How, What, Why

(6) How to Deal with Writer's Block?

Hello again guys!

First of all, thanks to sorrowedchicc for the question. Kaya naman topic natin sa chapter na ito ay tungkol sa trangkaso ng lahat ng writers, ang writer's block.

There must be a point in your life when you're staring on the screen for too long, trying to write a new update, then you just end up being frustrated because you don't have any idea what to do next. Ang saklap ng pakiramdam no?  'Yong kanina ka pa nakanganga tapos ten words pa lang ang nasulat mo, puro sabaw pa. Kulang na lang maunot na lahat ng buhok mo kaka-stress.

Kung sa tingin mo ay wala na lahat ng artistic touch mo, wala na ang vision mo para sa kwento, o talagang lost ka lang talaga. Aba!  There is a good chance na writer's block nga ang karamdaman mo.

Bago ang lahat ng magical remedy para sa sakit na 'to, ano nga ba ang dahilan ng writer's block?

Para sa 'kin ito ang iilan sa mga dahilan ko:

Time. Karamihan siguro ng mga undiscovered writers ngayon sa wattpad ay hindi talaga sa pagsusulat lang umiikot ang mundo nila. Some may be students trying their luck and expressing their thoughts, some may be working professionals trying to balance out work, home, and their passion towards writing.

The point is, masyado ka nang busy o talagang hindi ka lang talaga makahanap ng oras para magsulat. Kapag may free time ka naman eh, natuyo na ang utak mo at hindi mo na maisulat ang lahat ng ideas mo.

Perfectionism. You can't write an actual working update because you are such a perfectionist (Ehem pinaparinggan ko talaga sarili ko dito eh).

You always put off writing because you feel that this part or that part is not good enough. Kaya naman hindi talaga magfo-flow ang ideas dahil hindi pa nga nasusulat ay binabara mo. You see kaya nga meron tayong drafts. Just write something for now and if you think it's not ready to be seen in public then you can fix it later.

Scared of judgement. Ang mundong ginagalawan natin ay puno ng judgemental people. Kaya naman hindi mo maiwasan na mag-alinlangan dahil baka ma-bash ka o kaya naman madaming mapunang mali sa kwento mo. You constantly fear criticism.

Pero hindi ito ang katapusan ng mundo. You can't please everyone so why not write to please yourself and no one else. Kung may mapuna man ang mga readers mo sayo, just suck it up and take it constructively. Don't limit your ideas because you're afraid to make a mistake. Isulat mo lang. Then you can learn what you need to improve later on.

Lack of inspiration. Ito talaga ang karaniwang daing ng mga writers eh.

Wala akong inspirasyon!

Well hon, if you are going to wait for that so called inspiration to hit you, wala ka talagang matatapos. Kung walang inspirasyon gumawa ka ng sarili mo. Craft different stories from mundane things.

Gawin mong inspirasyon ang nakatambak na hugasin sa lalabo, ang mainggay na magbabalot tuwing madaling araw, ang patay na buhok ng terror niyong teacher, ang traffic na laging sagabal sa pag-uwi mo kaya hindi ka na makanood ng PBA.

Seriously some million dollar ideas are born during a long shower, a giggle of a toddler or an apple falling from a tree. Don't wait up for that dramatic sign to hit your face. Look for it.

Sa ngayon siguro ay alam niyo na ang dahilan ng sakit na writer's block. Pero wala bang p'wedeng ireseta para panglunas o 'di kaya ay supplement para maiwasan ito?

I came up with my personal list of my go-to solutions for severe writer's block.

●Rest

You've been too hard on yourself. Take a moment away from your computer or your phone and get some sleep. Mga beks, hindi tayo makakapagsulat ng maayos kapag dugyot 'di ba?  Make sure that you have enough rest.

●Do something creative

Take your mind off the pressure first. Try to do something out of passion like drawing or making paper cranes. It will help you regain that artistic vision that you so struggle to find.

●Exercise

Ok, aminin na natin may mga times talaga na wala ka ng gana sa life at isa kang full pledge couch potato. Kasi nga frustrated ka na talaga. Get some exercise kahit paunti-unti lang. It helps with your blood circulation. Syempre kailangan maganda ang daloy ng dugo sa utak natin kapag nagsusulat para iwas sa sabaw updates.

●Talk to someone

I think this helps a lot. Hindi naman necessary na jowa na agad ang chikahin mo. Kung walang love life, strict ang parents, or acads/work is life p'wede ka pa rin naman mag-share sa ibang significant person. You can always talk to an old friend, a sibling, or maybe a fellow writer. Sometimes you can also get honest insights that will somehow trigger you to write.

●Get up

If you stay in bed all day you will have  a lesser chance to be productive. Kapag ang workspace mo ay sleeping space mo rin, mahirap talaga mag-conjure ng ideas. Take a walk or get some fresh air.

●Eliminate distractions

As much as possible, kapag nagsusulat ka magsulat ka lang. 'Wag na muna mag-facebook, 'wag na muna mag-twitter, sabihan mo muna jowa mo na, "Love mamaya ka na mag-send ng selfie mong cute kasi nagtatrabaho pa ako." Make it a habit to have a professional work ethic in everything you do. Kasi nga, "You can't serve two masters at once." Dedicate a time for writing and writing alone.

●Have coffee

I swear kakaiba talaga ang kapangyarihan na mabibigay sayo ng kape. Mas maganda pa paglalabas ka at magkakape kasama jowa mo kasi 'di ba libre. Joke 'wag tularan. Any way,  I like having coffee especially when I'm conceptualizing. Para kasi sa 'kin nakaka-hyped. It's one of the simple pleasures I enjoy and for me it is somehow inspiring. Mas inspiring talaga kapag libre ang kape tapos may sukbit kang jowa mong financer. Hahahaha 'wag tularan. Very bad.

●Listen to music

We all love music especially if it's by our favorite artists. Minsan din matutulungan ka mag-relax or mag-set ng mood. Baka sakaling ma-inspire ka 'di ba.

●Make it a habit

Ugaliin mo magsulat. Maglaan ka ng araw at oras para rito. Sabi nga nila, kung mahal mo ang isang bagay bibigyan mo talaga ng oras. For example, kunwari bawat Sabado ng umaga magsusulat ka ng dalawang oras. Saka ka lang manonood ng K-drama kapag tapos na ang schedule mo sa pagsusulat. Make it a routine. Kahit wala pa gaanong structure ang sinusulat mo p'wede ka naman mag free write at ayusin mo sa susunod na schedule.

●Try to look back

Balikan mo ang mga huling sinulat mo o 'di kaya ay balikan mo ang orginal plot outline. In this way, you can identify where you stopped and think about how to start a new update. Makakaiwas ka rin sa lost moments dahil dito.

●Read

Read anything. Read everything. As a writer,  your job is to tell stories about life, people and the world. Ngayon kung talagang napiga mo na ang utak mo at wala talaga, maybe it's time to refuel your word bank and widen your horizon again.

One cannot give what one doesn't have. We write what we know. We write what we believe in. Ngayon kung naubusan ka na ng kaalamang maibabahagi, karanasan na maikukwento, paniniwala na masasabi, magbasa ka. Pero huwag ka mangopya. Reading materials are mediums for learning. They are not an excuse for copying.

Hindi naman talaga biro ang magsulat. Writer's block can sometimes be just a state of mind. Kailangan lang kahit anong atake ng katamaran dapat mas mataas pa rin ang will na magsulat.

I hope this helped. Good luck guys!

Keep writing!

Love,
DYOSA