WRITER'S BLOCK
My mind is racing at 100 miles per hour, but I can’t seem to put anything sensible on the page. Only ramblings about different things and thoughts that I want to write about, which lasts for two or three sentences, but that’s it. This is one of those days, one of those times that I struggle to express anything clearly for a whole page.
My previous post was with the Actifit App. I was able to use the “POST TO STEEM” button, but the photo I took did not upload properly, so I was a little disappointed. So it goes. There’s a first time for everything and mistakes usually crop up with inexperience and lack of inspiration. I know that the learning curve will take care of it and just do my job in this situation, which is to continue learning from the mistakes I make.
I’m struggling to make any meaningful commentary on George Floyd’s death and the aftermath it has caused; partly, because I live half-way around the globe, partly because I don’t know enough about it and the Black Lives Matter movement. I googled to find out more, but it didn’t help. Sometimes, too much information is counter-productive. I stopped. the information overload is too much.
SEARCHING FOR SUCCESS
After a couple of months of trying out the HIVE platform and learning the ins and outs of blogging in a blockchain setting, I’ve developed a personal opinion of how to become successful here. So far, here’s my list:
- WORK, WORK, WORK...
Blogging equals hard work. It involves a lot of things that an aspiring blogger/content creator must possess to be successful. As I’ve learned from experienced people here on the HIVE platform, one needs to be good at a number of skills to become successful. Be consistent and develop a rhythm, which I’ve tried to do. - MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT AND CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE
There is a world of difference between a canned comment and a sincere thought you leave behind when you visit a blog post. Saying ‘nice post’ is different from commenting on something that really caught your eye or connected with you on a deeper level. I’m not exempt from this flaw as I left behind a few canned comments and then some. But, like in the real world, being authentic makes a world of difference when one connects with another human being.
CONCLUSION
I’ve almost reached the end of my post and would like to add two before wrapping up.
Pause.
Rest is one of the greatest tools that a writer/blogger/content creative can possibly use. Get up from your chair and walk, get yourself a cup of coffee and a snack, look out the window and observe the world outside, whatever works for you.
I have discovered that a powernap rejuvenates both the body and mind to be ready when you go back to your writing space and begin to write.
Talk to people. This takes my mind away from writing. Even if I discuss writing with writer-friends, it still takes me away from my current writing project.
Meditation and prayer helps if that is your thing. Oftentimes, I just find myself closing my eyes and just being aware of my breathing going in and out and this calms me down. Sometimes, I say a little prayer or remember a quote that inspired me and this helps.
Just write! Swoosh…
Nike said it already: just do it! In all my years of writing, I have not found a better way to battle with writers’ block than to just write. When faced with a blank page, a blank canvass: just write.
Freewrite! Write the grocery list, what you had for dinner, what resto food you are craving, what makes you happy or sad, how wonderful your pet is, your pet peeve, your lovely wife and children, anything just to get the creative juices flowing.
So, I will end here. Thanks for reading through my long-winded morning ramblings about some of the things that I am pondering on at the moment.
It is my hope that sharing this experience about my writer's block helps you overcome it. If you have specific techniques or practice anything that helps you overcome this hurdle, please share it here. It will be greatly appreciated and might help those of us with the same problem.
That’s it for now. Keep safe everyone!