by Rowan Fynn

(Writers on Writing: Shadowfax Writing Tips)

First of all, I’ll tell you a secret: There is no such thing as writers block.

I know. Shocking, right? Not what you expected?

Well, perhaps I should rephrase that.

Personally, I have never believed in writers block. Or experienced it. I mean, not in any literal way. And I’ll tell you why.

Of course, we all get stuck from time to time. Or we feel like we’re swimming upstream or fighting against the tide in our writing. Typically, that’s because we’ve wandered off course in some way. But I’ll get to that too.

Now, to be clear, I’ve certainly had bouts of all-consuming doubt and restlessness and feeling aimless in my writing life, moments when I couldn’t seem to make any progress on something I wanted to work on. But I wasn’t blocked. I was just barking up the wrong tree.

If you ever feel stuck in your writing, just remember: There’s a way out.

Okay. What’s the secret?

For me, the secret to never having writers block involves an imaginary belief in “inspiration” as something you find rather than create (although in many ways, they can be interchangeable).

For the sake of this article, let’s call inspiration … the Muse. And this part is important.

The concept of The Muse comes from the ancient Greeks. Considered the source of knowledge and creativity, Muses were inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The ancient Greeks believed Muses “descended” on artists of all kinds and “inhabited” them.

That’s how the ancient Greeks described the amazing feeling of being creatively inspired by or for or about something.

The root of “muse” is the same root for “mind” (and “mania”). Go figure. We also get these words from the same place: music (“art of the muses”) and museum (“shrine of the muses”).

Figuratively speaking, a muse is a person who serves as a source of artistic inspiration. But in ancient times, the Muse was considered an embodiment of one of the mythical muses. They were known to come down from Olympus to descend on poets, musicians, dancers, and artists (as well as scientists), to basically “take over” them.

Doesn’t that sound a lot like “being in the zone” as a writer? Caught up in inspiration. When the words and ideas just flow from you as if pouring from a “force” outside of yourself, like your “channeling” something?

So … imagine if you will, that it’s real.

Make a pact with your Muse

Just for the purpose of your own writing, let the idea of inspiration be the “embodiment” of an actual Muse working through you. What have you got to lose?

Welcome the Muse into your life. Make friends with her (or him). After all, if you’re a writer, you’ll want the Muse to be your business partner and constant lifelong companion, right?

I’ve always liked to think of the Muse as something of “an energy” (in an esoteric, not scientific sense). Because the Muse is, quite simply, inspiration.

About thirty years ago, I made a promise to The Muse. It went like this: Anytime, anywhere, anyway the Muse comes knocking on my door, I answer the call and let her in. No questions asked.

Enter inspiration.

It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing. I simply honor that promise. Whenever the Muse starts singing, I tune in, and I listen. I wrote down every story idea that the Muse has ever brought to me. I followed her whims, whither and thither she may lead, without complaint. Even if I may not actually do something with every story idea I get inspired about, I honor the process and where the ideas come from (because who knows, really?).

The most recent book I published (SCOURGE OF THE UNDEAD) came directly from ideas I wrote down after the Muse woke me up at 4:30 in the morning. The last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed and deal with the flow of ideas that came flooding into my brain in the middle of the night.

But I did it. Without complaint.

I sat up in bed and wrote down the entire concept of the story (characters, plot, scenes) the Muse gave me, until I captured the inspiration and jotted down all the primary points. The Muse finally let me go back to sleep at dawn.

But I’ve written countless stories in a similar way, many from dreams that woke me in the middle of the night. (The Muse never sleeps.)

What does MY muse have to do with you? And how does any of this help with writers block?

The Secret

Here’s the secret to never having writers block: You feel blocked because you aren’t inspired. Simple? Yes. Obvious? That too. But true.

And here’s how to fix the problem: If you’re working on something and it’s not going anywhere, if you feel stuck or uninspired, just DO something else. Inspiration is never stagnant. Like water, it follows lines of nonresistance. The act of moving, turning, changing course, becomes a magic elixir of its own.

Search through other projects you’ve set aside. Read notes you’ve jotted down. Peruse older story ideas you’ve had. Just keep an eye out for any glimpse of inspiration, a moment when you’ve piqued the interest of the Muse.

You’ll feel it. You’ll know when you’re inspired.

What if you can’t find anything to get inspired in your writing? Then it’s time to look elsewhere.

Pick up an instrument and play a song. If that doesn’t work, pick up a different instrument.

Dance. Write some lyrics or a poem. If you feel stuck in your novel, write a short story. Paint a picture or draw some sketches of characters and scenes of the book you’re working on. Write a monologue from any character’s point of view. Or read your favorite author. Research something that excites you.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter WHAT you do, as long as you DO something creative. Because that’s what will bring the Muse (inspiration) back to whatever you were working on. Or, if not that project, you may find yourself inspired about something else. And that should be okay too.

What About Your Project?

Yes, there will be times when you may have to put down that book you’ve been laboring over for a long time. But don’t worry. It won’t go away. You can always come back to it when you find your inspiration for that particular project again.

And no “tangent” or “side road” will be in vain. Whatever else you work on while looking for inspiration will be important for your artistic evolution.

Even if you dance, play guitar for a bit, or paint a scene from your book, your writing will be even better when you get back to it. You’re still growing as a creative practitioner of self-expression. And that, after all, is the goal: To be the best you can be at expressing your thoughts and ideas, so you can share all that in an entertaining way.

Trust in the Process

The Muse dances to the beat of her own drummer. Even if she flitters away from you when you’d rather she stay, don’t worry. She’ll be back. Sometimes when you least expect it, as soon as you look in the right direction.

Here’s one last tip for when you find yourself stuck and facing a blank page:

Look for a recent crossroads in your story, a place where your plot or character made a turn, right before you started to feel stuck. Quite often, that is where the cornerstones of your block began.

When I feel stuck while writing a novel, I look back a few chapters to figure out where I went wrong. I almost always find that my story took a wrong turn in some way (sometimes major, but often minor).

Once I figure out how to fix the issue, and get the story back on the right course, I no longer feel stuck. The block disappears.

This approach, and the Muse, have served me well. I’ve worked like this for thirty years and never experienced writers block. Yes, I often have a ton of unfinished projects, but I keep moving, keep creating, keep improving, and the projects will always be there when it’s time to finish them (which I’ve done many times).

Personally, my most difficult time is that “between projects” space, when I feel restless or aimless, just looking for something to work on next, anxious for the Muse to come knocking on the door again.

But I trust in the process and I know the Muse will arrive, sooner or later, as she always does. Eventually.

Don’t Give Up

If you feel stuck or think you’re blocked, remember that’s just a feeling. Just keep moving, creatively searching until you find a place to land, where the Muse lands on you.

Whenever you hear the call, answer with arms wide open. You’ll never regret it.

Promise yourself that, whenever inspiration strikes, you will never turn it away or push it aside. Let being inspired become a habit. And you too will never experience writers block.

THE AUTHOR:

A lifelong dreamer and adventurer, Rowan Fynn now strives for a simple life, writing in a small cabin in the mountains. He is the author of GAME-WORLD: PRISONERS OF ANDARA and SCOURGE OF THE UNDEAD.