On the block 
by Dan Rzewnicki, Editor in Chief
February 10, 2012
I sat down to write this blog and asked myself the same question I often struggle to answer now that my blog has celebrated over two years of existence: what in the world am I going to blog about? It seems at this point I have complained about nearly every topic out there and even some topics few would ever think to complain about. However, while repeatedly slamming my head with a hammer, an idea banged into my head (pun possibly intended): why not blog about my inability to conjure an idea? Genius! It’s every writer’s arch nemesis. Yes, writer’s block really grinds my gears.
Since I typically write anywhere from one to five papers or essays every week, I hope you can sympathize with my occasional inability to think of what to write about. I seem to struggle most with finding ideas for this very blog—becoming evident with the rare stinker I throw together due to a lack of anything better to write about. I attribute my “What Grinds My Gears writer’s block” to the fact that I am much more even-tempered and complacent than this blog makes me out to be. Nonetheless, writer’s block plagues my blogs the most.
I would almost guarantee that you, dear readers, also suffer from a variety of writer’s block struggles. Let’s discuss the common attacks of writer’s block and a few ways to take down the mighty beast.
First, simply beginning a paper is daunting. Where to start? It seems we already know everything that we want to say, yet some invisible force (the infamous writer’s block!) prevents us from writing the first word. I often feel as if an alien spaceship landed inside my head, abducting all of my thoughts and leaving me with nothing but a blank stare at the screen.
I also find myself tearing through a paper, crafting a beautiful masterpiece that would humble Shakespeare at a blistering pace and then… that’s right – nothing. I hit a brick wall and the construction of my prize grinds to a halt. Writer’s block raises its mighty shield to protect the rest of the paper, barring me from transferring any thoughts I have into writing.
I find this form of writer’s block the most difficult to overcome, possibly because the only solution I can think of to continue my paper contradicts the rest of my paper, leaving me to rewrite much of my original creation. My rewrite, unfortunately, usually ends up sounding much more like a first grader’s sentence construction than an epic production that would shame all pieces of literature before it.
Even though I type rather quickly, my thoughts often outrun my fingers. I speed through sentences and stumble upon a perfect idea, yet just before I can put it down, damn! Gone like the wind. I forget my brilliant idea. Alas, writer’s block leaves me with nothing but a blinking cursor, my epiphany floating somewhere in the depths of my subconscious. Unfortunately, humans have yet to attain the ability to knowingly access the subconscious, meaning that my brilliant idea will pop back into my head whenever it jolly well wants to, if it ever does at all. I can recall more than a couple instances when possibly Pulitzer Prize winning ideas drifted from my memory before I could put pen to paper.
Let’s discuss some instructions to overcome writer’s block. I’ll construct a list of Do’s and Do not’s.
Do:
- Close your eyes. Something about darkness and complete separation from the rest of the world seems to help me develop half decent ideas.
- Take a break. Staring at the last word you wrote until your eyes glaze over will not allow you to remember your great idea any faster.
- Eat. Indulging in something sweet will not only raise your carb intake (the body breaks carbohydrates into glucose, which it uses to fuel brain activity), but may also relieve some of the writer’s block-induced pain you may be experiencing.
Do Not:
- Multitask. Our feeble human brains lack the capacity to handle more than one task at a time. Multitasking will leave most of your good ideas floating out the window.
- Quit. Any writing is better than no writing. Perseverance (as well as luck and sometimes bribery) is the key to success.
- Inflict self injury. Banging your head repeatedly with an anvil may seem like a great way to remember your latest and greatest idea, but a concussion may leave you unable to remember much more than your idea.
Unfortunately, despite my efforts to complain about it and my advice to sidestep it, writer’s block will surely curse all of our papers in the future. However, we may find comfort in the fact that even great writers such as Stephen King and J.K. Rowling experienced writers block – although writing from the midst of a sprawling mansion must help to alleviate some of the pressure. Nevertheless, I hope I managed to overcome my own writer’s block and provide a blog that you, dear insistent and impatient readers, will enjoy, and that’s really all that matters here.
In conclusion, God’s effort to save paper and His green Earth by blessing us all with writer’s block really grinds my gears.
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