Tips and tricks.
It can paralyze an artist in a quagmire of self-loathing misery. Sometimes, though, it's possible to make a few steps out this nasty, leech-ridden, malaria-infested swamp
I call upon my 'tricks' to make it easier to find a shortcut. Here's few of my favorite tricks in no particular order, in a handy numbered list for quick reference. :)
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| My local library |
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| Bribery. Yummy, yummy bribery. |
- Change writing locations. I'll write in the library, different rooms in the house (I'm writing this now on my second floor landing), a coffee-shop (Starbucks is a cliche for a reason, folks!), or even just go outside. Something about a different visual geography can shake me out of a funk.
- Bribery is both functional and traditional. One of my critique partners says, "I don't need a lollipop every time I finish five pages." Well, I'm not nearly that mature. I love to bribe myself with hot baths, visits with my friends, a good movie - you name it. I try to avoid bribing myself with food, though. That way lies getting stuck in the different quagmire of body image issues.
- Ask for help. Somewhere out there, someone believes in you. Give them a call or an email. Say, "I'm going in. Cover me!" For some reason, this works really really well.
- Set a timer. When I'm exhausted and nearly falling out of my chair, I can fulfill my promises to myself by setting a timer for however long, and then letting myself rest.
- Read your work aloud. Something about hearing the story gets me ready to rock and roll.
- Crank your tunes. Turn that knob to eleven. Let the music drown out all those nasty, self-defeating voices.
I tend to write more in the realm of code and technical/nonfiction documents, but for me:
ReplyDelete1. Take a walk. This could be across the building to the lunchroom or outside, around the block.
2. Start in a different spot. The stuff I write usually has sections and subsections. If I'm stuck in one, I'll jump to another for a change of pace.
3. Switch to something different. I have a notebook of half-formed ideas. Sometimes it's good to shelve what I have for a couple of hours and craft a vague idea for a blog post into an actual piece of writing.
4. Wikipedia on a timer. Set a timer for 20 minutes, hit the "Random" link on Wikipedia. Similar to this, I have a friend who "warms up" his writing most mornings by taking 5 random Wikipedia topics and writing a 500 word story that incorporates all of them. It's almost always crap, but it gets past the morning writing block.
Thank you, Brian, for these awesome tips. I will most certainly use them. :)
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