Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Writers' Block Is Rubbish

In the past month I've been doing this high falutin' advertising thingy called AWARD School. In its 12 weeks you have to come up with brilliant ideas for 12 different advertising briefs. Sounds easy-ish but boy oh boy, I'm here to tells ya, it's bloody hard.

The first couple of weeks were a breeze but now I'm tired and stuck. Luckily, so is everyone else I've spoken to who's doing the course.

So I'm looking through my emails and found this bit of advice I once gave to a friend who was struggling with writers' block. First I'll take my own advice and then share it with all of youse.

Here's a few things. Go for a long walk. Write in a cafe. Even if it's breakfast time, mix yourself an obscure cocktail. Move all your gear to a different room. Turn off the computer or at least disconnect the internets. If you usually write on computer, try using a notepad. Better than that, write on an A3 layout pad. Read a different newspaper.

43 Folders is an excellent site about stuff like writers block, cool stationery and time management.

For me, I'm usually a lazy bastard. The writing usually flows, opening the word processor thingy is the hardest bit.

Now, back to work.

5 comments:

Glenn Peters said...

Here's a few more ways you can beat writers block.

Send busy friends uselessly annoying emails which only say something like, "Having a stupidly busy day today?" Organise your weekend. Organise your busy friends' weekends. Walk the dog. Download American TV. Play Scrabble online. Individually identify the different animal hairs on your woolen jumper. Work on your blogs. Cook up a greek coffee. Browse through a bunch of brochures you picked up at the concert hall. Even the opera ones. Send more emails to the same busy friends talking about the TV they missed while they were probably kept late at work. Play more Scrabble. Make up some noodles. Leave comments on aquaintance's blogs. Leave comments on your friends' blogs. Leave comments on your own blogs. Send more emails to your now irritated and busy friends. Turn off the central heating. Play just one more game of Scrabble. Turn on the central heating. Ring your irritated and busy friends. Start to read a new novel. Fiddle about with your itunes playlists. Check email. Write a guitar symphony. Walk the dog again. Go to bed.

Anonymous said...

Ha, I had a good idea last night around 11! Suck it!

Glenn Peters said...

And I had an alright one, six hours later!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. My idea pokes your idea with a big stick and makes it mad.

Actually, that's my approach to creative block. Poke it with a big stick from every angle and it will get so mad and upset that it storms out.

Work is interesting. No, wait, the other one. Tedious. (I stole that)

Ramona said...

I've started a very fulfilling relationship with my writers block. He sits on my keyboard and snarls at me. So only the bravest of ideas get past him...