Life is a collage: writer's block, a suggestion and a giveaway

Before we talk about this week's suggestion, let's take a moment to celebrate last week's winners! As you may recall, last week I talked about keeping a writer's notebook and offered two hand-altered notebooks complete with suggestions, games and other creativity triggers. While I received a few emails asking me for the notebooks, Elsa and Jo were brave enough to leave comments, so they are my winners. I'll be contacting them privately for shipping information. Thank you to everyone who contacted and even considered contacting me.

This week I want to write about getting over creative blocks. While a writer's notebook is a great way to capture ideas, sometimes an idea is elusive and really doesn't want to be set down. I sometimes find myself working on a story or a blog post and the words just won't come. When that happens, if I'm clever, I try to get at the idea another way. I get someone to listen to me. Or I try to use other parts of my brain to explore the idea.

Words are great. I love words. But sometimes if I can't find the right words, using images is a way around the block. So I doodle, or make a collage or an assemblage that uses some of the images and ideas floating around in my head.

Next time you get stuck, when the words don't come, when the paper or screen just mock you, try doodling out the idea instead. Try cutting out pictures from a magazine that have something to do with your story. Try gathering objects that your character might love. It doesn't matter if you can't draw, if the magazine isn't quite right or if the objects are distant approximations (a twig can be a magic wand any day) what matters is you're accessing another part of your mind. You're bypassing words and the anxiety you may have around the right word, so you can loosen up creatively and get moving again.

Leave a comment or send me an email about how you get over creative blocks, what you do when the words just won't come. I will give a custom collage or small assemblage to one of this week's commenters. I look forward to hearing what you have to say!

(c)2011 Laura S. Packer