| Writer's block isn't about not having any ideas. | | | | Being able to visualize the ideas you are trying to |
| The ideas are there. And you are there too, sitting in | | | | express will help you take back the reins. Eventually |
| front of your laptop, fingers flexed and ready to | | | | that silly sentence can be revised to "Despite a |
| produce brilliant words. But somehow the writing just | | | | history of mental illness, the suspect was able to buy |
| won't come, and hours go by without any progress. | | | | a pistol." |
| Now you know that you're in the midst of writer's | | | | Rather than bravely trying to write the article in one |
| block which, when you make your living through | | | | motion, you can assemble each section like the |
| words, can cost you hours-days-of productivity, | | | | pieces of a puzzle. Create an outline that focuses on |
| money and sanity. But don't despair; this state of | | | | specific ideas you would like to include. If you are |
| being frozen is not unlike the cramp that will | | | | covering a recent exhibit at the local gallery, the |
| occasionally plague the swimmer. You just need to | | | | outline might include |
| pause, be still and massage it away. | | | | 1 - Highlight an unusual painting |
| Sometimes the hardest part of writing is the very | | | | 2 - Provide an anecdote about some of the visitors. |
| beginning-and rightly so. The lead of an article or | | | | With these kinds of basic ideas you can look over |
| story will probably determine whether or not the | | | | your notes and remember that strange painting that |
| reader will even continue to the next paragraph. But | | | | was almost blank except for a red triangle; the brief |
| nothing aggravates writer's block like the pressure of | | | | appearance of the mayor around 10:30. Your job |
| trying to find that clever opening phrase that will | | | | now becomes "filling in" the ideas plotted in the |
| hook the reader. Instead, try starting in the middle, | | | | outline; before you know it, there's your article! |
| expressing just the concrete points and getting to | | | | Finally, accept that sometimes none of these ideas |
| the heart of the material you would write after the | | | | will work. After, all you are blocked-you can't write. |
| introduction. Once you know where the article is | | | | Don't give up too quickly (you do have clients and |
| headed, you can go backwards to find that perfect | | | | editors with deadlines of their own) but if your mind |
| beginning. | | | | still won't budge, try to disengage from writing. Do |
| If you hit a wall when you are already well into | | | | some housework, make a lunch that is more |
| writing a piece, take a breath and just write. This is | | | | elaborate than your usual deli meat sandwich, or take |
| the fundamental advice to solving writer's block- don't | | | | a walk outside. Do anything other than writing for a |
| try to write WELL, just type whatever is floating | | | | few hours. When you come back to your desk the |
| around in your brain, even if it is simple, declarative | | | | passages you have re-read so many times can reveal |
| sentences. It can read "The man had bought a pistol | | | | a new thread and the article idea you once |
| somewhere even though he wasn't supposed to." | | | | considered brilliant may be full of promise once again. |