Writing with Eyes Wide Open

Writer’s block: it’s a Hollywood cliché to see a writer pining after ideas, when inspiration suddenly jumps out beside them. A murder happens next door or a love interest enters their life, flooding them with ideas.

In real life though, writer’s block is more nuanced and harder to cut through. Sometimes the cause is obvious: grief, caretaking or other responsibilities, or the final rejection that breaks your spirit. But other times, it’s more nuanced. Staring at the page, I try to reconcile the deep passion I feel for the story I’m rewriting (again) and the incapacity to do the simplest of tasks: plot a chapter.

I was recommended a book called ‘The Artists Way’ by Julia Cameron.  It’s led me to helpful practices like journaling every day and going on dates by myself where my only job is to live in the present, feeding my senses.

This is where the magic is for any writer: To see and to live completely. Daydreaming is a great place to build and plot stories, but if you are not present in your life and enjoy the small things, you will eventually be depleted. My best writing reflects real moments, feelings and images of things I’ve lived. You can’t write if you don’t live your life fully, and you can’t live your life fully if you don’t appreciate even the smallest things. As Cameron puts it, “The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.”

I recommend this book for anyone struggling to get back to their artistic passion in these tough times.