Posted in Writing

A Different Point of View-Combating Writer’s Block

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

Do you get anxious when the well seems to have run dry?  I do. I get nervous, antsy, anxious, etc., when I cannot write.  Some days that damned blank page just seems to glare back at me in defiance!

I try to post something here several times a week.  If I can’t, it really bothers me.  It surprises me how much it bothers me.  A friend of mine said, “We write because we must write“.   I find this to be extremely accurate.

So what do you do when you’ve got that dreaded Writer’s Block?  I have found that what seems to work for me is to simply step back and find a different point of view.

Let me give you an example.

I had an amazing photo prompt that I was trying to write a poem for.  Nothing came.  Well, that’s not true.  Nothing postable came.  I tried for days!  I’d step away from it  (which helps sometimes) and go back to it at a later time and try again.  Nope.  Didn’t work.

What I finally did was to look at different versions of this photo.  I found one I liked and boom!  About 15 minutes later, I had a poem that I would say is one of my best.

So try a different perspective.  A different point of view.  You might just be surprised at what comes from it!

Copyright (C) 2019 Penny Wilson

Thank you for joining me on this journey! ❤  Penny

 

 

 

Author:

Penny Wilson is an international writer who writes in several genres. She has written articles for WOW Women on Writing. Her poetry has been published in online journals, such as Ariel Chart, Spill Words Press and the Poppy Road Review. Penny is a member of the Austin Poetry Society. Her poetry has been featured in the publication America's Emerging Poets 2018 & 2019 by Z Publishing and Poets Quarterly and Dual Coast Magazine published by Prolific Press. Penny is an advocate for Mental Health Awareness and has the page "Mental Health Help" on her blog. She writes about the struggles of mental illnesses and Depression. She is passionate about spreading awareness for Suicide Prevention and Domestic Abuse. She expresses her passion through her writings of poetry and life experiences. You can find more of her writings on her blog at https://pennywilsonwrites.com/ and follow her on Twitter @pennywilson123.

14 thoughts on “A Different Point of View-Combating Writer’s Block”

  1. I had this happen with a recent Artists/Writers Collaboration event. The writers wrote a poem or short story to go with a piece of artwork and the artists painted or created some art to go with a writers piece. I was paired with an artist who did modern art. He told me of his trip to Italy and describe what he saw. It was a mish-mash of colors to me. Nothing came for weeks. One day I was sitting across from it and looked at it from the side. Amazing what I saw from that angle! There was a blue canal, a gondola, a soldier waving, several flags, etc. It was easy to write a poem about it.

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  3. I use stepping back as you did here and it helps. It also helps to write down a title, or a word or two or a phrase and let it percolate! (like in a Word Bank) I have been participating in Jo Hawk’s Write Everyday Challenge and I am really loving it! It’s this simple – write at least one sentence everyday – no matter what! Once you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit and writer’s block isn’t so scary! I have found that the format of Haiku is a real life saver for me. Think of a word or topic and then start tapping 5 syllables for line one, 7 syllables for line 2 and, 5 syllables for line 3 and presto you’ve written something for the day. Works for me, Ha!
    xoxoxo

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  7. If I can’t think of anything, that’s pretty much what i do – I look through photos until one screams at me and then I write it. Of course prompts are like that, except I don’t chose them, but they all do have a thousand stories to tell…

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