see i used to write all of the time like ten years ago. journals, poems, short stories, everything. i loved it, i like having them now to look back on and remeber being in those places in my life, plus i like to have them b/c i am convinced i will have alztimers and not remember anything from my youth, lol. about six years ago i quit writing. i don't know why exactly, i told myself i didn't have the time, i didn't want to get it out-all the stuff going on inside me and i have barely written anything since. in four years i think i may have written 3 poems and maybe 2 journal entries. i just feel like i have lost 'it', whatever that is. i really want to start writing again but i don't know how to start myself. i either don't make the time or if i do i just sit with pen in hand, staring at the paper, not able to get anything down. has anyone else had similar problems? does anyone know how i can break thru this block i am having? thanks in advance for any advice
what write you feel at the moment or how you felt today, what happens to you, inside you, and around you... and stop trying, then you write the best, everyone has stuff they need to get out i think...
I agree. Write in the form that demands the least discipline of you- your journal. It might seem strange, stupid or funny but what I'll do in my journal is think of something from my past and then write down everything I can about it or that person to see how much I can pull out of my head. It makes you start thinking and even better it makes you start writing. Good luck!
YES yes and Yes. I am actually still struggling with exactly this. I have given up writing several times over the last .... years. I'm going to reccomend a couple of books - The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (* a really important book) Writing From Within - Hal Zina Bennet Becoming A writer - Dorothea Brande (written in the 30s - a good book) another book that looks good - "The Courage to Write" I forget the writers name. So, I don't know where you are coming from in terms of your block. I can tell you some of what I am struggling with. Maybe it will give you inpiration, maybe it Something that helped me was to take the work of a writer I liked and try and use some of his or her techniques to, say, describe the room I was sitting in. Or hell, even just describe the room you are sitting in a real basic and simple way. If you were an artist, you would sketch the things you were looking at, rigjt? Its a good, not too costly way to get your pen moving again. My big problem is that depression PARALYZES me. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND those people who say they do thier best writing when they are depressed. I could barely get myself to take one shower a week when I was at my worst. If I hadn't had a job to get up and go to I would not have left my bed. How can you WRITE in the midst of that?? One other thing - that Killer they call the Critic. Its not a critic. It is a Savior. This voice is not trying to damage you, it is trying to save you and protect you. Unfortunately, it only knows the most lousy forms to get to you ("You can't do this, you have no chance, there's no point in even trying. You should just give up now" etc.) This voice is trying to save you from your worst fears. It can be paralyzing. It is for me. What I'm trying to focus on now in my writing is not on how far I have to go, but on "this is where I am now" and that whatever I do is good enough. Good luck, and keep us informed of how it goes. I am a songwriter. I hope to finally record some of the stuff I've written. That means I have to actually FINISH them. If I get there, no - WHEN I finish them, (I hope it will in January) I would like to let people listen to them. Perhaps you can put some of your new writing on line.
I experienced the same thing for a coupla years, and only recently got back into writing. What did it for me, honestly, was the end of a horrible relationship. I think I didn't want to write what I was feeling and her find out, so I just avoided it altogether. But when I wanted to start writing again, I pulled out my old writings, started editing them, and that got me warmed up, and then I had a few years of many experiences to write about... Anytime I hit a block, I just start editing old stuff, until something happens to spark inspiration again. ....oh, and I agree with Kidder, journals are fantastic....
I have a real hard time, the hardest time writing what going on inside me. I can write *about* what's going on inside me, but when I go to write what I actually feel, whats really deep inside, its like a part of me says "NO! - you can't - you won't go in here." That place is the part that real art comes from, and there are these big road blocks, or more like, one really stern border guard keeping me from getting in. And if I evade the guard, that place, its like a dark room. Its completely hidden from me. This keeps all my writing from being real and meaningful. My boyfriend is a great writer because he can get to that part, no problem. I asked him to describe something from his hometown, and he said he couldn't. I said "But you're a writer. You should be able to put (anything) into words" he said "I can (only) describe what's inside me" It sounds like you are pretty comfortable with doing that. I've asked my boyfriend sooo much about writing and music & stuff, so I'm looking for other people to talk to about it. If I could understand how/why those people who are comfortable talking to this part of themselves, I think it would help me to see a new way for me to talk with that part of myself. I know this must seem like a really odd question, kind of like asking somebody how to use the word "the" . For me, when I approach this place, I feel like I am in danger. How about you? How do you feel when you are writing what's inside, especially if you are writing about something painful? I'm asking this because I hope that I can find the parts of me that are able to think and feel in the same way, and make those stronger, so that the part that is afraid of the border guard and the dark places will have a strong companion to get past the "Keep Out" Gosh, this was a long post, and I hope you made it this far. I'd love to hear your insights on this. Thanks Layla
