Resources for the Author

I have been able to segregate and aggregate resources I think that an author needs to have in order to write, and flourish.

I have enumerated them below in no particular order.

How to Write

On this element, I dare say that the only authority that exist as to How an Author writes, IS the person of the Author himself or herself.

And, the question, “How do I write?” has only one answer, “WRITE!” That’s how!

What to Write

Again, while one may scout the ‘external minds’ (books etc.) of others in search of clues, how-tos, one has the best chance to determine What to Write if one firstly, WRITE. Therefrom, one would come into the warm embrace of the WHAT to write.

No one can or should tell others What to Write as this will be tantamount to forcing one’s ideas into another. This effort always creates a new, poor, fake and smaller version of the personality of the “teacher”. Writing IS a personal expression; similar, but more intensely so, to how we walk, speak, see, think…

When to Write

There are people out there who are trying to create models of themselves in others. Some of these writer’s advisers propose that you cannot be called a ‘professional’ writer if you don’t write 9am to 5pm. See, they are trying to create another slavery in the freest part of life - art - in the color of the economic rat race and trap that is the workaday world.

An opinion I hold dear is that a creator creates at whim! anytime! anywhere! anyhow!

A free advice: don’t fall into the trap of becoming a slave-type professional. Be a creator genre of professional.

Unlike the slave-professional, the creator-professional weild mastery over his/her creativity and all the processes and materials, including that charlatan of a component of life, time.

And, unlike the slave-professional, the creator-professional works towards high level of production, rather than waiting to sing the irresponsibly ugly songs: “Thank God it’s Friday” (as the work is a slavery and the task-masters of the unsuspecting workers) and “Thank Goodness it’s Payday!” (because they work for the money, and not to create a better world.)

How to Deal with the nightmare that’s the "Writer’s Block"

I am of the opinion that what we call “Writer’s Block” is a misnomer. But, like most words and phrases with which we attempt the communication of our ideas and feelings, and finding them inadequate or odd, yet become stuck with them because majority in the population, particularly of the generations past, use them. Thus, we are condemned to the use of such words and phrases.

As far as I know, there are reasons why a writer may desire to write and find himself or herself unable to. That’s what I know we call ‘Writer’s Block’.

From my experience in writing - and I write a great deal, being a business consultant - whenever I have the feelings of “desiring to write and not able to write” I do the following. I am sure there are other reasons other than the following, but here are the ones known to my experience.

Understand that I have made several assumptions herein. I have assumed you 1) don’t have strenuous financial or economic issues that will force you to invest your attention to 'survival' activities, 2) that your environment is conducive to writing or arting, 3) that you have enough grasps of the language you are to use in your writing, 4) that you have the tools with which to write - pen and paper, a computer or phone with word-processing software, and lastly 5) that you have something to write - a story, an instruction, et al.

One: Never Force Writing, for it is a Natural Phenomenon

I will suspend the effort to write. Writing should be natural, and not forced. If you force your creativity, you are going to produce an unwholesome beast that will disgust even you.

Two: Get onto Another Unrelated Activity

I will start on an activity that’s totally unrelated to writing. I may switch to watching movie, read, communicate with others, or clean the house.

Three: Check Your Organic Machine - Body - for Faults

I will check the condition of my body. Does the body feel okay; no headache, body pain, discomfort, thirst, hunger, desire for any of the innumerable things that the human body always crave? In doing this I sometimes discover that:

1. I might not have eaten or eaten nutritious meal, thus causing the body to feel uncomfortable or bloated and thus uncooperative, rather than nourished, relaxed, and ready to do your bidding.
2. I might not have fed the body with Vitamins, particularly Vitamin B1 plus CalMag. CalMag is a blend of calcium and magnesium. Magnesium enables the body to absorb Calcium, as does Calcium aids Magnesium absorption, as the body does not absorb Calcium or Magnesium just on their own. B1 is the vitamin of the intellectual, writer, and those whose work or play relate to the use of the mind rathan the brawn. A tablet of 100mg of B1 and adequate amount of Cal-Mag daily, taken with meal, is adequate to keep your body, particularly the neuron system, working effectively.

Four: Work, Write; Don't Over Do It, Though

I might be working extra hours, trying to complete a critical assignment; or just completed a difficult task; or just finished some physically tasking activity; and feel I should write.

Sometimes, I get away with it.

Most times, both the mind and the body would become uncooperative, insisting they get 1) rest, 2) nutrition, or 3) space.

Five: Do You Have Enough to Write

I will ask myself “Do I have enough information, motivation, understanding, desire, or need to write whatever I wanted to write?

If the information, motivation, understanding, desire, or need you have is not adequate to deliver the steps of the writing process, one will find it hard to write.

Of course, “Writer’s Block” will be the culprit.

Six: Attend to those 'Present Time Problems'

I might have some ‘issues’ lurking deep within my subconscious. Sometimes, I discovered that I was worried, unhappy, or desirous of something that I consider vital, yet I’m not giving this issue a ‘live’ attention.

Such matters have the nasty habit of sticking to one’s subconscious, debarring any effort at doing anything meaningful, especially of the creative kind, unless one attends to them.

Attending to them may just require a few minutes of paying conscious attention to the issue and devising a solution or schedule to address oneself to them.

These ‘issues’ may be classified as “Present Time Problems”. If one doesn’t address them, they will dress one in despair; and “Writer’s Block” is there to take the blame.

Seven: Uncompleted Cycle of Action Have a Way of Debarring Writing

There is the big and invisible matter of uncompleted cycle of action. When you leave tasks uncompleted, one is bound to have the mind and body, stuck onto those uncompleted tasks, even though one is attempting another task.

This is an enigma kind of situation. Let’s say you were reading and stopped in-between a paragraph with its attendant incomplete understanding of the passages prior.

The mind will remain ‘standing’ there at the point where it was expecting to understand, and should you attempt to get the mind to do anything else, you’ll have an inattentive and uncooperative mind.

There are two things I know that handle this:

One: finish one thing before you get onto another.

Two: say to yourself “I’ll stop here for now and continue at 5.00pm”.

Your mind will disconnect from whatever it was and will be free to attend to another task thereby.

Otherwise, ‘Writer’s Block’…

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Resources for the Author - Part Two