Writer's Block: A Creative Approach

Every once in a while I suffer from writer’s block. Crazy, huh? You can ask 100 authors what they do to fight writer’s block and I’m sure you would receive 100 different responses. Even I wouldn’t answer the question the same each time it’s asked. But my responses would be something like:

• Take a break and watch a movie or television.
• Plow through it – you might write crap – but you can’t edit an empty page.
• Try something like ‘500 Writing Prompts’ to get the juices flowing again.
• Or my personal favorite, write a ridiculous short story.

Yep. You read that right. When I get into a real funk, I conjure one of the most ridiculous stories I can at the moment and write, write, write. They’re usually only 1,500 to 15,000 words. But the premise is so silly that I don’t care about the end result and it gives me the freedom to just write carefree. Sometimes the end product is terrifying. Sometimes it’s mediocre. And every once in a while the story is downright entertaining. I even give myself the freedom to be utterly and politically incorrect, and perhaps even offensive. This is no-bars-hold writing, people. And it works. Don’t believe me – give it a try. My two favorite stories using this method are “Take Me” and “Resisting the Yeti”.

Take Me is a 5,000 word story about Ben Dover. While on a hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, he is jacking off at the edge of a waterfall and discovers several nuns hiding behind a copse of bushes while leering at him. He lures them out by diving down the waterfall into the pond below. Of course they rescue him, and he has a very unique way of saying thank you. This is an erotic short romance. I’m sure you can guess how Ben chooses to show his gratitude. Inappropriate? Oh, hell yes! Offensive? Check! Wrong in more ways that I can count. You bet! But I wrote that short story in record time and laughed the entire time. 

Resisting the Yeti is a 13,000 word short story about a married woman in Tibet. Diki is in a polyamory marriage with brothers Yeshi and Tashi. You’d think her love life was amazing. She thought it would be, too. Trouble is that both of her husbands have small penises. Three inches – and that’s fully erect. Poor girl. So imagine her surprise when she wanders into the Himalayan Mountains to find an herb that will make their dicks grow longer, only to discover a Yeti with a twelve inch cock. Curious? She was a little more than curious … and had to make some pretty big decisions about her life after that experience. Inappropriate? For sure. Offensive? Well, it is beastiality, so probably. Wrong? Oh, hell yes. Diki is married and having sex with a Yeti. But, again, I wrote that short story in record time and cried tears of laughter while writing it. I actually love that story. It is beyond ridiculous, but also so much fun.

So the next time you’re grappling with writer’s block, let go of every single inhibition and rule that you’ve ever learned and write the most ridiculous short story you can think of. You might be pleasantly surprised!