I received emails from bloggers telling me they envied me because I seemed to be immune to Writer's Block, the curse of all writers. Lately I received another asking me if I am suffering from it because of the lack of updates in the blog.
This made me google the term and read about it. I stopped with a few sentences of it. No, I didn't suffer from Writer's Block and I doubt I will ever. For a start, I'm not even a writer and I have never viewed myself as one. This is probably the reason why more often than not, I ran out of time to write rather than things to write. Nothing has changed.
I was just observing 3 days of silence for our family member, Tramp the Schnauzer's passing.
Not regarding myself as a writer, I have nothing to prove. I have no pressure in impressing any audience. I don't give a damn it gets published in websites or shared and it brings me neither joy or annoyance if it does. I don't care about quality; a blogger friend always correct my mistakes for me. By now, he would have realised I don't even re-read what I wrote to check for errors.
Much as I love to be a writer, I'm nothing close to one. If you want to know what is a real writer, you can follow this link and be enlightened. I call myself a thrash blogger, writing what comes to my mind. I may be thrash now but I can and am always committed to improving. Perhaps I shall start correcting my grammar and spelling. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow.
Let me close the post by offering something useful for once. This is for bloggers who regard themselves as writers. Strange to be offering tips to writers from a thrash blogger but here goes anyway.
1) Take a warm shower
Instead of singing or giving your master hand a workout, spend some time thinking with your eyes closed. You'll be surprised how your mind tends to conjure some awesomeness during the bath.
2) Do repetitive activities
Sex is not one of them, unless you are one of those who can sustain the activity non stop for hours. I'm referring to things like long distance jogging, cycling or even chores. Once your mind gets bored, it'll choose interesting alternatives. If you work as a grinder like me, you'll have plenty of things coming to your mind while you grind never-ending work for hours. Usually the stories come on fast and furious, because it's more interesting for the brain to generate them than to watch metal sparks flying around.
3) Plagiarise
If you have no ideas what to write, look for someone who does and allow you to lift information without permission. You can choose to be a gentleman by just copying the title or topic and rewriting based on your own views. Or simply cut and paste. Temasek Times did that anyway.
4) Masochism
Slap yourself in the face hard every 60 seconds until you think of something to write. If that doesn't work, write about how you got your swollen cheek.
5) Plant a tree
Each time you get the block, plant a green. I guarantee you have something to write when you planted that 10 trees in 7 days. (your condition must be serious heh heh) It could be on how the first tree died of insect infestation due to your negligence or that orange sapling that grows much slower than the watermelon creepers. Else perhaps something philosophical about trees such as trees vs life, trees vs work, trees vs fuck-up employers whatever. If that doesn't work, at least your block benefits the environment with new trees. Environmentalist hippies will pray for your permanent block.
6) Don't prejudge your materials
It really depends on what are your expectations on your article. Is the success based on quality debates in the comment section, appreciation from fellow bloggers or simply on page views. The most read post of this blog, which generated 125k of views to date, got me lambasted by geeks with no sense of humor. That post is considered a failure if you are seeking professional lauding but probably a success for a nobody blogger.
Now the revelation. When I wrote that article in a lazy Spring morning in Perth, I placed no expectations on the post at all. If I were instructed to publish the best article I could come out with - akin to taking an examination - I would not have allow myself to post that article. If this isn't adequate, the other top 5 read posts in packing order surprised me the same way. None of them are among my favourite posts.
In short, you are just a message creator. The readers are your judge. Never try to take on both roles. If the post went viral because everyone wants to get everyone to see how stupid you are, learn from there and improve. You don't lose a limb.
7) Write with no audience in mind
Think a stage actor giving a display of his life, oblivious of the audience in the stands. Try not to write with any particular reader or group in mind. As confusing as it sounds, it is the right and the only way to write.
8) Write with your conscience
If you throw in a bit of conscience with your writing. It usually produces good refreshing stuff that people are willing to waste a few minutes of their lives reading. That's something basic everyone can do unless you are a Straits Times' journalist. But these days 'writing with the heart' is over-used, even Saw Phaik Hwa claims she does that. Maybe hypocrisy works too.
9) Write down ideas
If you are male, this analogy explains it all. Too frequently, you get an erection with no woman in sight and when you finally get one in bed, you can't get it up. Fortunately for writing ideas, you can 'save and load'. Do it.
10) Don't write
If you can't think of anything to write that day, don't. What's the big deal? Well if you work as a journalist in the 154th ranked media and must produce something as work, then go on eat your conscience, write thrash or plagiarise. With a retard handicap, whatever you spurt will be accepted nonetheless.
hahaha...
ReplyDeleteI like the analogy in point no. 9
"Grieve, because there is a time to."
Told my daughter every so often, "if one day mummy or daddy pass away, it is ok to be sad and cry. But, you only have one week to be sad. Life MUST get back to normal after one week."
Condolences on the passing of Tramp...
So true about the block! Don't change this Chin..you have my support!
ReplyDelete154th ranked media lol! thanks! made my day! again, great post, i enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteAll the way, -asingaporeanson- !
ReplyDeleteI like our interaction because you are what you are, and that sincerity is the most important component of communication, written or otherwise.
Personally, I don't have writer's blog.
I just have moments when there are so many things to say, to and from so many directions, that I learn to calm down, focus on what presses me most, and compose.
I then used to think until recently, that I have not enough time to express all I want to.
Now I realise that this has not been the case.
Life is not meant to be finished.
It is an ongoing process, so when we are gone, others after us will follow.
We just give our best in the moments available to us.
I dun care wat others think of your blog, most important i like it heehee
ReplyDelete