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A Chip off the Old Block

Is it Monday already?
I didn't have any submissions on the "general one-offs" category, so I pulled one of yours in, in order to avoid needing to put a year against the furthest ones submitted :)
 
Phew. I was beginning to worry I slept through a weekend.
Sorry - should probably have told you, but I only made the call this morning and have since been in a series of meetings until 15 minutes ago
 
I was going to correct the title spelling, then I realised David has it right and it's just this thread that doesn't.

I definitely agree with David's point that physical exercise can help get the creative juices flowing when you're stuck with writer's bloc, I've found that myself.
 
I was going to correct the title spelling, then I realised David has it right and it's just this thread that doesn't.

I definitely agree with David's point that physical exercise can help get the creative juices flowing when you're stuck with writer's bloc, I've found that myself.
And, all-but invisibly, I edit the title of the thread to fit.
No-one will notice...
 
Good advice. I've stumbled onto bits of it but the idea that no other profession accepts "can't think of anything" as an excuse for doing nothing is perhaps the most helpful part.
 
My working life has been dominated by deadlines. The magazine either came out on time, or I didn’t get paid. The article was either submitted to length, quality, and on schedule, or I don’t get paid. That concentrates the mind wonderfully.

And even if you get the article (or piecework, as was my case in my last jewelry apprenticeship) right and proper to spec, sometimes you still don't get paid because there was a cock-up backstage with the client!

As for the meat of the article itself, I've always found the best cure for writer's block is to do something else. This works when your nth job isn't too handsy, but be careful- slicing your thumbs open with the saw by accident doesn't help with when you need to actually get back to the keyboard!
 
I really enjoyed this one. Some very useful tips in there. Having a clear and productive space to write is important, as is budgeting and setting aside time specifically to write.

I've found writer's block, in so far as it exists, is really just a motivational barrier. If I can commit to breaking through it - by making the time, clearing a constructive work environment, and forcing myself to actually work - I can always get something down. It might not be much, and it might not be great, but 2nd drafts are infinitely easier than 1sts.

I do need to try the Tarot card one some time.

Is this to be part of a series or just a one off?
 
Interesting stuff, and hopefully something I can put to use.

The one about physical exercise is interesting. I spent a couple of summers working in a warehouse. While it wasn't exactly strenuous exercise, l often walked up to 20,000 steps or more; plenty of fetching and carrying, too. The job was also less mentally demanding than others I've done. This combination gave me a lot of time to think. Some of which l devoted to thinking about writing.

Luckily, I also went out on deliveries as a driver's mate. Thus allowed me to commit thoughts to phone, as at least a starting point. Sadly, I lost quite a lot of my TL notes when said phone died not long afterwards, but some of the ideas remain.

Happily, I've done a little bit of writing tonight. Just ten minutes editing something that already exists, but it's something.
 
Interesting stuff, and hopefully something I can put to use.

The one about physical exercise is interesting. I spent a couple of summers working in a warehouse. While it wasn't exactly strenuous exercise, l often walked up to 20,000 steps or more; plenty of fetching and carrying, too. The job was also less mentally demanding than others I've done. This combination gave me a lot of time to think. Some of which l devoted to thinking about writing.

Luckily, I also went out on deliveries as a driver's mate. Thus allowed me to commit thoughts to phone, as at least a starting point. Sadly, I lost quite a lot of my TL notes when said phone died not long afterwards, but some of the ideas remain.

Happily, I've done a little bit of writing tonight. Just ten minutes editing something that already exists, but it's something.
I find it's best to do it while you're writing and can go straight back to the computer* in between in short bursts, though I appreciate that's not always possible.

(*Partly because I am an experienced fast typist but I really need a proper keyboard so I can get down my thoughts as fast as I have them. A sound recorder might be better for people in different situations they can transcribe later).
 
Tbh, I'm not sure it was the exercise per se in my case. It was more the "lots of time in my head, with no phone to distract me". But the exercise may have helped.
 
Tbh, I'm not sure it was the exercise per se in my case. It was more the "lots of time in my head, with no phone to distract me". But the exercise may have helped.
Yeah, that's also a point - it's good to try not to be connected to the internet while you write, though for some things (like me with LTTW) you need to be constantly looking up minor bits of research online.
 
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