a half hours goodbye…? All except for the laughing and crying part?

                                     —

Sometimes I write a poem and it resembles this feeling. A dark feeling of regret, doubt, and despair. Like the well has all gone dry! No more gas in the tank! The babies have left the nest! They are never coming back again!!

No matter what form I plug my thoughts into, or clever disguise I place over that warted nose, I cannot hide the terrible nature of misguided content with no message. The veil always eventually opens to reveal the hideous bore within… and the work goes right over the head or in the trash! Often both in the old days of college rule notebooks!!!

                                     —

Why do we write? Where does it come from?

I asked these questions in the last few blogs I’ve posted here. 

I started out talking about the differences we all have… not only in culture, class, education, and all the most obvious considerations…. but also the ones in individual perspective and expression as well.  

Then I went on to write about my brothers and I singing goofy song lines to each other, making them up as we went as we were fishing or hanging out or camping or whatever. It was fun. But they are just working guys. They have no fancy poetic aspirations. They didn’t seem to have any “writers block”.

What does this have to do with poetry? EVERYTHING!

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We are the culmination of our experiences. We are the directors of our own movies, the actors playing ourselves. As poets we represent our fellow human in all of his or her splendors, whether they be comedic or tragic. We are the interpreters of reason, translators of truth, and lights on the hill to so many in the darkness.  We are POETS!!!!

I have come to the impasse of asking myself “WHY BOTHER?” many times in the past. Things just didn’t work out. I give up. No sense of wasting my time. WHY BOTHER?!

Then I see a child cry. Or a senior citizen laugh. I feed a hungry stray dog. I watch the birds singing their morning songs with a cup of coffee or a bit of Earl Grey. And it all comes back to me. Just like that. How? Why? 

Simple. BECAUSE I HAVE A POETS SOUL. All the above elicited a response deep down inside of me….

I remember the first conversation I had with my friend and colleague Steve Wheeler about something like this… he’s the best to bounce ideas around with. A brilliant guy. I just recall us talking about writing… mentioning writing poetry is like what BB King said about defining the blues, “If you gotta ask what it is… you’re never going to get it baby”.  

What does this have to do with poetry? Yeah ok…

I believe you are with me!! 

If you are a poet by heart, breather of words like air that fill the lungs so much you have to exhale poetry of some sort eventually just to go on…. Then you know it. You know what I am getting at! Yes,… YOU! POET! 

“It’s in him and it’s gotta come out!” John Lee Hooker… Boogie Chillin! 

I keep correlating this with the blues because the blues filters emotions, which is what we do as poets! It’s in us and it’s gotta come out!

                                    —

                              

Is it in you reader? The takeaway from my series here is that by using what is your natural talent interpreting the world around you… you MUST NEVER GIVE UP!!!!  If your sequel is not happening… take up another story and go from there. Stagnating in despair only leaves one drowning in quicksand of unnecessary doubt. 

When I’m in a hole… I write myself out.

Have you ever been here dear reader? Do you also have a poets soul? Have I missed anything?! Please feel free to post your comments below and let I me know how you feel about this howl!!! I’d love to hear from you…

Matt Elmore

writing, poetry, Matthew Elmore