A bit grim, yes. But for anybody who has experienced a prolonged case of blank page syndrome, the word “grim” pretty much sums it up! 

Writer’s block might sound like an intellectual problem. And for some, perhaps it is. Perhaps doing some research or re-reading their work or talking to a mentor will help unstick them. 

But for many, writer’s block is an emotional hurdle. There is a taproot of self-doubt, perfectionism, or fear that is holding them back from moving forward. 

Getting in touch with your spirituality, if that’s something you’re into or open to exploring, is a great way to better understand the root of your block and how you might begin to overcome it. 

I have eight quick tips that will help you journey within to diagnose what’s happening on the page. Through these methods, you’ll learn about yourself, look at your story and writing through a different lens, and maybe even have a little fun along the way. 

Idea 1: Do a tarot reading. 

If you’re already the owner of a tarot or oracle card deck, this is always my first go-to solution for getting an “outside” opinion or shaking new ideas loose. Tarot cards are a great hands-on, visual, tactile tool that can help you get out of your head. 

When it comes to writer’s block and tarot cards, you can try a few different things. 

• Trying to solve a “simple” writing problem? Draw just one card. Ask the deck for help with a specific scene or challenge and see what it has to say. 
• Stuck in the re-writing loop and not making much forward progress? Do a three card spread. Card 1 can represent where the book starts. Card 2 where it is now. And Card 3 where it needs to go. See how you feel about the responses you get. 
• If you’re really struggling, you may want to ask less questions about your book and more about yourself. This is where the Celtic Cross tarot spread might come in handy. Ask the deck for guidance on your writing goals or creative pursuits. Journal about what comes up and what you may need to do some deeper healing around so you can move forward with more ease and confidence. 

You can read more about writing and tarot cards here if you’d like to dive deeper. 

Idea 2: See what astrology has to say about your creative potential. 

Astrology is a great way to explore different aspects of yourself and how you show up in the world. From love to career, money to faith, there is so much to explore within the depths of your birth chart. 

Including your relationship to writing, creativity, and self-expression. 

For the astrologically inclined, taking a look at your birth chart and the current sky can give you new insights into the root of your block and how you might go about transcending. 

Keep an eye out for: 

• Your Mercury placement. Mercury is the planet of writing, communication, and ideas. Knowing where Mercury lies and what planets make contact with it will help you diagnose if your writing process might be partly to blame for your current lack of inspo. You can think of this as your writing personality. For example, my Mercury is in Virgo. I require structure and order and steps and plans. Pantsing is a path to nowhere for me (you can see my first, unfinished, novel attempt for proof). 
• What’s going on in your third house. Your third house is the space in your chart that rules writing, communication, and ideas. You can think of this as your metaphorical writing desk or office. Some people write best or get inspired when surrounded by others. Others write best when their desk is clean and clutterless. Others need an office filled with magnificent works of art. I have a Capricorn third house. I need structure and stability, a kind of well that I can pour all my ideas into. Otherwise, they just spill out, uncaptured. See what sign your third house is for clues on what might help you. 

Learn more about astrology and writing here.  

Idea 3: Look into your Gene Keys. 

While tarot and astrology are more well-known esoteric modalities, Gene Keys might be something you haven’t heard of yet. As long as you have your birth information, they are super easy to pull and you don’t have to know anything to get insights from your report right away! 

The Gene Keys combine elements of human design, the I Ching, astrology, and spiritual teachings. So it’s a kind of multi-faceted framework for personal growth, self-discovery, and understanding one’s life path.

This is one of those explorations that can be fun and get your mind off the blank page. It’s pretty “woo”, so perhaps more for the spiritually adventurous and open-minded. You can pull your free profile here. 

What might you come to understand? Your free profile will detail what you’re here to learn, what you’re here to do, what keeps you healthy, and what fulfills you. For me, my “genius” lies not in achievement but in flow. When I get over-fixated on the outcome (aka getting published) I lose my way in the actual joy and flow of writing. Writing becomes a chore. And just ask my husband…I do not put a lot of effort into chores. 

Idea 4: Do a fire ritual during a full moon.

If you love to track the lunar cycle, use it to your advantage when you have writer’s block! Full moons are a time of completion, the moment when one cycle is fulfilled and ready to be let go of. 

Thus, it is a great time releasing old patterns and ways of being. For you, that might be letting go of writer’s block itself. Or it might be the fear of failure from which your writer’s block has sprung. Regardless, a full moon fire ritual might be just what you need to metaphorically and spiritually release the block that is holding you back. 

All you need to do is journal (on real paper) about what you’d like to let go of. This can be in the form of a normal journal entry, a list of words or feelings, or even a poem. Tear up your piece of paper. Put the torn pieces into a fireproof bowl or pot, and drop a match into the bowl. Let it burn. Once the fire goes out, see if there is anything left over. The words or phrases that didn’t burn may have something to teach you about what you’re struggling to let go of. (I once had just the word “anger” remaining).

In Conclusion

Don’t beat yourself up about writer’s block. There are so many reasons it can strike. Opening yourself up to new tools, from the mystical to the mundane, can give you more resources in which to beat it. And understand yourself better in the process. 

Ashley Christiano is a fantasy writer, experienced tarot reader, and professional astrologer based in Los Angeles. As The Novel Mystic, she combines the power of astrology, tarot, and creative writing to empower women, educate the astro-curious, and inspire her own storytelling. You can find her on her website to learn more or get your own reading.

The post Transcending Writer’s Block: Spiritual Approaches to Reconnect, Part 1 appeared first on DIY MFA.

If you thought, at Worldly Wise I am just going to drop prompts for you to choose from, you haven’t been paying attention to how we do things here. Or maybe you are new. In which case, Welcome! Here, we empower ourselves with the skills to see the stories in our heads to the finish line.

Brace yourself to go on an adventure to produce writing prompts we can place in the great category. Shall we begin?

As Speculative Fiction writers, it is not alien to us to think of “what if” questions. That is usually what sparks the idea and takes us on our writing journey. But what if no “what if” question pops into our head? 

Here are 4 ways you can manifest writing prompts out of thin air. Remember, the only skill you need is learning to let your mind roam free.

Spotify Playlist

Take a Spotify playlist, and put it on shuffle and take the first four songs that come up. Now, answer these three questions for me: 1. Who is your main character? That is your first song. 2. What do they want? That is your second song. 3. What is their obstacle? That is your third song. And finally, top it off with a “what if” question that comes to your mind, while listening to the fourth song.

The best thing about producing story ideas this way is that you can hit that shuffle button as many times as you want. What were your first four songs?

What’s on the News Today?

You don’t need a newspaper for this, but if you have one at hand, even better. Flip open a random page or hop over to Google News. Find the news that stands out to you the most. 

Now write a story about what if that news were to crossover with your favorite speculative fiction trope?

Not sure what speculative fiction tropes are? Think alien invasion, abandoned cities, ghost stories, steampunk, dystopia, utopia, superhero tales, post-apocalypse, etc. 

Search for what speculative fiction trope gets your creative juices flowing and mix it up with the news that stands out to you the most.

People Watching 

People watching is not something new. All you have to do is get out of your home and take a walk. Look at people, and the environment around them, and listen to what they’re saying. 

Let’s switch it up a little. Instead of looking at people, why don’t you take a peek at their shadows? Yes, their literal shadows.

Our brain tries to compensate for missing information in a heartbeat. Often when the shadows of two or more objects and/or people overlap, our brain does this amazing thing of giving it a definite shape. Remember how we used to make bird shapes on walls using the shadows of our hands? Just like that. 

When you are people watching and their shadows do something interesting, what is the first idea that pops in your head? Maybe that could be the beginning of your great writing prompt?

Redo the Past 

We’re all guilty of doing this—regretting that one thing in our past. You know your regrets, maybe your loved ones have shared their regrets too. 

How about we write a story where we can do just what we want to happen in our past? I’m not hinting at writing a time travel journey, though that might be cool too. 

I’m talking about taking the “I wish I had done x” and doing it in your story. What if you had done x? How different would your life be? Not only does this open a whole box of ideas, but it is also quite cathartic to get that regret off your chest.

Once again, you can top it off with your favorite speculative fiction trope. Maybe the plot twist is indeed the alien invasion you’ve been dying to write!

Here’s the best thing about writing speculative fiction: The sky’s the limit. 

Can you honestly say that there is an end to the “what if” questions? I know it isn’t for me. If you look for inspiration it can be found even in the creases of your bedsheet. Just open your eyes to the world of speculation and next time we meet, let’s talk about what entry hooks work best in our genre. Until then!

Tell us in the comments: Which of these writing prompts are you going to use first?

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what to write next. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

The post Ready… Set… Writing Prompts! appeared first on DIY MFA.

We talk about getting back into the “flow,” feeling like an idea dries up, sometimes that creativity rushes and overwhelms, or drip-drip-drips when we want it to gush. Instinctually, we seem to realize that creativity, and expressing that creativity, is as essential to our wellbeing as water is to our bodies. Sometimes facing blocks is best-done head-on. For me, getting to the root of the problem is quickest when I come at it sideways.

Lucky for us—I have read (or am reading) two books that will open our minds and blast open our blocks, if you are brave enough to join me. Are we ready to be brave? Excellent. 

Creativity Is Mysterious

First, I will admit that creativity’s source is mysterious. Like water, it feels like it is all around us in the air we breathe and buried in the ground we walk on. Creativity can feel like it is only reliably accessible to a select few who know where to dig or who know when it will rain and are in the right place at the right time.

Poppycock and fiddlesticks. Creativity is open for all. And those doors never shut.

Second, I will also admit it’s possible that reading about writer’s block is another form of procrastination. 

BUT…these books I am recommending aren’t writing craft books. 

There is a good reason for that. I don’t go looking for books that will help me with writer’s block because I refuse to admit there is a problem. That is the first step to recovery, right? Completely refuse to admit there is an issue? No? Well, it’s my first (and only) step. Huzzah for denial! Works all the time! (Kids don’t try denial without adult supervision.)

Usually what happens is I am reading a book for some other reason—like I think it might help me deal with my anxiety about the future, or it seems interesting. Honestly, there doesn’t need to be a reason except I liked the book jacket. (I DO judge books by their covers!)

Those books are the ones that end up unlocking creativity knots I didn’t even know I had, and that is exactly what happened with the two books I am about to tell you about.

“Every now and then one’s mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Future Forecasting for Combating Writer’s Block

Stretching our minds is going to be so much fun! 

Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything – Even Things that Seem Impossible Today by Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonigal is a future forecaster and game designer. I am already so intrigued, flipping over and reading the side flap.

I am about a third of the way through, and doing her “future imagining” exercises sounds terrifying after the last two years we’ve had, but it has unlocked a blind spot in my creativity I didn’t even know was there. McGonigal mentions these exercises help with creativity, but, honestly, I scoffed at it. 

I am not scoffing anymore. No scoffs! 

I have had three vivid dreams since I started these imagination exercises. Dreams in which I was an ancient Sumerian King fighting for his doomed kingdom, a small girl in India pitched against a global corporation, and finally, last night, I dreamed I was satisfied with everything in my life and utterly content. (Crazy right!?)

In completing the future scenario exercises, something has worked loose deep in my subconscious. There is something wonderful about tapping into your creativity while not thinking about writing. I used to paint when I was stuck on a plot point or scene, and now I know why. I needed to dip into that creativity well from another angle. Einstein used to play his violin. 

How Neuropsychology Is Catching up to Buddhism

You don’t have to be a Buddhist or a neuropsychologist to read book number two. The brief chapters are written in an easygoing style that is both straightforward and fascinating. 

No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism by Chris Niebauer

Full disclosure: I have listened to this book about 4 times. There was such relief and joy in the support of right-brain thinking and a call for creativity that I felt bolstered and lifted as a creative when I read this book. 

Western society puts so much pressure on creatives needing to make money to be taken seriously, as if the art itself wasn’t the entire point. These judgments are left-brain perceptions. 

The premise of this book, that the “self” is in fact a myth created by our judging, pattern-seeking left brain, seems radical, nonsensical even. And so, I love this book. 

In the end, it isn’t whether the author’s premise is something I agree with or, frankly, even really understand. It’s the idea of my “self” as a concept I made up to explain the world has opened my mind.

Thomas Dewar said it best: “Minds are like parachutes – they only function when open.”

Open Minds, Defeat Writer’s Block

I encourage you to open your mind, open your heart, and see what happens to your creativity. 

This is a trigger warning for many people: you may have been told that opening your mind is dangerous. I can assure you from experience that this is not the case. 

You will not be lost if you are brave. You might be alone for a little while, but you won’t lose anything except that writer’s block. Keep learning, keep questioning, and stay curious. 

Be curious about your blocks, and come at them sideways with a book like the two above.

Is there a book that has pushed the boundaries of reality for you? A book that made you question yourself and your role in the world? If so, how did that affect your writing? Please tell me all about it and I will add them to my TBR list!

Tell us in the comments: What books have helped you break out of your writer’s block?

Angela Yeh is an East Coast Canadian native that lives and works in the great state of Texas. Angela is a black belt wanna-be who loves to garden, write about magic, and eat cake. She is the proud author of her debut YA fantasy novel, A Phoenix Rises, a finalist in the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for YA for 2021. She lives with her husband, two lovely human children, and three cranky fur babies. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram or on her website.

The post Unlocking Writer’s Block Sideways appeared first on DIY MFA.

The advice I’ve heard across all writing groups is to write each day with a small goal to get back in sync. Shane Doan, captain of the NHL Coyotes, was unexpectedly told he would no longer play for the team. He got through the following difficult days by sticking to his routine of making his bed every morning. No matter what else happened, he knew he accomplished one thing each day.

I teach Yang style Tai Chi with 24 forms, which are groupings of steps. If I taught all 24 forms at once, my students would feel frustrated and lost. Instead, I teach one form at a time, breaking each step into moving the arms and the feet. When I see that my students feel confident in one form, I move on to the next. It takes time, but with these small steps everyone progresses in learning the entire sequence.

I look to nature to avoid FOMO (Fear of Missing Out” with writing projects. Trees start as a seed, then send up shoots as a sapling. Layer by layer, they build strong trunks. Branches and leaves grow in proportion to the trunk and roots at the tree’s pace. 

Hummingbirds don’t think of all the pollinators they need to visit each day for nutrients. They only focus on the flight to the next flower they have memorized on their route.

Here are my approaches for getting your writing back on track:

Build a Creative Scene One Brick at a Time

Composer Eric Whitacre uses a creative process in songwriting called the golden brick. Eric felt he had something really important to express but couldn’t get there when thinking of a full score. Looking at the entire composition paralyzed his process. 

So he intentionally chose only five notes to compose a phrase. Solving the puzzle with this constraint opened the door to the next step. He then created a new brick of just five notes, building each brick until he had an entire composition.

Try writing a description with a limited number of words. This could be the characteristics of a creature, details of an important clue, or features of a historical object. The key is to keep it small. 

Draw a Picture Grid

As an artist, I like to use a picture grid when drawing a complex object. This exercise helps you take in the small details right in front of you. You only look at the one detail in the one square.

It is easy to do, even if you don’t think of yourself as an artist.

1. Choose an organic shape to draw. For this exercise, I chose a leaf.
2. Draw a grid of even-sized squares.
3. Match each section of the grid with what you see in that same section of your object. Only look at that one section. Draw what you see in one square.
4. Fill in one section at a time until the drawing is complete.

This is a great exercise for anyone overwhelmed with world-building. Instead of trying to draw the entire map, focus on just one square. Is there a forest there? A desert? A path? When you’ve filled in that square, start an adjacent one. In time, you will fill in the complete picture.

Create a Timed Soundtrack

Part of DIY MFA’s virtual writer’s retreat included themed soundtracks. Each soundtrack was timed to be exactly 30 minutes. Initially, I was drawn to the ambiance of the background sounds. Later, I found that I was more productive during that time constraint.

While listening to an ambient track, I know I have a limited amount of time. My focus sharpens and I get right to the point. Time flies by and I have to remind myself that when the music stops, it’s time to take a break.

Create a timed soundtrack that works for you, whether songs or ambient sounds. 

Or set a timer if you work better in silence. 

The important thing is to give yourself that time limit to stay focused while honoring the parameters of your well-being.

An Inspirational Book about Getting Back on Track

One of my favorite inspirational books is The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. This charming winner of the John Burroughs Medal grew from the author’s observation of a snail on a violet plant while bedridden with illness. 

With her heightened senses she could not tolerate anything above a whisper. But she could hear the snail eating, and from her bed she could track what the snail did each day, matching her pace of living.

One snail led to more snails, reference books on snails, and eventually the book she wrote about snails. It was a sequence of small events that led to a new creative path for her. 

If you want to listen to the sound of a snail eating a carrot compared to the sound of the author eating a carrot, visit Elisabeth’s website.

Be patient with yourself. And kind. You will get there, one brick, square, or soundtrack at a time.

Tell us in the comments: How do you get your writing back on track?

Ambre Dawn Leffler is a Tai Chi instructor, gardener, and weather geek who writes about vegetables, seasons, communing with nature, and the interconnections of mind/body. She loves trees and cherishes time in their presence. Learn more about her tree time, garden residents, and wellness practices at her website ambredawnleffler.com and seasonal inspiration from her newsletter Sky Earth Water. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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