Balancing Writer's Block

Writing is like crossing the Grand Canyon on a tightrope. Sounds impossible, yes? You know where to start, firmly anchored with an idea. And you know the end, a polished, finished piece. In the center is a yawning chasm one mile deep with sharp rocks and a raging river at the bottom. This looks like an endeavor fraught with danger. But all you really must do to succeed is put one foot in front of the other without losing your balance. Start and finish. Simple.

Most of us are blessed with the ability to walk, or we have some means of moving, even if only in our minds, so that leaves balancing, the tricky part. I'll leave the tightrope metaphor here, because I have no experience in that area, and anyway I don't want to beat it to death. I'm sure you get the picture by now. Balance is an important element in becoming and remaining a successful writer.

Several different kinds of balancing support creativity:

• physical
• emotional
• intellectual

These are my top three. Losing balance in any of them can block progress.

PHYSICAL

Although "just sit and write" is often hurled at beginners as the cure for Writer's Block, spending too much time sitting at the computer or curled up with your notebook can work against you. Muscles stiffen, eyes burn, the brain drains. The writing part of your life, like everything else it seems, needs physical exercise and variations. Neglect to move around and you may have more than one type of constipation!

EMOTIONAL

It's good to be emotionally invested in your writing. That's part of being committed, and your enthusiasm affects the writing. Too much investment, however, elicits irrational fear of rejection and fosters the myth of the "lonely writer". Keep building connections with other people in your life, spend time with your family and work on improving any troublesome relationships. We writers need the emotional support of others, and sometimes we need to ask for it in plain terms. Fall in love with writing and life, not your characters.

INTELLECTUAL

A novel can easily take over a writer's mind. I used to hear my characters having conversations when I was not at the keyboard. Spooky! The brain needs a break from writing activities, too. Depending on whether you are creating fiction or nonfiction work, the "other" side of the mind can benefit from stimulation from different creative arts or left brain challenging activities like working Sudoku puzzles, preparing tax forms, and home fix-it repairs.

Keeping your life in balance is a good preventative measure for warding off Writer's Blocks, as well as potential cures. Good for the writer in any case, good for those around you, and good for life in general. Take a cue from Mother Nature: balance is everything.