Writer's Block: Change of Venue

October 14, 2011

Writing exercises can often jog the pen when it seems dry.

Change the venue.  Where do you normally write?  Is it a quiet, secluded space?  Nature?  A desk?  Is your normal spot more active like a coffee shop, the middle of a college campus or a mall cafe'?  Go to the opposite extreme and just write without worry of what you're writing for--without any inhibitions of grammar like trailing prepositions; or should it be a comma or a semi-colon or semicolon or semi colon.  Just write what comes alive in your new space!  

I recently sat down to write in the middle of a shopping mall while my son went to his favorite shops.  The conversations I overheard, the actions of individuals feeling unnoticed in the crowd, kids with their parents and parents to their kids--the field was ripe for character traits and attributes to incorporate into characters in my book!

Sometimes a quiet place can keep you from getting distracted, to focus better on what you write.  Perhaps the interaction of wind with a leaf clinging to its branch in October is enough material for you to write for ten minutes.

Change your venue and write, write, write no matter what comes out!

In Christ, Andy

Writer's Block: Dream

Having a hard time getting going on some writing?

When you wake in the morning, don't press the snooze bar!  Get up!  Get up and recall what you were dreaming.  Put it down on paper quickly.   Don't worry about grammar, spelling, active voice or any other editor-type things.  Just compile word pictures to help you remember your dream later.

Later...after perhaps some coffee, re-visit your dream notes and develop it into a piece of creative writing.

Here are some notes from a recent dream I had.  If you're not a dreamer, perhaps you can help develop my dream!

Waterfall through the trees
dirt path...home with high walls of rock--natural
trees rooting up from the rocks in a
canopy over the home
climbing up to the trees, looking through the
breaks in the limbs  leaves, reveals a huge
canyon with walls of rock 20 times the
height of the one upon which I am perched,
with a depth unseen

As I scan the scene to the right--a
huge waterfall coming over the cliff.  Wind
blowing the water my direction, giving the illusion
of an imminent drench, but the distance is
deceiving.  Instead, it is a cool mist upon my
face as I nearly fall back off the rock face.

The man of the primitive home is fearful
of that ledge while his wife is somewhat
ambivalent.  Both-- a bewilderment to me considering
the beauty and majesty just through the trees.

Bello Visione

From the Writer's Block language exercise...this is an actual language, or at least an attempt...see if you can guess the language...

Bello Visione
     Bello Visione
Creazione risplendere
     Le tue braccia
Doccia il mio cuore arido
     Io sono carne
Sei spirito
     Nei tuoi occhi
Io sono santo
     Spremere il mio cuore arido
Assagiore il frutto dello spirito
          BELLO VISIONE!

Italian to English:

     Beautiful vision!
Creation shines
     In your arms.
Shower my arid heart.
     I am flesh;
You are spirit.
     In your eyes,
I am holy.
     Squeeze my arid heart;
Taste the fruit of the Spirit;
          BEAUTIFUL VISION!

RECAP of the exercise:
Do you speak multiple tongues?  If so, write a short story or poem in a different language than your native tongue, depending upon your proficiency.  If you are not proficient in another language, pick some of your favorite things (nouns), some of your favorite actions (verbs), and a list of articles, pronouns and adverbs such as a, an, the, this, that, he, she, they,  quickly, slowly, happily, sadily.  Pick some of your favorite descriptive words (adjectives).

Now that you have your list, develop your own language. 
she = sen
quickly = buquerity
wrote = yada
a = e
new = uevo
tongue = tonga

Now write something active and interesting...hopefully better than this example:
Sen buquerity yada e uevo tonga.

Perhaps this sparks an interest in learning other languages, the history and development of different tongues and encourages renewed excitement over the play with words.  Tolkien developed complete languages for species such as the elves in the Lord of the Rings simply to inject a small portion of that tongue into his book.

Come neve d'estate e come la pioggia all mietitura, cosi l'onore non conviene allo stolto.
     Keep learning new things and build your writing so that it may be honorable!

Writer's Block: A Foreign Language

Do you speak multiple tongues?  If so, write a short story or poem in a different language than your native tongue, depending upon your proficiency.  If you are not proficient in another language, pick some of your favorite things (nouns), some of your favorite actions (verbs), and a list of articles, pronouns and adverbs such as a, an, the, this, that, he, she, they,  quickly, slowly, happily, sadily.  Pick some of your favorite descriptive words (adjectives).

Now that you have your list, develop your own language.
she = sen
quickly = buquerity
wrote = yada
a = e
new = uevo
tongue = tonga

Now write something active and interesting...hopefully better than this example:
Sen buquerity yada e uevo tonga.

Perhaps this sparks an interest in learning other languages, the history and development of different tongues and encourages renewed excitement over the play with words.  Tolkien developed complete languages for species such as the elves in the Lord of the Rings simply to inject a small portion of that tongue into his book.

Come neve d'estate e come la pioggia all mietitura, cosi l'onore non conviene allo stolto.
     Keep learning new things and build your writing so that it may be honorable!

Writer's Block: Psalm 8

Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set Your glory above the galaxies.
From the lips of Julia and Reagan You have brought praise
Because of the enemy,
to silence the liar, the prowling lion.

When I consider the Milky Way and star clusters countless light years away
the work of Your fingers
planets and supernovae
that you have set in place
What am I that You should notice
my children that You should care for us?
You made us a little lower than the One uncreated,
You have crowned me with glory and majesty!
You made me to rule over dogs and trees, vegetables and lizards

You've ordered creation beneath my feet,
  The pen and the auto
  and also the electronic age
  birds and planes, whales and submarines
  whatever passes through the oceans.

O Lord, our Lord!
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Savannah's Waterfall

A loud rushing noise plummeting to the ground.

Put your hand in and feel the powerful

blow yet soft and wet.  It is blue--a very 

deep but dear blue.  It continuously plummets

down to the same point as more and more comes.  It can be gentle yet powerful.

Its roar can be heard from far off.

It is unlike anything else.

Writer's Block: The Waterfall Writing

My "Waterfall"

     A liquid mass, churning and bubbling over rocks, protruding in futile protest among the waves and swirling pools, flows following the pull of gravity.  The river runs cold from the snowmelt, underneath fallen tees suspended by drowning boulders.  A pebble thrown penetrates the surface, yet the force below the foam cuts deeper into the mountain granite.
     Tumbling over the precipice, the rush of thunder melts into mist, with the rock face veiled by the drunken lens of distorted glass.  The river's soul plunges over and over in the roar of a freight train without the clickety-clack of the wheels.
     A placid cover beyond the chaos of the soul, churning upon itself, deceives the eye.  With the peace comes the silent, swift current of the spirit washing over stepping stones along a more daring path.

Instructions:

If your writing thoughts are dry, how about a waterfall? If you are lucky enough to live near one, sit by the waterfall. If not so lucky, find a video or pictures of falls. Study the flow of water and after 5 to 10 minutes of studying, spend 15 minutes describing the waterfall without using the word 'water.'

Writer's Block: The Waterfall

New Writer's Block:
Writing exercises can often jog the pen when it seems dry.

If your writing thoughts are dry, how about a waterfall? If you are lucky enough to live near one, sit by the waterfall. If not so lucky, find a video or pictures of falls. Study the flow of water and after 5 to 10 minutes of studying, spend 15 minutes describing the waterfall without using the word 'water.' I will post an example or two tomorrow.

Writer's Block: The Rock

"The Rock"

The rock sat motionless, ignoring the paws of the dog prancing upon its smooth surface.  The surface seemed smooth at first glance, but these dog nails were not the first to place marks of character upon the surface of the stone.

A lump protruded from one end as if a bubble of air were attempting escape.  The hard crust of the rock, though, held the bubble frozen in time, never to burst.

The rock stood impervious to the wind.  Though dirt flew upon it and the grass bent in the breeze, the rock stood still, unmoved by wind.  While unchanged by the wind, water darkened its underside.  Though not releasing the bubble, it soaked up the fresh spring rain, hoping to gather a bit of moss before the scorch of the summer sun dried the earth around it in the days to come.

The rock rejoiced in springtime, soaking up the rain, blowing bubbles and standing firm in the rush of stormy winds, while maintaining rest and peace--calm amidst life and weather and dogs.

Truly this rock marvels at activity all around while activity struggles to find peace in a passion to be still and one with God.


Writer's Block exercise:
Writing exercises can often jog the pen when it seems dry. Active writing has been driven into my hand since my early attempts garnered such critique from teachers. Falling into the passive voice cripples the effort to pull a reader into the page.

To help exercise my active writing chops, I chose recently to write about a rock in our yard with a purposeful attempt to use active verbs. Try it yourself. If not a rock, try anything seemingly inanimate and animate it with your active voice!