Please! Climb down from there and WRITE!

If you're a writer, there's no question about it. 

The true question, perhaps too often asked, is not, "Am I a writer?" but "Why don't I write?" 

Only a writer asks that question!  If you're asking it, you're a writer. 

But, but, but, you say.  How can I claim to be a writer when I'm stalled?  I haven’t written anything in (fill in the blank – days, months, eons).  

Cue the shrieking from Psycho! 

I'm non-productive!  Wait for it – the "B" word of the writer's world - I'm BLOCKED! 

Well, no.  You're not.  And here's how you can tell:  Write something. 

OK.  It's dross.  It's dregs.  It’s…what's a nicer word for 'crap'?  

The nicer word is 'words.'  How about 'brainstorming'?  Or '1st draft'?  That crap is words on the page.  It’s a start.   

If you're above writing the crap first, you have strayed onto that fork in the dark, forested landscape of a writer's mind that leads to the cul-de-sac of mental turmoil, frustration, dismay, self-loathing and cliche`. 

But you wouldn't be there if you weren't a writer. 

And, if you weren't a writer, not writing wouldn't bother you.   

So turn around and go toward the light.  You’ll feel so much better. 

Get off it Dream Writers, and WRITE!

Formalize Your Brain's Storm

If you're looking for ideas and decide to brainstorm, do it right.

There's a wrong way to brainstorm?  Well, no, probably not.  But too often we give brainstorming short shrift. 

We do a mental brainstorm and call it done.  Maybe it yields fertile ground for that article, or your next chapter.  Maybe not.

To get the full benefit of your brainstorm, write it down.  It's not a bad idea to write it on the screen on that blank document that's been staring you down. 

Go ahead.  Start writing.  Hit "enter" after every idea.  Let Word remind you these aren't complete sentences.  Just do it.

In a true brainstorm, no idea is rejected.  Write every one of them, the stupid ones, the unrelated ones, the ones you'll never use. 

Recently, while trying to get started on an article about the new Google goggles, I tried to imagine what they might display right in front of your eyes while you walked around.  Here's the list I brainstormed:

weather reports
traffice reports
text ban (huh? what's that have to do with data display?)
google ban (ditto)
political updates
movie trailers
Avengers
text zombie
Google zombie (I made that up!)
yellow pages
Yelp
Craig's list
Angie's list
Wikipedia
security cams

I loved the idea of the texting zombie I'd seen in a public service announcement about the danger of texting and driving.  "Google zombie" just sounded funny.  I wanted to go there.

I used only a couple of the items from the brainstorm, but I'm certain the act of writing them all helped get my fingers flying.  I was on my way with 700 words for my weekly column in the local newspaper.  Check it out at www.thinkdreamplay.blogspot.com

How does brainstorming work for you?  Let me know ~ and Write, Dream Writers!