Writer's Block of Garbage

Some folks experience a variation of Writer's Block in which they can't write anything worthwhile. No, really. Instead of being stuck at nothing, they're rooted to the groove of writing, well, garbage. You know you're stuck in this rut when you start on a story, writing several pages, only to discover it goes nowhere. The characters are flat. Dialog doesn't sparkle. You have no story. Or you've written an article, let it rest a while, and come back to find it's just not as good as previous ones. You're moving in the wrong direction with your writing development. And the harder you try, the worse it gets.

STOP!

Stop what you're doing immediately. You don't want to make this type of writing a habit. Nor the behavior and/or the mindset that comes with it. Begin by taking a break from the trying to write well. This can take three forms:

1. Let your writing be lousy for a while. Let it be O.K. that you are out of touch with your source, your muse, your inspiration. Don't beat yourself up about this situation, because that will only make it worse. You'll descend into a spiral of feeling worse about yourself and consequently writing worse. And so on. Instead, just let it go. Meditate if you must to achieve this state of acceptance that this is only a temporary condition.


2. Write differently. Shake up your routine. Change the way you approach writing or how you develop a story/article. If you are strict about outlining first, start a new piece and just "let it flow". If you're the opposite type of writer, usually loose, tighten up and do more planning first.
   


3. Get away from writing, if you can get away with it. Stimulate other senses with a concert, an art or craft show, or better yet, participate in other types of creativity. It doesn't matter if you're all thumbs or a rank amateur, the idea is to use alternative methods to refresh the well with no performance pressure. Go it alone, if that helps.

I can just hear the staff writers and freelancers with deadlines shouting to the rafters, "we must write!" This is true, especially for those in the news media. See #1, consider #2. Maybe you have a virus and aren't even aware of it. You're entitled to be off your game once in a while. Do a quick self-check to be sure you aren't feeling physically bad. If not, chances are that this is a passing problem that will correct itself quickly, and your editor might not even notice.