My last post discussed “instant fixes” meant to help you snap out of a blocked writing fugue in the present moment. If they don’t work for you, however, here are some additional, longer-term writer’s block coping strategies: Pick up with a different mode of expression. Think of this as creative cross-training. It’s especially helpful for … Continue reading Tips for Writer’s Block, Part Two: Long-term Strategies

Writer’s block: the boogeyman of the creative process. It’s a concept that practically everyone is familiar with.  Lending it all the more power, we writers tend to talk about writer’s block as though it’s an immutable force of nature, like gravity or the weather—something one is suffering from, like a chronic disease, and that one … Continue reading Tips For Writer’s Block, Part I: Short Term Solutions

“Find your voice!” This exclamation has been shouted by teachers and professors since an early age. But voice is such an ambiguous term. What does it really mean to find your voice? And how can one find their voice? To find one’s voice requires some personal digging. A voice is unique to an individual, yet … Continue reading Finding A Voice

Stories know no cultural boundaries; common archetypes and tropes seem to pervade distantly related literary traditions. Cultural boundaries, whether geographical or temporal, seem powerless to contain some of our most recognizable bits of storytelling. There are a number of possible explanations for the unoriginality of our species. The anthropologist will likely tell you that stories … Continue reading Struggling with Originality