I know now, after reading and re-reading my Writer’s Block page, that my version had elements of numbers 1, 2, and 3. Tension, Indecision, and Fear of Failure. The remedies are Relaxation, Clarity, and Confidence. I think there was an element of clarity that I didn’t mention in that first Writer’s Block tangent, and it’s important.
(When I wrote the Writer’s Block instructions, way back in 2008, I’d never had writer’s block, and wasn’t sure why I decided to write about it. Something urged me to write it, and although I knew nothing about it except what I’d read, and what my students described, I just went ahead and did it. It was like automatic writing, or as close to that as I’ve ever been. But then, I always feel, when the writing is going well, that I’m just transcribing what’s in my head and have absolutely no clue as to how it got in there.)
So. Clarity. This really speaks to revision, which is what I’m doing now. The solution for Indecision is different with first draft and revision. I was ready to just go into first-draft mode again, that’s how stuck I was yesterday and the day before that and the week before that. But I sat down and immediately worked out the two main problems, or points of Indecision. It was like my unconscious needed time to simmer. So, sometimes, with Indecision, all you need to do is be patient for a week or two. Be patient and try to write morning pages to keep the writing muscles flexed and ready to go.
At first I was patient, but finally I got concerned enough to look up my old posts (I originally wrote the Writer’s Block page as three or four posts) and work my way through them. I gave them a page of their own so I could consult them anytime withoutt using the search feature. And consult I did. It got me going with the Relaxation and Confidence and I decided I could live with Indecision until it sorted itself out. What got me to the page was this thought: “Just write anything. Then read it and see if it’s good.”
So I did and it was and I’m cured! LOL. Really, what I mean to say here is that sometimes you just have to be patient and let the mind work your plot points out. Not patient for a year, but a week, maybe two. Things will look very different after simmering awhile in the drawer.
Cynthia Harrison 