Writer’s Block

As writers we are each unique in our view of the world, and the traits we carry within us determine to a large degree the choice of images and symbols, the important elements of plot and essential dialogue and all the myriad of things that find their way into our stories.

This individuality needs to be nurtured to create our voice, the tools of technique moulded to become our vocabulary of writing.

In a world where we are an experiment of one, through a process largely of trial and error we find the creative voice which suits best our individual expressive needs. How we can write from the heart.

Every draft, from first to last, is a one time experience.

An experiment in form and theme, character and intent. No draft duplicated in exactly the same way because each time we sit again in our favourite writing place, things will have changed.

We will have changed.

Our understanding of the needs of the story will be different, our work influenced by that new understanding.

Writing is an outer expression of our inner selves. We each come to writing from a unique place, our views and perceptions specific to us, and us alone. Tempered by our life experiences the personal element of our writing cannot be taught, but rather learned by writing in a spirit of free discovery.

By tuning into our inner self as we write, learning from the process and polishing the tools of our craft, our inner voice can grow and flourish.

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”

Virginia Woolf

Be Playful, Use & Abuse

Before we can work effectively with these tools we must learn to use them playfully, explore how they can be pushed; used, misused, stretched to the limits of their effectiveness. Ignored altogether. Then we will understand how to use them with discipline and care.

So no one draft will be our final statement; each a stepping stone from one to the other through the swirling waters of our imagination, carrying us forward.

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. — Heraclitus

All parts of the process of our evolution as a writer.

By challenging the established rules of what is acceptable and by exploring ever changing life values our work will keep vibrant and growing.

Technique is a tool, but only a tool as a means to an end on the journey to our greater personal expressiveness.

By experimenting creatively with concepts and ideas we can bring an excitement and freshness to our work. All of us have access to more or less the same resources from which to build our stories. The only difference is how we attach our beliefs to them to create our own unique voice.

This belief in the uniqueness of self that I hope to encourage.

The search for a personal vision in your writing, moving toward one’s inner self is a long pilgrimage for a writer. It offers many temporary successes; there will be obstacles along the way, but a search with meaning, desire, passion and hope is one that every one of us deserves.

Stay safe, love life and always WRITE WITHOUT FEAR.

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