Question for the Writers – Especially the Poets – Reading This
What do you do when you are feeling uninspired and don’t know what to write about? A friend asked this question, recently, and I brainstormed an answer – my left eye is still twitching from the mental lightning and my nose is stuffed up with the pollen the wind through my ears blew in. But here are a few thoughts on winning the battle with “writers block.”
- Pick 5 random words from the dictionary and use all of them in a poem.
- Read the news; write a poem that relates in some way to current events.
- Stare for 15 minutes at a rock. Write a poem about the rock. Or about whatever thoughts flitted through your head during that 15 minutes to save you from death by boredom.
- Look through an old photo album. Write about whatever memory that triggers.
- If you have an Android, download the Google Arts & Culture app. Take a virtual visit of a city or a museum. Write an ekphrastic poem.
- Write a poem that appeals to all five senses – or five poems focusing on one sense each.
- Remember that you do not have to be “inspired” or be in the throes of some strong emotion to write a poem. Look at Roethke’s “Dolor.” Write about being UNinspired.
- Write a poem to or about your lazy-ass Muse. Or one from your Muse’s POV – about YOUR lazy ass. (Hey, I don’t judge and I’ve written from both POVs.)
- Back to the rock – pick any ordinary item. Write about what makes it special in its ordinariness.
In all seriousness, I think we sometimes give ourselves writers block just trying to write about the most important thing, you know? The big things. The things we think matter – or things we think should matter. But sometimes, those are not the things demanding OUR attention or interest in the moment. Don’t feel guilty for that. Don’t write the thing you think you ought to write – just write. See what brain wants you to write about. It might just be a crumb carried by an ant 1/5th its size…or that might end up being a metaphor worth exploring more deeply.
I don’t believe in writer’s block either. I think you have a good handle on why.