Posting my draft version of Project 2 speech of Competent Communication Manual (Toastmasters). I'm a part of Smedley's Speakers Society and we meet every Sunday mornings.
Last thursday evening while I was
travelling in the bus back home. The weather inspired me, I had the
biggest urge to write.I took out my small notepad,flipped over to a
new page and began to write in bold letters,"SPLENDID SHOWERS".
Stared at the words long enough to scratch them. Not poetic enough.
"The rapid raindrops awaken my mind". Scratched the line.
Not original enough.After dinner, I sat up all night ,trying to draw
inspiration from the silence,but uunfortunately it silenced my mind
further.
Good morning fellow toastmasters and
guests,if you havent already guessed I was suffering from a mild form
of WRITERS BLOCK.A writers block is a condition faced by writers,in
which he loses the ability to produce new work,in my present
context,it was just a temporary inability of free creative thought
flow.There are many reasons why writers and the like face this
issue.Many famous writers have also faced this issue. One of the authors I admire,Scott Fitzgerald,of the "the Great Gatsby" fame,suffered from a Writers' block once,that he was threatened to abandon writing. I'm glad he didn't. But in my simple context,I concluded
that there were two specific reasons why I was facing this issue.
First, clearly the well is empty.My right brain is plain dead!It had
been so dormant for such a long time,that it fails to get the neurons
working in a creative way . With work and technical jargon eating up all my brain
space,I hardly have the time to indulge in something creative,
romantic, inspirational,motivational.Secondly,I was losing faith in
the process. When no creative juices are flowing,should I really
spend this valuable time in writing?Maybe I could get some work done
or learn up on the next big technology.Do I need to probe my brain
for poetic language ,allegories and similies.
But I was determined to write,it had
been a long time since I poured out my compositions onto paper.Over
the next two days,I tried many ways to stimulate my brain. I found
three effective ways,which I would like to share. In short, TRY!
- Talk to others – Talk to other writers,poets,creative people. Have a healthy conversation,exchange of ideas,opnions.Learn about experiences,talk about the block itself.One brilliant example is TOASTMASTERS. After every sunday session,I feel enrinched and inspired ,after conversing and listening to so many highly creative and inspirational people. It expands my brain.
- Remind yourself why you started writing in the first place - I did a small exercise of reading my older blog posts and it filled my heart with joy . It helped me boost my self-confidence. I had a rush of feelings of how it is to produce something your own,original,form your thoughts. So,remind yourself of why you started writing in the first place.
- Your new habit – We all have some many ideas brewing up inside our heads. Francis Bacon, an author and a great man said, "Write down the thoughts of the moment.Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable ". So, carry a small notepad or even type down in your phones. Any trivial idea,anything that catches your attention.
When your faced with a
block, just TRY. .
These three methods proved effective
for me. I finally had a poem by Saturday. If I may, Could I share it
with all of you.
*The Doors are Jammed *- I recited the poem I had written. Refer to previous Blog posts. :)
Go ahead then. Don't get stuck. In the words of William Wordsworth's , "Fill your paper with the breathing's of your heart".
