Thinking Around a Writer's Block

You can look at a Writer's Block as a problem to be solved (rather than only wallowing in the drama and angst of the moment). Edward de Bono suggested that creative people need to incorporate lateral thinking into their repertoire:

We may need to solve problems not by removing the cause but by designing the way forward even if the cause remains in place. Edward de Bono

In an article for The Journal for Quality and Participation (Vol. 11-3), de Bono described types or categories of thinking that you can use to bypass your block:

Metacognitive -- thinking about thinking

Positive -- benefits and workability

Negative -- cautionary judgements

Provocative -- finding changes, alternatives

Informative -- assessing available facts

Intuitive -- unjustified feelings

I've redesignated the kinds of thinking because I find the metaphor of colored hats a weak tool, but feel free to research de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats" system for yourself. These kinds of thinking about your Writer's Block can be used in any order or sets. I've presented them here in a series that more or less alternates right-brain, left-brain functions to provide more opportunity to shake up your process and jog you into thinking along a lateral track to success.