From Minor League Sports to a Major Resolution: Part 7

Writer’s Block. Unfortunately, there’s a good reason it’s in the board game Operation. Maybe in the next incarnation of it, you’ll have to pull a keyboard out of the subject’s wrist instead of a pencil because of the technology people use today, but the struggle is still the same: what the heck am I supposed to write? Or, if you know what the topic is, how the heck am I supposed to write it?

No one has a clear-cut answer for defeating it, but many studies have shown that sometimes it’s best to walk away instead (literally or figuratively). Doing something else for a while gives you the break that is often necessary to defeat the blank page with eloquent language instead of tired clichés, jargon and otherwise terrible writing.

One of the attitudes that is omnipresent in today’s society is that you have to power through everything. Tired? Don’t take a break. Have coffee or an energy drink so you can pull an all-nighter. (To this day, I have never pulled one, whether it was for school or for fun.) Sick? Don’t stay home from work. Pound some Dayquil. Have Writer’s Block? Don’t step away. You don’t have time to. It seems as if people are obsessed with being incredibly productive, but not many of those same people are willing to try something different. This video from The 99 Percent explains it best in a roundabout way. It’s a slightly different argument, but the idea is the same. Rest! (In this case, get more sleep!)

I don’t have a steadfast solution to destroying Writer’s Block. I’m not trying to sell Geritol or whatever the hairspray in Hairspray is called. I’m not a 1950’s salesman, and boy am I glad about that. Despite what the Mad Men portrayed in their work, their isn’t always a product that cures your every problem. Sometimes it’s best to take a step back, even if it’s just to catch your breath.

I don’t think Writer’s Block is what kept me from (trying to) writing a blog post every day this month, but had I sat down at my laptop to try, it could have been an issue. We’re not even a third through the month at this point. How the heck am I going to come up with content for the remaining 23 days? Luckily, I have time almost every day to relax and let my right brain free.

Part 6

Part 7