Strange Machines

It is an occupational hazard for all writers. Sometimes our muse seems to have gone on holiday without any prior notice. So when she is gone, where do we find inspiration to write?

For me, it has always been easy to write. Almost second nature. Throw me a topic and I’ll go on about it like a dog chasing a flying stick. Yet there are the days when knowing what to write about completely eludes me.

Unless of course, the lack of inspiration becomes the topic itself. Aha… so here are some tips on summoning your inner muse when your outer muse is out of town. The key is to find a topic you are passionate about:

1. Read - reading is like going into cruise control. Topics will leap out at you. Let them come and put them to paper.

2. Surf - the Internet is a goldmine of information. Go to your favourite sites and see where they lead you. Let discovery be an adventure in itself.

3. Lie back and think - let your mind roam. Your mind will naturally review the day and give you fuel to write about.

4. Enjoy real life - play with your pet or baby. Take them out to the park and breathe in life. That in itself is something to write about.

We all deal with it at some point in life.

Whether it is finishing that 3000 word essay in school, or crunching out our memoir in time for the publisher’s deadline, the words simply do not come.

The solution: switch gears.

Writer’s block is a crippling sensation. Whether or not we are in a time crunch, the feeling is frustrating. The words are in a knot that refuse to untangle; your mind feels like mush and it is nothing to do with all the alcohol you consumed last night. You see the bills piling and the deadline looming and all you want to do is to crawl under the sheets and scream.

Hang on, hang on, get off that ledge. This is fixable.

Writer’s block often comes at a time when the piece you are writing has hit a snag. It won’t flow normally. Don’t panic. There is a solution.

Switch projects. Keep writing, but on something else.

If you don’t have a new project, start one. At least you won’t lose the momentum. Later, return to the piece and see if it can be fixed. If not, repeat.

If after several tries, the piece won’t budge, pick up a book and read. Sometimes the secret to unravelling the knot lies in someone else’s literature. Sometimes you need to remove yourself from your own work and see it objectively.

That said, return, try, repeat.

However, if after many tries, the knot still won’t budge, you’ll have to cut it off. As painful as it is, occasionally a particular part of the piece is not working for the whole.

Rewrite that part. Trail back to as far as you can see the rope burns and try again.

If it doesn’t work, go back to the beginning of this article, read, try, repeat. Good luck.