August 2004

In my last column I talked about the "Blue Moon Block." This time I am going to focus on the same "Blue Moon Block" but giving some suggestions on how to overcome this frustrating period. If you recall back to the last column, I pointed out the abstract definition of a "Blue Moon" was: "a very long period of time."

Depressing thought isn’t that? That a writer’s block could last for such a length of time that I would come up with a classification of a "Blue Moon Block," it is not very encouraging at all. And yet, I am going to offer you some things that just might give you some optimism during this bleak time in your writing career.

Step 1: Do not stress about it! And yes, I can hear you laughing at me for offering such a silly idea, but you would be very surprised if you realize that if you can reduce the stress caused by this, that the period may not last nearly as long as it otherwise might.

Step 2: Grab your favorite book. Any genre will do, but it might be best to grab one that is in the genre that you are trying to work in yourself. Let the words absorb into you and let them start striking the chords within your mind that stimulate the ideas. Let them resonate around your head and start taking form.

Step 3: This is just as easy and perhaps might be very fun. Turn on your stereo. Put in your most energetic, uplifting music. It can be a Radio station, CD, Tape, Record or 8-Track (how many remember those?) Just sit and listen. Sing along, get the energy within yourself building. If you feel like dancing, do it. or perhaps you just want to let the music wash over you, that is just fine too. The purpose of this is to get you into a relaxed yet energized state. This is the state that can bring forth the most creativity.

Step 4: Sit at your writing center and just let the ideas come. Don’t force anything and try to stay as relaxed and energized as possible. Don’t dwell on the fact that you haven’t been able to write anything. Dwell on the thoughts and feelings that getting you back to the desk ready to write. The feelings the music induced and the thoughts the reading brought forth. Now just write. It may not be anything to do with what you are trying to work on, do not force that issue. The point of these activities was to get your mind rolling on the creative track again, not just to get you working on what you had abandoned when first struck with the Blue Moon Block..

It may take several sessions of each to get the process going again, do not lose hope. It will come and then you will find it much easier to write and much easier to overcome the next bout of the Blue Moon Block and it’s lesser companions, the writers’ block’s.

Remember: When we worry, our problems seem to grow to gigantic proportions. But when we are able to step back and view the whole situation verses a small portion, the problem usually does not seem as big and it is possible to see ways to solve it.