Stuck indoors, confined within the same walls/fences, and your mind at a standstill? Hoping to write like Shakespeare did during his pandemic, but suffering from writer’s block during Coronavirus?
Our minds are all on COVID-19 aka the Coronavirus. Not allowed to do what we’re used to, most of us have had to deal with ourselves and try to stay positive. With the virus hopefully on the downward curve, we can begin to imagine something better. The most important thing to do is keep healthy, mentally and physically.Writer’s block has always been a nagging demon at the door of my mental state. It gets me down when I can’t imagine and put words to a page.
As I’m sure some of you are dealing with it, here are 5 Tips to Help Defeat Writer’s Block During the Pandemic.
- Change your scenery: If you can safely go outside in your yard, on the roof, etc, then DO IT. Fresh air cleans the lungs; especially, after being inside for so long. Sometimes, that’s all we need to clear the mind. If you don’t feel you can safely go outside, crack open a window. If that’s not possible, rearrange some of your things to make change the scenery, even if it is just making your laptop background someplace exotic.
- Put down your phone and exercise your senses. This sounds odd, but because most of our news and entertainment come from a device in our hand, we find ourselves less and less feeling the physical world. If you go outside, feel the blades of grass with your hands. Graze your fingers against the shelter you’re stuck in. Cook something sweet and let your home smell like dessert. Get your senses exercising and feel how unique every little thing is.
- Read something other than social media or news. A simple enough statement, but a friendly reminder that our imagination roams free when we read something purely for enjoyment.
- Watch great movies. Yes, any movie can offer you ideas and feelings to bounce off of, but you’d be surprised what a film you find amazing to do, especially now. I, for a time, was only focused on what movies were coming out. Sure, some were great, and some were not. When I buckled down and picked up classics, I started to see how memorable stories were produced. Now, I feel a resurgence of creativity. Inspiration brings on imagination, in case you didn’t know :). Side note, start watching Disney animated movies; particularly, the classics. They are some of the most beloved films and most are 90 minutes or less. Breakdown how effective each scene is and how zero time is wasted. This will help you, as it helps me to this day, think in terms of what is absolutely necessary for your story and what is not.
- Clean. I hate cleaning. I don’t like my room to be dirty or anything, but I do procrastinate having to clean. COVID-19 is always with us; not physically, but in the back of our minds. You can get it by touching things. So, how do you put your mind at ease? Clean and disinfect everything you possibly can. Even wipe down mail to the best of your ability. Only after doing this will your brain stop coming up with scenarios that you’ll become diagnosed with Coronavirus. I normally wouldn’t put this, but new times call for new measures.
Writing is not only a tool for telling a story, but a way for us to express our emotions and help keep from bottling up. I hope everyone has taken this time at home (if they aren’t an essential worker) to grab a blank piece of paper and start jotting something down. No matter what it is, it’s important. Remember that. And just keep writing.
Stay safe,Jimmy Kelly
#writing #writersblock #screenwriters #authors #writingduringcorona
