Writing about Writing: "Cheap Tricks," Seeking Creativity, and Effectively Overcoming Writer's Block

Lately, I have been pretty slow when it comes creating content. I have had my usual motivation but I rely, quite heavily, on inspiration and that has been reduced to a trickle for the past few weeks. There are reasons for that, of course. I lost my dog to age a few weeks ago and that left me in a bit of a slump and, then, there is the normal stress of life that we all must deal with, from time to time. However, understanding what causes writer's block and overcoming writer's block are two entirely different issues. There are ways around the problem but some of them are more effective and more respectable than others. I have a couple of cheap tricks tucked away that I can call upon, if they are needed but I want to avoid producing content that I don't really believe in. I can, sometimes, smoke myself into a creative mood but that is a coin flip and it backfires as often as it works. Time gives one's creativity a chance to regenerate but we may not want to take a lengthy break or we may be unable to one at all. It is most effective, in my opinion, to shock oneself into a productive mood. We can, I believe, draw new creative inspiration out of the void by forcing ourselves to write and by (at least, temporarily) shifting our focus to new subjects of interest.

When it comes to writing something that we can be proud of, I think it is best to avoid the "safe" path. "Safe" works of creativity are not necessarily bad but they don't add anything new to our body of work and they can feel a bit disingenuous, if the reader, audience, or whatever becomes aware of the the creator's choice to avoid artistic risks. I, for example, was formally trained to write critical analyses about works of literature (particularly fiction) and that can be extended to things like films, games, or other expressive art forms. Those types of topics would be safe choices for me. I have a template in my mind that I can follow when I create an argument about a book or a movie and it may even produce something that is vaguely interesting to read but my heart is rarely in it (unless I feel like I have something important to say). I think that a lack of genuine creative inspiration shows too. An observant reader will notice that "safe" or standard choices were made in an attempt to make up for a lack of creativity and he or she will likely place less value on the piece of art. I would rather watch a movie that takes risks and fails than one that succeeds at being bland, for example.

There are some chemical approaches to generating creativity but they are not a guarantee. If I smoke or (more often) eat enough weed and blend that with just the right amount of coffee, I will find myself in a highly creative mindset. Inspiration seems to manifest out of nothing and the words flow out of my mind and onto my keyboard like water from a tap but that is not always the case. Sometimes, the weed has an anxious edge which combines with the jittery caffeine buzz and sends me into a mild panic attack, causing me to question everything that I written. I stare at the laptop screen, debating on whether or not to scrap my entire post. That goes on for a few hours and I come to the decision to push ahead after completely wasting much of my evening.

Time will eventually kill writer's block but it isn't exactly an efficient solution. Given the nature of what we all are trying to do here, we can't always afford to wait around for our creative inspiration to return. Some followers are forgetful and if we are gone for too long, they won't remember us when we come back. Our skills are also perishable and it is important to keep them sharp and practiced, if we are writing for others. Breaks are helpful and valuable in their own way, for certain, but they come with their own costs and that means that they shouldn't be overused.

What works and why does it work? That is a question that we have to figure out for ourselves (we all have a different creative process) but I can say what works for me. Starting to write something, even if I don't know what it is, can be extremely helpful. It may be simple ramblings or a discussion of some small thought that crosses my mind. The topic or its point does not matter. The act of creating something promotes further creativity. I am forced to start putting a deeper level of thought into an idea and that thinking seems to breed new understanding of the topic. I begin to generate a solid opinion on the issue and, from that, I can carve out an authentic argument. Of course, that produces a very rough post, or paper, or what have you and it will require quite of bit of editing but it functions as a way of seeking out creativity when it does not want to come naturally. Frequently, I believe, a lack of inspiration stems from "lazy" thinking. It does actually take work to examine an idea and we don't always do that without making ourselves do it. By forcing the examination of some random thought, we "start the wheels turning" in our minds and once we get a little bit of momentum behind our act of creation, it seems to move along fairly well on its own.

We can occasionally become "burned out" and shifting our focus may help us to find new creative inspiration. Discussing things that we do not usually discuss is certainly not the safe choice. If we produce content for an audience, we run the risk of offending them or boring them. However, being too safe is also boring for the writer and boredom is the death of creativity. When I find that I am having a hard time covering the things that I normally cover, I try to take that as a sign that I am becoming "burned out." When that happens, it is often productive to write about something different. It may be a successful post or it may not but it always requires me to spend time thinking about new issues or to think about old issues in a new way. That is enough of a shift in focus to change my view of both the new subject and my typical topics and it routinely gives birth to new creative materials.

My method of dealing with writer's block might not work for everyone but I am, obviously, just trying to take my own advice here. I have been struggling to keep talking about what I normally talk about recently and, when I have, my outlook has been pretty dark. That being the case, it seemed like a good time to cover something different and that is why I am writing this. However, I think there is value here, beyond the exercise itself. I know that I am not alone. We all have periods where we lack our usual creativity and there is a chance that this might help someone get out of their's. Doing what I do isn't a sure thing but it couldn't hurt, if you find that your well of inspiration has gone dry, as mine has been for the past few weeks.

Peace.

All the images in this post are sourced from the free image website, unsplash.com.