When I say stuck, I mean it. Stuck, like in Jammed or Trapped. Yes! We never want it and are never prepared for it, but it comes in a time when we least expected it.
The Blogger and the Writer in the Blogger
There are always two people in a blogger. One is the blogger proper, and the second person is the writer in that blogger. A successful blogger has to spark up and instill some zeal into the writer within him and try to make that writer up to or more than he himself. The blogger administers the blog, promotes it and brings up excellent ideas to write on. The writer in that blogger puts down the idea in a chronological and neat presentation that is almost error-free and very easy to understand. He makes the content available for direct users and search engines.
While the blogger does most of the blog related work, it is the writer within him that does the little but most vital part. All the hard work will boil down to nothing if not presented in the appropriate way.
Writer’s Block Plagues the Writer in the Blogger
I don’t know exactly what software the writer in you uses to write. That in me uses Microsoft word, maybe because it is easier to save in MS Word than relying on the auto save feature of Wordpress or Blogger. Also, this may be because it is easier to edit in MS Word by using the very rich inbuilt language tools (spelling and grammar checker) to minimize mistakes.
Just imagine him (the writer in a blogger) sitting in front of the PC monitor and staring at a blank MS Word Document; hands on the keyboard ready, very ready to type but the brain is not sending forth any information. The harder he tries to think, the further away from him anything comes and the better he moves towards the give-up bell, ready to pick up the big sledge hammer and hit it 3 times. He thinks maybe it’s not a good time. He postpones it for the next 3 hours or even half a day, but no hope. He even thinks the environment is not suitable for him, so he changes location, but yet things get worse and worse.
What he is experiencing is what is generally known as writer’s Block. By the end of this post, I hope you will bear with me that this condition doesn’t come with lack of experience and knowledge as most will claim, but consists of a an interplay of a set of factors.
Why is he being held hostage by Writer’s Block?
I think the main reason is fear, which arises from doubts, lack of confidence, and lack of courage to face critics. Writing normally should go with an expression of mind. Expression is the first impression of freedom. It therefore sounds contrary that writing has got him trapped in an undesirable space.
Below are some of the things I will recommend for him, and hopefully it will help him get rid of writer’s block once and for all.
Tips He Can Use to Combat Writer’s Block
1 - He is only human, and therefore is not perfect
Cutting all the Ts and dotting all the Is is a very good way of producing a good piece, but he should also bear in mind that not all Ts and Is have to be cut or dotted the same way. Even if they have to, it is not possible to. He should just sit down and write the same way he breaths; just writing down what comes to his mind. Call that lame, but is writer’s block not the inability to write down anything?
2 - Order should not be his first priority yet
He can’t write anything not because there is nothing to write down. His problem is that he wants to put everything in the correct order at the back of his mind and start laying the down in the A, B, C, D, E… manner. He has been to school, right? And the teacher always said, “Answer the easier questions first before tackling the tougher ones”. If A is difficult, why can’t he start with E that is easier? At the end of the exercise, there will always be room for reordering.
3 - He can’t be an unborn wizard
They must have thought him in class that the first sentence is the magic sentence and will decide whether a reader will continue reading or not. Same goes with the first paragraph. I strongly disagree, but in order not to insult his Language teacher, let me reconsider. Yes, that’s true, but I guess he doesn’t want to perform the magic before he is born. He is still starting out the writing process for that session and shouldn’t assume the magic sentence must be the first to reveal itself. Write some other things while waiting for that magic sentence or paragraph to show up.
4 - He can’t be taking a bath and changing your clothes at the same time
Yeah, that’s just what he wants to do at times. Writing and editing at the same time. Those are two independent large projects one can’t handle at once. If he is writing and sees any part that needs verification or more explanation, he can just take note of it and revise it at the end. Is that not why the words “editing” and “proofreading” do exist?
5 - He should act better than he is
While strictly respecting Socrates’ words, “all I know is I know nothing”, he should also claim the victory of knowing anything h embarks on. Did we say writer’s block at time results from the lack of confidence? Why can’t boost up his spirit by looking at himself better than he actually is? He doesn’t have to carry a negative impression about himself. He should act as a very great writer. When it comes to success, one’s state of mind is a very powerful tool.
6 - He should remember what the Nike T-shirt says?
“Just do it!” That slogan is simple but yet very powerful in meaning. The longer he holds on and procrastinates, the longer he will have to deal with writer’s block. Unless he is the very first person writing on that topic, there must be previous knowledge somewhere to help him. Word for word borrowing can never be an option, but borrowing some stuff and giving credits will not hurt.
7 - He should know his topic
Maybe not as much as Isaac Newton knew about gravity, or as Faraday knew about electricity, but he shouldn’t be too dump to be productive. With a lot of interest and some research on a topic, one who is really serious can find a way out to give a give write-up.
8 - He should have a choice
I won’t advise him to place himself in a desperate situation. If he has to write a post on Monday, when the time comes he should have two more topics to choose from. If he has just one, he may just be trying to force things out. If there is a second topic, he can easily switch to it if things don’t prove positive with the first.
9 - He should choose the most conducive time and place to write
Maybe he is busy all day long and there will never be a conducive time and place for writing. That may be true, but I bet some hours and places are more conducive than others. How does he expect to write a good post if he is somewhere noisy, or just finished doing some work that took him long continuous ours with no break? He won’t be productive under such stress and I don’t expect him to blame that on anyone.
10 - He should throw away his fears
The fear of failure is natural, and very common. Anyone should be scared of not producing something of value worth reading. Let’s face it! This is just a post and not an exam. Unless he really messes up and finds himself below the 40% score, his readers are there to read and he should be positive that most will prefer correcting than condemning him.
Ok, how can I conclude this? Maybe I am caught by writer’s block too. Ha ha ha. No way.
I have been using “he” and “him” all along the article. That doesn’t mean I leave out the ladies from this. I am merely trying to remember what my dad told me. “It seems the ladies are always smarter because it is the gentlemen that I frequently see stuck”.
One thing you should never forget, write from the heart before the brain.
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