The
      Wonderful
      World
      of
     
     
      Writer's
      Block
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Jonathan
      SMITH
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      week
      wouldn't
      be
      the
      first
     
     
      time
      I've
      found
      myself
      sitting
      at
      my
     
     
      computer,
      staring
      at
      the
      blank
      word
     
     
      processor
      screen
      trying
      to
      find
      a
      sub-
     
     
      ject
      to
      write
      about.
      The
      thin
      black
      cur-
     
     
      sor
      just
      sits
      there
      blinking
      away,
     
     
      almost
      seeming
      to
      be
      mocking
      me,
     
     
      waiting
      for
      me
      to
      do
      something...
      any-
     
     
      thing!
      Yet
      nothing
      comes.
      At
      least
     
     
      nothing
      that
      seems
      to
      be
      worth
      saying.
     
     
      I
      have
      to
      admit
      it
      to
      myself
      -
      I
      am
      once
     
     
      again
      plagued
      by
      writer's
      block.
     
    

    
     
      I'm
      sure
      everyone
      has
      heard
      of
     
     
      "the
      block".
      Whether
      they
      admit
      it
      or
     
     
      not,
      it
      affects
      almost
      everyone
      who
     
     
      writes
      anything
      at
      all,
      whether
      one
      is
     
     
      trying
      to
      write
      an
      academic
      paper,
      a
     
     
      work
      of
      fiction,
      or
      even
      an
      article
      for
      a
     
     
      student
      newspaper.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      that
      feeling
      of
      being
     
     
      stuck,
      of
      knowing
      what
      you
      want
      to
     
     
      say
      but
      simply
      being
      unable
      to
      put
      it
     
     
      into
      any
      sort
      of
      words
      that
      you
      would
     
     
      want
      to
      pass
      in
      to
      a
      professor
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      expect
      to
      be
      graded.
      It
      may
      be
      as
      sim-
     
     
      ple
      as
      not
      having
      any
      ideas
      at
      all,
      or
     
     
      something
      like
      not
      being
      able
      to
      figure
     
     
      out
      what
      to
      say
      in
      the
      next
      paragraph.
     
    

    
     
      It
      can
      easily
      lead
      to
      the
      sort
      of
     
     
      mood
      that
      can
      be
      extremely
      hazardous
     
     
      to
      one's
      creativity
      and
      concentration.
     
     
      It's
      worse
      when
      what
      your
      writing
      is
     
     
      not
      for
      your
      own
      amusement,
      but
     
     
      rather
      an
      important
      term
      paper
      or
     
     
      report
      that
      is
      required
      to
      pass
      that
     
     
      course
      you
      desperately
      want
      to
      com-
     
     
      plete.
     
     
      So
      what
      can
      you
      do
      when
     
     
      faced
      with
      this
      debilitating
      problem
     
     
      (short
      of
      destroying
      your
      computer
      and
     
     
      swearing
      off
      writing
      forever)?
      Some
     
     
      say
      that
      writer's
      block
      isn't
      real,
      that
     
     
      it's
      all
      in
      your
      mind.
      It's
      said
      that
      you
     
     
      can
      write
      through
      it
      as
      though
      it
      were
      a
     
     
      jungle,
      which,
      with
      the
      proper
      _
     
     
      machete,
      can
      easily
      be
      conquered.
      I've
     
     
      found
      this
      to
      be
      somewhat
      true.Then
      at
     
     
      least
      they're
      down
      rather
      than
      being
     
     
      clogged
      up
      in
      your
      mind.
     
    

    
     
      A
      very
      simple
      way
      of
      solving
     
     
      the
      problem
      and
      getting
      past
      the
      block
     
     
      could
      be
      to
      simply
      write
      down
      whatev-
     
     
      er
      comes
      to
      mind,
      be
      it
      nothing
      more
     
     
      than
      a
      stream
      of
      consciousness(sp)
     
     
      thought
      or
      something
      specific
      like
     
     
      "Why
      in
      the
      hell
      can't
      I
      write
      any-
     
     
      thing!"
      This
      at
      the
      very
      least
      gets
      the
     
     
      gears
      turning
      and
      may
      help
      get
      you
      in
     
     
      the
      frame
      of
      mind
      that's
      needed.
     
    

    
     
      Another
      solution
      could
      be
      to
     
     
      start
      writing
      with
      some
      other
      section.
     
     
      If
      beginnings
      aren't
      your
      thing,
      start
      at
     
     
      the
      middle
      or
      at
      whatever
      point
      the
     
     
      words
      start
      to
      flow.
      As
      we
      all
      know,
     
     
      nothing
      is
      written
      in
      stone
      and
      any-
     
     
      thing
      can
      be
      rewritten
      a
      dozen
      times
     
     
      over.
     
    

    
     
      Writer's
      block
      is
      an
      individual
     
     
      thing.
      Some
      people
      may
      experience
      it
     
     
      a
      lot,
      while
      others
      aren't
      bothered
      by
      it
     
     
      very
      much
      at
      all.
      Regardless,
      everyone
     
     
      deals
      with
      it
      in
      their
      own
      way.
      So
     
     
      while
      this
      article
      may
      not
      offer
      any
     
     
      advice
      that
      hasn't
      been
      given
      before,
      it
     
     
      has
      at
      the
      very
      least
      allowed
      me
      to
     
     
      avoid
      writer's
      block
      for
      at
      least
      another
     
     
      week.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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