A.A. Milne was onto something when he gave Winnie the Pooh his own "thinking place." Everyone has their own places (or routines) which make thoughts come more easily. Thinking places may be different for everyone, but time after time I hear other writers mention that their thoughts flow freely in many similar places.
For most writers, the best thinking place is not sitting in front of a blank computer screen with the pressure of a deadline (personal or professional) looming overhead. For me, staring at a blank text document is one of the best way to bring on writer's block, or at least what I more commonly think of as "writer's slowdown."
During writer's slowdown my words aren't necessarily blocked, they are just trickling out of my mind at the speed of molasses in January--and they are exactly that cliched. Trying to write without inspiration is frustrating, but it's something that every freelance writer has to do from time to time. Quick turnarounds don't always allow time for inspiration to strike. And, let's face it, some assignments just aren't going to spark your interest.
Instead of turning down paying work or procrastinating your way into a rushed and subpar article, it often helps to step away from the computer and find a thinking place.
In my experience, the best thinking places are those that keep you physically busy while safely letting your mind wander. A key word here is safely, so driving your car is not the best thinking place; you don't want to risk injuring yourself or others just to get your ideas flowing.
When I'm having trouble finding inspiration, I spend some time researching the topic and then take a break from the computer. Instead of purposefully sitting down to think, I just go about my day. After certain tasks, I'm inevitably ready to get back to the keyboard.
Here are some of my best thinking spots (or activities):
1. The shower -- Whether it's the relaxing warm water or the invigorating smells of soap and shampoo, there's something about a nice hot shower that always seems to get my thoughts flowing.
2. The treadmill -- If I avoid turning on the TV, the treadmill is an excellent place to let ideas percolate. Music helps me pick up the pace, but it can distract my thoughts. If I'm looking for inspiration, I turn off the iPod, or switch to instrumental albums (e.g. Prodigy, or some upbeat big band).
3. Housework -- Folding laundry, vacuuming, dusting, and unloading/loading the dishwasher are all activities that let my mind wander enough to come up with an interesting perspective on a topic that has me stumped.
4. Drawing or journaling -- Okay, journaling may not seem like walking away from writing, but it is if you just free write. When having trouble writing, my journaling inevitably starts with something like: "I don't know what to write. I have to write about ______ and I don't want to. ______ is stupid. What is there to say about ______?" But eventually the rambling sparks an idea.
The danger in using a thinking place is in letting your break turn into an excuse to procrastinate. A thinking place or activity is only good if it actually helps you sort out your thoughts and get back to writing.
Taking a break shouldn't involve time-wasters that turn off your brain. I sometimes like to tell myself that a few rounds of Tetris will clear my mind, but experience has shown that Tetris only sucks hours from my day and does nothing to snap me out of a writing slowdown.
Here are some tempting procrastination traps to avoid when writing:
1. Web surfing -- There is a difference between online research and randomly surfing the web. Unfortunately, the Internet is full of distractions, even when you are legitimately researching. To keep from being sidetracked, open an interesting article in a new tab and let reading it become a reward for after you finish your work. (Chances are it won't be so interesting when your work is done anyway.)
2. Online (or iPhone) games -- The Tetris example above goes for all online or iPhone games. Angry Birds is not going to give you ideas for writing articles (unless your article is a review of Angry Birds). Same goes for video games on any platform.
3. Blogging (or other personal writing) -- This is different than free-thought journaling. Blogging or working on a novel or short story has it's own purpose. If a nagging idea for your blog or creative writing is getting in the way, it might help to work on it first. But there's also a good chance that you'll write until you've exhausted your creative energy, and won't feel like working on your freelance work when you're done.
Writing is a creative process. Sometimes you're in the zone; sometimes you're not. But when you have deadlines, you don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike.
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