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Writer's block and automatic writing

Whether you are a budding novelist or a famous writer, whether you are starting your thesis or have an article to hand in as soon as possible, one day or another you have suffered or will suffer from this terrible torment: the anxiety of the blank page.

Leukoselophobia

The blank page syndrome, also called "leukoselophobia", is not necessarily a lack of inspiration. Either you have no idea of the subject you want to tackle or you are rather unable to deal with it, to progress in the narration or to get your characters out of a seemingly dead end, you remain static, in front of your computer, in front of an open page... resolutely white...

Every once in a while, you type in a word, such as "title" or "chapter 2," hoping that it will give you inspiration. But it doesn't. You panic, you mope, you feel guilty. You get up, go for a walk, get a bite to eat, distract yourself. After all, isn't that what you should do in such a situation? (Editor’s note: it is.) So why is it that, sitting at your desk again, nothing has changed? Why do you keep staring at that screen without words? Why does it work with others and not with you? And most importantly: what can you do about it?


Another solution: automatic (guided) writing

Let's be clear, at the risk of disappointing you, I don't have the answer to "why" you can't write. On the other hand, I do have a method to suggest to you for the "how" to get there. It's very simple and I apply it on a daily basis: it's automatic writing - adapted to my style.


Why adapted? Well, because, basically, automatic writing is a process according to which we write everything that comes into our head, without thinking. In this mode of writing, neither the will nor the conscience intervenes. It is very practical - and I recommend it to you - to get rid of blocks anchored in you, to evacuate stress and unspoken words. It allows you to reveal feelings or emotions buried deep inside you. But... I'll stop here because this is more a matter of psychology, which is not the subject we are interested in (even if the anguish of the blank page obviously has psychological causes).


Automatic writing is therefore adapted because our objective here is not to display our emotions but to write about a particular subject. It is therefore necessary that this writing be guided at least a little.


How to use: don't care about the style

It's so simple that the childishness of "automatic writing adapted to my style" may, at first, put you off. It's all about writing one word, just one, and letting your fingers tap on the keyboard (it also works with pen and paper, rest assured).


For example, let's say I want to write a story about a talking bird. I'm so stuck that I can't even decide what kind of bird it is. Well, too bad: I write the word "parrot" on my paper and start describing the colors of its plumage. I automatically think of the vizier Jafar's parrot in the cartoon Aladdin and decide that my bird will also have a bad temper. I write anything, name it and give it attributes without thinking. Anyway, I can erase anything I write. But, you might ask, if I don't keep anything I write, what's the point? The answer is simple: to make you write. Now you know that you don't want a parrot but a pigeon, that your bird will have a bad temper and that it will swear in German, that its name will be Jacob, or Jean-Mi, or Louis; you are still hesitating, but at least you have names in mind now.


Same scenario for your cover letter, your thesis, your blog post. You start with: "Dear Madam, Dear Sir, my name is..." in the first case, the definition of your topic in the second and with "Have you ever wondered...? "for your article. The rest will come by itself.


You write whatever comes into your head, regardless of style. Don't try to write nice sentences. You will erase and rephrase later.


The anxiety of the blank page comes from the fact that we want to produce quality content immediately.

But we no longer write on typewriters where the slightest typo wastes a sheet of paper. We can, at will, rework our text. So, if we think our ideas are worthless, too bad, let's write them anyway, we will have all the time to transform them.

To counteract the blank page syndrome, you only need one thing: that your page is no longer blank.

Exercices

You can practice writing a paragraph, let's say maximum ten sentences on completely different themes. This will teach you to "block" your brain, to prevent it from being aware of everything you are doing and to write without thinking.


Themes: a hundred year old oak tree tells its story, a six year old child has an I.Q. of 176, a dog that dreams of being a cat, a blank page that would so much like to be written (ha ha), a depressed president, a rich trade woman leaves everything to become a farmer, the programmed obsolescence of your electronic devices, you don't understand your child's math work, description of your ideal man/woman, letter of complaint to the universe.


Background work beforehand

Automatic writing doesn't mean you don't have to do some background work beforehand. A journalist or a blogger doesn't write an article without knowing his subject beforehand, a writer has, ideally, already established the plot of his novel and therefore knows the themes he will tackle in each chapter. Similarly, if you are submitting a memoir, you have studied your topic and structured its approach.


The preparation of a novel will be the subject of a future article.


Conclusion

It's like the techniques for dealing with hiccups: to each his own. Personally, this is the one I find most effective, but what works for me may not work for someone else. If you have other methods to recommend, don't hesitate to send me your testimony at contact@larelectrice.fr


This could be the subject of a new article.


Happy (automatic) writing to all!

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