I often stop myself from writing something because I’ve written about the topic previously. This piece just shifted my thinking on that. Seems obvious now that you’ve said it, but it just landed for me in a new way.
There are ideas I cycle back to, like your “blocks.” But I find much more material by being out in the world. I notice things. Then I notice how seemingly unrelated ideas fit together. I juggle them around and fit these pieces together, and there’s a new idea.
This is how I describe the process: An oblique idea comes crashing in at an angle and blows up the old concept, like atoms smashing in a cyclotron.
Last winter, I noticed the sky was a peculiar color The oblique idea was "purple NECCO wafers." The sky was that color. That insight gave me an opportunity to riff on NECCO wafers, their history and the colors and the flavors, and them bring in some other candy … it just kept building.
I never have writer’s block. There’s so much material out there. Just notice.
I used to think I had writer's block, but reading this made me realize I was actually just paralyzed by perfectionism. I'd sit there convincing myself I had "nothing to say" when really I was rejecting every idea that wasn't completely groundbreaking. The pressure to be original every single time kept me stuck way longer than any actual lack of ideas ever did.
I often stop myself from writing something because I’ve written about the topic previously. This piece just shifted my thinking on that. Seems obvious now that you’ve said it, but it just landed for me in a new way.
Glad it resonated
There are ideas I cycle back to, like your “blocks.” But I find much more material by being out in the world. I notice things. Then I notice how seemingly unrelated ideas fit together. I juggle them around and fit these pieces together, and there’s a new idea.
This is how I describe the process: An oblique idea comes crashing in at an angle and blows up the old concept, like atoms smashing in a cyclotron.
Last winter, I noticed the sky was a peculiar color The oblique idea was "purple NECCO wafers." The sky was that color. That insight gave me an opportunity to riff on NECCO wafers, their history and the colors and the flavors, and them bring in some other candy … it just kept building.
I never have writer’s block. There’s so much material out there. Just notice.
Thanks, Fran.
I used to think I had writer's block, but reading this made me realize I was actually just paralyzed by perfectionism. I'd sit there convincing myself I had "nothing to say" when really I was rejecting every idea that wasn't completely groundbreaking. The pressure to be original every single time kept me stuck way longer than any actual lack of ideas ever did.