When the Words Don’t Come
“Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.” E.L. Doctorow
Some mornings, I sit and stare at my laptop and ask, “What wants to be written about today?” and the answer is right there. It just pops up, I grab hold and away we go. Other days, the computer stares blankly back and seems to say, “Don’t ask me. You’re the one who got us into this.”
Writer’s block is like constipation of the brain. Nothing is moving. There may be rumblings, background noise, but when you sit and wait, nothing happens. There are other instances of this sort of slow-down in life, of course. Do you ever stride purposefully to the basement or the far end of the house and then stand like a stone wondering why you’re there? It seems your brain just checked out; the thought dropped out your behind and went running away like a scared rabbit.
Sometimes in writing, the characters refuse to do what you want them to. They argue with you and balk like mules. I once spent the better part of a week trying to talk one of my characters out of being African American. It’s not that I have anything against African Americans; it’s just that I thought an old white woman couldn’t speak authentically in the voice of a young black man. He crossed his arms, turned his back and would not allow me to whiten him up. I had to acquiesce in order for the story to move along.
I have learned to simply stop when I hit this wall. Turn off the computer, go into the basement and make something with bright-colored fabric. Switch to the other side of the brain—the right side. Don’t think in words, think in shapes and colors. Better yet, stick in a CD (or plug in the Ipod, for those of you in the techno-know) of some beautiful music and allow the notes to soak in and wash away all the trapped words.
We all get stuck—stuck in the words, stuck in certain behaviors, stuck in life’s ruts. Sometimes you can take yourself in hand, change what you’re doing and make it all better. But there are times when you have to do what the 12-step folks advocate—fake it till you make it, baby!
Hang in there,
Jane
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