By Qhamani Diphoko
What do you write about when you have writers block? What do you say when your mind suddenly strikes a blank? There are a million thoughts spinning in your head like a washing machine set on fuzzy wash. So no, this white mental page is not caused by a lack of ideas. While there are many things that may cause “writers block”, I have found two main culprits.
The first is an inability to choose a main concept and expand on it. It is as though you have a lot to say, but cannot express all that you have to say. If this is your stress, do not fret. Think about something specific. Are you getting distracted? Then think about what is distracting you instead. Think about why it is bothering you and which emotions it evokes in you. Writing, I have realised, is critically analysing an event or emotions felt and creatively conveying those thoughts to the reader. Put pen to paper and use poetic devices to liven the poem. Imagine you’re writing a letter about the Mona Lisa to someone, and you describe the painting so well that the reader has the exact image of the Mona Lisa in their minds eye.
The second is when you have a brilliant idea, but that train of creativity comes to a swift halt. LEAVE IT! Just as you cannot force rain to fall, you cannot force your genius out. Being an artist is tough. You have to have an eye for ideas that you can build on, because those are the ideas you will invest in. You also need to know when to let go of an idea you have already developed. And most importantly, I think, when to hold on to an idea. To know the difference and figure out which step to take, you should step away from you work. Even if it is for a few hours. Come back and ask yourself, “If this was my last artwork, would I be content?”
Of course I do not have a doctorate in writer blockology, but I am a creative. I can relate. I know what it is like to sit for hours on end and not have a single hit of inspiration. I know how it is like to be excited about a story only for your creative dam to dry up in the third chapter. Or to draw or paint something you pictured in your mind, and have it not come out the way you imagined it would. There is no manual for us, no textbook to guide us. Only blogs written for high school students who have an English essay due the next day. So to all the creatives, it is only a block if you allow it to block you. As long as you are able to see with your eyes closed, you are an artist. You are art.
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