According to the groundhog (today is Groundhog’s Day), spring comes early this year, and I couldn’t be happier. Two weeks ago, my town was encased in ice. Today, I’m sitting in a sun patch on my patio, so, whatever magic that rodent worked, I’m grateful for it. I need spring right now! I need its lightness, fragrances, color, and warmth. I need the mud to dry up and the birds to start nesting. I need daylight beyond 4:30!
Winter doldrums have had me in its grips and haven’t felt much like writing. I’ve opened my notebook and a few blank Word docs, but not much has happened. Some writers thrive during the dark months. I hibernate. I won’t go so far as to say I have writer’s block (because I don’t think that’s a thing), but I do have a dullness of wit, slowness of words, and almost no desire to create anything new. In fact, I have all the symptoms of blank page fever. I’ve had it before, and I know it won’t kill me. I also know how to cure it with rest, patience, and a few good tips. Here they are:
· Take a break – if you really can’t, can’t, can’t string words into sentences and paragraphs that mean anything, then don’t! Just give yourself a writer’s rest. Unless you’re on deadline and an editor is breathing down your neck, there’s nothing wrong with taking a little time off. You’ll come back to your pages with a fresher mind, and I guarantee you’ll be a better writer for it. Check out last week’s blog for more on that.
· Absorb new words – Read! Get some good books and feed your mind and soul with other writers’ words and sentences. Get inspired by their stories and ideas. See what bubbles up in your imagination and jot a few notes about your thoughts and feelings. Jotting is writing!
· Work on something old – it’s hard to start a new project when you’re in the doldrums. Pull out something you’ve worked on before but put aside or edit pages you’ve already completed.
· Try something else – Sometimes, the best way to stimulate your writing is to create something else – a painting, pie, sweater, travel plan, song, garden…anything! Creative flow in one area will splash onto others. Your mind will access new ideas and strategies that will benefit your writing.
· Use different tools – if you usually write on your computer, then pull out a pad and pen. If you usually use a journal, open your computer. Use a different pen or font. Pull out your phone, hit record, tell yourself a story and then transcribe it.
· Change locations – if you always write in the same chair, office, or room, go somewhere else. Head to a coffee shop or bar, move to a different room in your house or go outside. Take your notebook to the park. Go to the library. Do what millions of parents do when they want to get in a few paragraphs – sit in your car or in the bleachers at the edge of your kid’s sports field. I don’t know why this works as well as it does, but changing locations is effective!
· Make a new plan – if you really want/need to write something new and you’re struggling to make a start, switch into planning mode. Map out your idea, create an outline, and break that outline into bullet points. Write a sentence for each bullet point. Then, write the next sentence and the one after that. There! You started!
If you have a case of blank page fever, you’re among friends. None of us are immune. Try my tips and if you still can’t write, don’t worry about it. You might just need to hibernate. Rest! Spring is coming and with it, new beginnings, and inspirations. It happens every year.
