Writers Voice: Writer's Block - Unblock the Lock

I used to write an article, no actually, a monthly column for the Freelance Writer's International, called the Education Top10 Resources column. I had to write a three paragraph introduction about the subject for the month and then find ten links in the database that corresponded to the subject of the month.

It was fun. Rowdy Rhodes was one of my fellow writers in a writing group that I was in. Way back when, I think it was about 1995 or so, I joined an online email group called Ideas by Post. The group was started by a woman in Paris by the name of Alannah Moore. There were a lot of writers in the group. Susan Rosier, Julie Donnelly to name a couple.

Each person subscribed to the group and we all got an email. There were some people who didn't get the concept of being in a email chat room and would complain and then would finally unsubscribe. The majority of us would enjoy the blurbs and there were many different personalities that would speak upon occasion.

One method is to sit in a chair, like outside. I did this once. I sat outside in my garage with the door up. Pretty soon one of the dogs we had, came up to me with a toy. He was in the mood to play.

I was tired. Pretty soon, his head was on my lap. Then, one foot. Then, both feet. Then, his chest, arms and feet, like he was giving me a hug. Then, he tried to climb into my lap.

Now I just told you about it. Do you see how I told you about it, by writing detail by detail about it. Writing about something, even your dog's behavior, cures a case of the writer's block.

Granted, it only works if you actually have a dog. I suppose you could pretend you have a dog climbing on your lap... You are, after all, a writer. Who is going to know that you are lying through your teeth. Smile.

Another writer said that to cure writers block, he'd pull up a chair, relax his jaw, open his mouth and stare into space. Pretty funny! I can envision drool coming out of his mouth, too.

Can't you?

Are you enthused and inspired to write?

I took a writers course offered by the Children's Institute. I'm thinking it was eighteen months I took the course. It was interesting. Ask me about Tommy the Tomato. He was my 'book writing challenge." I created Tommy, who was a young tomato. His mother was a Better Girl and was a red, robust tomato, like you would expect a mother tomato to be.

His father was a Bee. Yes, a bee. I mean, you can't expect tomatoes to breed with other tomatoes now do you? Ask your mother about the birds and the bees someday. Sadly, you won't hear about Tommy the tomato, however.

Well, some days I think it would be interesting to be a tomato.

Describe your world to yourself. Write it down. Edit.