Prompt #30!!

I am en route to a playwriting retreat in Lake Arrowhead (!!!) and hope to return with lots of prompts to share with you all! This is perfect timing for some isolated writing time as I finish up this reset process. I encourage you to block off some time for your creativity in the future!

Today’s prompt, like last week, is more journaling than creative writing! But it’s to prepare us for creative writing, so it’s worth it!

If you were with us last week, you now have an idea of what mental state and environment you write best in and how you can get there. This week is all about clearing cobwebs or blocks, to make way for the good stuff to come.

Your Blocks:

For a few minutes, reflect on what it looks like when you feel blocked. How does it feel in your brain and your body? Brain fog? A heaviness? Think about a few times when this has happened to you. Were there any common denominators? Circumstantial commonalities between all of them? For me, it’s stress. It’s very hard for me to turn my brain off if I have a massive to-do list to focus on writing, especially revisions. Try to get to the root of the problem for you. Write a list of the “Blocks” you come up with.

Clear a Path:

Now, address those blocks one by one and brainstorm ways to alleviate them. This may take some googling.

I’ll give you an example for me. I have a worry jar on my desk and beside my bed. If I am preoccupied with to-dos, I write them down and lock them in my jar. It may seem silly, but at least I know I won’t forget what’s on my mind; I know exactly where to find it when it’s time to worry about those things again. If I vent my thoughts onto a piece of paper and stick it in there, I feel unburdened and more able to focus. Another example is that I sometimes feel stuck when I can’t see my whole project simultaneously. The laptop screens are too small. If I print it out (sorry, earth!) and lay everything out on my floor, it works like a charm. That’s just one example!

For you, it could mean going for a walk, hugging your dog, or downing some whiskey if you’re Ernest Hemingway. Whatever you gotta do to clear those roadblocks, that’s your business. But make sure to add these ideas to your Menu from last week! That way, in the future, you’re not scrambling, wondering what to do when you feel blocked; you have a list of ideas to get you started.

I’m watching Bridgerton S3 Pt.2 obviously.

I’m reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer still because it is very long!!

I’m listening to American Theater Magazine podcasts and thinking about the Tony Awards. :)

Yay! Now you have a finished writing menu! I audit my menu whenever I feel like I’m in a writing rut. I hope this is helpful for you! See ya next week :)