Funk

Every writer gets into slumps. I know I certainly have. All of the writing teachers I have had and all of the books on writing I have ever read all seem to have the same advice on the mater: keep on writing. The act of writing gets the mind working, which pushes us out of whatever funk is holding us back.

I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing with that advice. I'm sure I have experienced the lifting of my spirits as I force myself to write and get into whatever piece I'm working on. However, I have also felt the struggle of creating large bodies of work that I never felt good writing (because it never got me out of my slump) and it is obvious that those writings are lackluster and subpar.

It seems to me that the core idea of writing to overcome writer's block is that good writing comes from an interested and happy mind and that writing makes a writer interested and happy. If that is the case, then there nearly limitless options to overcome a slump. I find that a lot of things make me happy and give me energy: good conversations, mindless video games, pleasant walks, just to name a few. I have also found that these activities really have helped me get over my frustrations with writing or help me generate a new idea to write about.

The main issue I have with writing to cure writing slumps is that it can be overexposure. It seems as ludicrous as telling somebody to eat something to cure indigestion (Do you feel sick because you ate a 72 ounce steak? Feel better by eating a half-pound hamburger! Now with lettuce!).

Of course, when it comes to writing strategies, everybody has one that works for them and that's the one they should use. If one of my methods stops working, I'll stop doing it.