Two painful states of writing

What is the most unpleasant thing for any creative person? Writing, drawing, whatever? When he is unable to do his job – artists call it an "artblock", writers are perverted with various erratives like "unwritten" or "unwritten", but in general, this state of affairs is familiar to everyone and is exhausted by one short and helpless "I can't". Contrary to what you know, you know and have done many times, and successfully. And that's what we'll talk about. Briefly. Because it's been said a lot without us.

There are, in our experience, two varieties of this "I can't".

The first one is described something like this: I really want to, but nothing happens.

Gloomy vague longing overcomes, I want to take how to write! You sit down at your workplace, full of inspiration bubbling inside....and nothing. You're sitting, looking at a pristine white sheet – which we wrote about, remember? You write something timidly, you erase, you listen to music, you are silent, silent, silent ... the text is silent. It is not written.

Inspiration, this sacred cow is there! But there is no result. It's simple – it's not written, there is no text. Or, at best, a couple of helpless, sluggish paragraphs that will then fall under the ruthless hand of auto-editing anyway.

Do you know what it is? This haste makes you suffer. The text – unwritten, the one in the head - needs to mature. Like wine, like apples, like cheese - I compare creativity with the best of the material world for all times on purpose, so that it is felt more acutely: it is necessary to mature. Inspiration is a flower on a branch. This is a fresh bunch of grapes, this is the best cream. It takes time and a lot of work for a flower to become a fruit, and grapes and cream to become wine and cheese. That's exactly why inspiration is not everything, but it is impossible to go further without it.

The advice here is one, and very simple: take your time. Just a strong-willed effort to force yourself not to rush. To carry out a plot, an idea, a picture in your head until they come out with all clarity, clothe themselves in mental words. Sometimes it's worth feeding the growing inspiration – to read, listen to music, watch a movie, take a walk ... yes, everyone has their own ways to gain inspiration and inner fire, and follow them.

And don't torture yourself. Do not torment the flower of inspiration – let it open, tie, give fruit, and then you will be able to show this fruit to the world by finally writing the text that has developed.

The most important thing here is not to delay with "removing the fruit from the branch". So that it does not wither and fall off, rotten and useless. That's why this advice, by the way, has nothing to do with procrastination. Because while you are not writing a text, you are still working on it - in your mind. So - do not squeeze the text out of yourself drop by drop, but work on it in your mind, gaining impressions in parallel. And then, when the unhealthy longing develops into a cheerful working mood, sit down and write.

And, strictly speaking, this state has nothing to do with some kind of "block". It's just part of the process. If you catch yourself thinking "I want to write, I see an amazing picture and amazing characters, but I don't know how and where to start" - this is it. Don't panic! Words will come, you just need to work in your mind, without tormenting paper, real or electronic. It's just that the image is too vague, it lacks structure, and work on it. Think in the background while you walk, while you listen to music, while you are busy with some simple business "for hands".

At this stage, it is useful to make plans and draw diagrams if you use them. If you don't use it, then start! To mature the structure, this is what you need.

But the second case of "I can't write" is more serious.

It is usually characterized by thoughts of the sort "I know exactly what I want to write, but I don't have the strength / mood/ a sufficiently harmonious flow of words"

Usually everything is fine here, both with the plan and with the structure ... but just with the spiritual forces, everything is somewhat deaf. Therefore, techniques for dealing with... signs of professional burnout will help you here. Yes, a favorite thing can also exhaust mental strength. Yes, it also takes time to restore them. But, unlike the previous case, you need to distract yourself as completely as possible. Don't think about plans, don't sit over schemes. Just put aside everything related to this work for a few days. To return to her rested – but again, do not pull. Come back as soon as you feel more cheerful and better. Don't save up "strength for the future", it doesn't work that way. There is a risk of falling into the melancholy of idleness, and getting out of it is even worse than the burnout race, because this is a plush swamp of procrastination, and it sucks into its bowels oh how easy.

And now the most important thing!

You need to be able to distinguish for what reason you are not working. And this is probably the most difficult. Doesn't work because you want to grab everything at once? The first case. Let the inspiration ripen.

Does it not work because the result no longer seems worthy, or even speculatively it seems that something will come out now that is not worth the time spent? This, gentlemen, is the second case.

And in both cases, the measure is important. Measure, moderation and... kindness to yourself. Also in moderation.

You will become a ruthless punisher when you start editing. Don't try to ride two horses at the same time – that is, edit right along the way. Editing is generally a separate type of work, do not mix on the go, and you will be happy.

But when we figured it out, there is only one way, and it is expressed in this picture:

Good luck, in general, like-minded gentlemen, readers and writers! And may there always be food for the mind and inspiration!