Ideas to Defeat Writers Block

A blank page can not only be very disturbing, but also very uninspiring. Instead of letting the blankness of the page intimidate you, opt for the attitude found in the Tao’s un-carved block. The sky is the limit to the creativity you can put on a blank page. It has no boundaries except for that which you give it. Many people have their own methods for defeating writers block, but here are some ideas if your methods fail you. Hopefully, you haven’t tried all these yet.

Just Write

Some people get started by just writing whatever pops in their mind. It helps to play some instrumental rap music to get some rhythm going as that’s how rap artists free flow, but if you are writing prose, you may find yourself writing in rhyme by accident. Your first statements might be things like, “blue, fly, annoying you know what annoys me is when the husband…” Eventually, you will start making some sense, hopefully, and you can run with an idea from that.

Assign Yourself an Exercise

You can search online for different exercises writers often assign themselves such as different forms of poetry, writing in a certain style, or adding to a famous quote.

Google

Sometimes the mind just goes blank on what to write about, and if you have a broad topic in mind, enter that or any specific topic that falls under that for which you don’t want to write about, and browse the web for inspiration. Sometimes, you can find inspiration in images, links, advertisements, etc.

Outline

Sometimes you know the narrowed topic which you want to write about, but you just don’t know where to start. This is where an outline might come in handy. Create headings for Beginning, Middle, and End, and outline what material you want (and expect). It helps to think from the view point of the finished product first and then work backwards.

The Mommy Blog

Who amongst us has not come home from work and been greeted by a house full of screaming kids, a too demanding spouse and a sink overflowing with dirty dishes. Who amongst us hasn’t wanted to tell their next door neighbor to invest in some new drapery or their mother in law to go shove it. We all need to vent from time to time. We all make up dialogues in our mind about what we’re going to say to “that person” the next time. The problem is we don’t say it the next time either.

The perfect solution to this problem may be the mommy blog. A blog where women can write about their everyday lives and say what they really want to say, but do so anonymously. Women can use pseudonyms when blogging here as well. In a mommy blog a woman can write about how disgusting she finds it that the neighbor’s kid picks her nose and eats it without the risk of having to explain herself to that neighbor the next time she sees her at Shop Rite. In a mommy blog a woman can write about just how many times she’s contemplated smothering her snoring husband with a pillow without having her husband calling a divorce lawyer.

Therapy is expensive. Girlfriends are a wonderful thing, but some of them don’t know how to keep their mouth’s shut. Besides sometimes you need to vent about your girlfriends. Don’t even think about venting to your mother. You’ll forgive your husband long before she ever does and I assure you that she can do a better job raising your kids than you can. A mommy blog could serve as sounding board. A way to get things off your chest without humiliating anyone. Maybe some of us should make it a New Years Resolution to get together with some girlfriends and start one.

Blogging in Academia

Image representing Blackboard as depicted in C...
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In a recent audit of writing programs and courses throughout the country, an increasing number of writing-related courses are embracing new technologies like never before. The study analyzed English and Communications courses in relation to blogging and group collaboration on the Internet. While online courses are nothing new, even the classes taught with Moodle, Blackboard, and WebCT did not utilize true “blogging” platforms, such as WordPress or Blogger.

Professors and students are using blogs inside and outside of the classroom to enrich the learning experience. In a creative writing class, students may post their work on the class blog, for everyone to read and comment on their work in a constructive manner. Usually these blogs are in a secure or controlled environment, so their work is not exposed to the entire Internet. Students usually are required to respond to other students’ posts in the form of a “comment,” which is then evaluated by the staff for constructiveness and academic value.

Blogs are gaining traction in the academic industry, but they remain a novelty in most cases. Both students and professors are apprehensive about posting their work on the blog – even though it is inaccessible to the rest of the world. Students are afraid of what their peers will say, more so than in a traditional classroom setting where most people may not be paying attention. Other students though, are embracing the technology for what it is worth, engaging in genuine academic discourse with their peers. Students can blog about anything including liefstyle, academics, and even vacations. Florida vacation homes offer a great experience to still have the sensation of home yet be in a great new destination. It is a great destination for students and theres no struggles of hotel rooms, their extra fees, and blackout dates.

Using the blogs, students get more feedback on their work, because other students have to comment and write messages. In a classroom setting, most of the dialog is diluted with text messages and other distractions. Since blogs are free, easy to setup, and universal, more schools are using them in addition to traditional classes, giving students the “option” to submit paper assignments if they are uncomfortable with the matter. Certain courses even cut class short if students opt to discuss the topics on the class blog.

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