Overcome Obstacles to Writing

Here are a few of the solutions I promised. Try them and let me know what you think:

A solution for writers experiencing lack of motivation

Collect some motivational statements about writing or about creativity or perserverance. Two of mine are, ‘The writer cannot be a mere storyteller; he cannot be a mere teacher; he cannot merely x-ray society’s weaknesses, its ills, its perils. He or she must be actively involved in shaping its present and its future’ (Ken Saro Wiwa) and ‘Nommo’, which means the power of the word. Choose ones that speak directly to your needs or beliefs, and post them where you write. Use them to keep yourself writing.
Adapted from Jack Heffron, The Writer’s Idea Book

A solution for writers who have ‘nowhere to write’

Imagine you have a room of your own to write in. This may not be a room at all. It may be a wood, a beach or a busy train station. Write about what the ‘room’ would look, and feel and sound like. Read your piece back. Identify how the room or factors of it could be brought into reality.


A solution for writers who feel they have lost touch with their creativity

At the seventh stage of Rogerian therapy, the highest stage man is finally, 'a unity of flow, of motion' Write about a time when you have experienced unity of flow with your creativity, perhaps you felt as though you were surfing the crest of a wave, perhaps you felt like magma bubbling up from the earth’s crust. Describe the feeling. Explore the circumstances – the time of day, the location, your mood before beginning. Do you think any of these circumstances contributed to your achieving ‘unity of flow’? Create one or more of these circumstances the next time you write.