Beating Writer's Block

© 2012 by Tom King

Three basic factors cause writers to bog down in the writing process when trying to complete writing assignments - psychological, mechanical and process factors. Writers have different speeds and slow is not necessarily bad writing in the same way that fast writing is not necessarily good. Novelist Margaret Mitchell took ten years to write “Gone With the Wind”. Science, historical and science fiction author, Isaac Asimov, used to turn out a big thick book every month. If, however, you're a writer on a deadline, your speed can be a critical factor in whether or not you work and enjoy regular meals.

All three factors that impede writing can be overcome with a little practice and self-discipline.

Psychological Factors

One of the biggest factors that slows down the writing process lives inside your own head. Writers write, so the writing teacher's maxim goes. If you hate writing, you shouldn't be a writer. That said, even folk who love writing sometimes encounter the dreaded writer's block. Everyone who writes for a living or for fun has probably sat down at a page and puzzled over that first sentence. Writing projects can be like bobsleds. It takes a push to get them going, but after that it's pretty much downhill.

Except when it's not.

Psychological blocks often spring, ironically, from our desire to write well. While an excellent goal for a writer, sometimes good writing just doesn't naturally spring from the topic at hand. At times like these, it's best to forget about quality and go for quantity. That's why they call them “first drafts”. You can always come back and clean it up. Often you'll find yourself coming back and pitching out the first paragraphs of a piece. Sometimes you just have to take a run at it and several paragraphs in, you find your angle or capture the voice of the piece. You can always edit later. It's having nothing to edit later that's the real problem.

An excellent way to train yourself to write whether you feel like it or not is to keep a journal or write a weblog. Give yourself a minimum number of words to write. Started out with a goal of 400 words per day. Force yourself to write those 400 words no matter how pathetic the writing. The point of the exercise is to teach you to get into the “flow” of writing.

Renowned psychologist, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi demonstrated the power of the single-minded immersion experience he called “flow”. Flow often happens as we take a run at an absorbing task like writing and gradually become immersed in doing the task. All sorts of endorphins light up the brain, ennabling it to better access information and utilize skills the person already possesses. It's why, even though you don't feel like writing, you should just go ahead and write anyway. The physical process of writing can actually help you achieve the flow experience with your writing.

Mechanical Factors:

1. The Keyboard: Bad typing skills impair more journalists than one can imagine. If your typing skills stink, buy yourself a Mavis Beacon Typing Tutor program and hone your touch typing skills. Forcing yourself to type correctly will speed up your typing speed in spite of yourself. If you are really bad at typing or don't know how and are learning, you might try the Dvorak keyboard. The original QWERTY keyboard was designed to slow down typists and prevent key jams on the mechanical typewriters of the day. John Dvorak developed a new key arrangement that places the most used letters under the typist's dominant fingers. If you're just starting out, the Dvorak keyboard can give you a higher top speed than the old QWERTY and a good deal more comfort as you type. Dvorak computer keyboards are inexpensive to buy and standard keyboards can be converted to the Dvorak system. It takes about a month of practice for a QWERTY typist to regain his/her speed on the Dvorak, so plan on learning during a vacation. Otherwise, just work on your QWERTYskills.
2. The Computer: As computer operating systems become more bulky and new software adds to the burden placed on your computer's RAM memory, you can find yourself getting ahead of your word-processor. Consider a memory or motherboard upgrade to speed up your computer so it can handle the ever-increasing demands todays software places on your rapidly aging hardware.
3. Paper and Pen: Some writers, believe it or not, still write first drafts in long hand with pen and paper. Prolific writers like J.K. Rowling and Stephen King write their first drafts in longhand. If you're stuck, try writing your first draft with a pen on paper. The mental exercise is different from typing. A study cited by Newsweek claims that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than mere typing. Whichever way works best for you, it's often helpful, if you're stuck, to switch writing methods for a bit to stimulate those creative juices. Always keep a yellow writing pad and a comfortable pen handy for times when you get bogged down.

Process Factors

What to write? Even if you're assigned a topic, the research part of the process can bog you down. Here's are some writers tricks to speed up the process.

1. Find a good quiet place to write with few distractions. Everybody wants to write by a second story window with a view of the woods, the lake and the gardens, but few are able to cope with the distractions going on just outside. Don't make yourself so comfortable you have to fight sleep in order to write. When you reach a good stopping place – STOP. Get up, stretch, take a break. You will go back to writing with renewed vigor.
2. Narrow the topic of your writing. Keep the subject matter within the scope of your assignment. Don't take on a broader topic than you can fit into the space or you'll bog down trying to edit.
3. Copy down your references as you go. Mark and clip information you plan to use for your article in a word-processor document or on yellow legal pad.
4. Outline your article and plug in the bits of research information. Write by sections, Let the first draft sit overnight if you can. This lets you come at the material with fresh eyes the next day. Edit the draft. Even with fiction, create a story guide that summarizes the five essential elements of story-telling – characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. Even novelists who say they don't work from an outline.
5. Run the second draft past someone whose proofreading skills you trust. Then, do a final once-over before sending it off.

Conclusion:

If you do a lot of writing, take notes on how you write, when you are writing well and quickly. Try to reproduce the conditions in your workspace when you are working best. Everyone is different. Pay attention to what works for you. Create cheat-sheets and outlines of the types of writing you do so that all you have to do is write the sections of the template. Even with fiction writing, you may want to create a story outline to work from that covers the basic elements of the story at minimum – characters, setting, plot, conflict and resolution. The trick when you're bogged down or stuck is to jump start your writing, even if what you write is only an outline, a journal entry or blog or a really bad version of what you wanted to write.

Get your soap box rolling with a nice firm push.

References:

Mark Foster: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
http://www.markfoster.net/struc/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi-wiki.pdf

M.W. Brooks: Introducing the Dvorak Keyboard
http://dvorak.mwbrooks.com/

The Bane of Your Resistance: Hands-On Solutions for Writer's Block
http://baneofyourresistance.com/tag/writers-who-draft-in-longhand/

Working Writers: Nine Ways to Speed Up Your Writing
http://workingwritersandbloggers.com/2011/06/07/nine-ways-to-speed-up-your-writing/

Five Essential Elements of a Short Story
http://www.katiekazoo.com/pdf/KK_FiveEssentialElements.pdf

Creative Writing Now: Easy Novel Outline
http://www.creative-writing-now.com/novel-outline.html

Uncle Tom's Homemade Puyallup Style Barbecue Sauce

 Some rights reserved by thebittenword.com

I ran out of KC Masterpiece the other day after my wife had put in her order for barbecued chicken. I already had the chicken in the oven, so I ran upstairs, jumped on the Internet and found some interesting looking recipes. Unfortunately, I didn't have all the right ingredients.

So, typical man, I decide to wing it. I call this Puyallup Style Barbecue Sauce so that people in Kansas City or St. Louis won't be offended. This barbecue sauce is my own invention. Try this at your own risk. I take no responsibility if you try it and think your chicken is ruined. 

It takes about 10 minutes to mix up and maybe 15 minutes to cook. This makes about two cups of a nice tangy barbecue sauce. 

 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4+ cup water
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 tablespoon grape jelly

Directions:
Put 3 tablespoon olive oil in a little pot on medium-high heat.  Add the garlic powder. Stir just a bit till the garlic powder starts turning brown. Add the brown sugar, vinegar and ketchup. I like Delmonte, but I used Hunts for this time out because you can get it in bulk at Cosco. Add the rest of the seasonings and reduce the heat to medium.

I adjust the recipe to taste. I like a little less vinegar and a little more ketchup. The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons paprika, but I cut it in half because the Cajun seasoning has paprika in it. The Cajun seasoning has chili powder and cayenne.  The Cajun seasoning can be increased to make the sauce hotter. My bunch likes a milder barbecue flavor, but you can add more Cajun seasoning or a touch of plain cayenne if you like it hot. I'm not sure who came up with the grape jelly, but I transmigrated it from another recipe and it got rave reviews, so I ain't messin' with the magic.

Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes until it thickens.  If it's too thick, just add a bit more water to get it to the thickness you like.

I poured the rest into an empty KC Masterpiece bottle and stuck it in the fridge. I think I'll make some more to keep on hand.  I like it with vegetarian chicken too.

Enjoy.

Tom

How to Cook With a Tin Can Billy

Introduction

Most campers and hikers do NOT carry canned foods with them on a campout. This has not always been so. Once upon a time, trappers and traders always carried bags of canned good with them. Tin cans are a very reliable way to store food. Cans are durable. It's harder to poke a hole in a tin can than it is to puncture a plastic bag. Besides canned food, especially veggies, tastes better than the dehydrated stuff. If you're looking for variety in your trail diet, canned good can provide it.

The big problem with tin cans is the weight.
I'm not suggesting you load down your pack with canned goods. Obviously you can carry more dehydrated food than you can canned goods. But you still have to carry some sort of pots and pans with you for cooking stuff. The advantage of tossing in a few cans is that they come with their own cooking pots. All you need is a pocketknife, open fire, stick, a piece of wire and a can of beans.

I choose beans for my standard take-along canned goods because I like to eat beans out of door. Out of doors is, after all, the best place to be if you're eating beans. If you've ever seen the movie, “Blazing Saddles” you know what I'm talking about.

You can get all sorts of varieties of beans nowadays. Beyond standard pork n' beans, you can buy everything from barbecued beans to vegetarian beans, beanie weenies, black beans, Navy beans, pinto beans and dozens of other types. If you want a hot, satisfying meal in just a few minutes, I highly recommend taking along a can of beans.

What You Need to Do to Cook Beans In a Can:



Small fires are better for cooking.

 Make a Campfire:
Build a small fire – nothing more than about a foot in diameter. You should be able to sit close to it. If you build a huge roaring fire for cooking, you'll wind up incinerating your lunch, burning off your eyebrows and roasting your fingertips, nose and any other protruding body parts. Build small for cooking. It's easier to control the temperature if you can get close to a low fire.







Do Your Pocketknife Work:

As an experienced camper, you surely have a working version of a Swiss Army Knife. It will, of course have a can-opener. Open the can carefully and remove the top. Use the knife to poke two holes opposite each other and about a quarter inch beneath the rim. Keep the holes small. They only need to be big enough for a wire to pass through the holes. Cut a three or four foot long stick about an inch or so thick. Carve a sharp v-shaped notch about two or three inches from the small end of the stick.






Make Your Bail:

Don't worry you're not going to jail for this. Cut a piece of wire about a foot long. Bend the ends of the wire to make two little hooks. Fold the wire in the middle to make a half-loop with the hooks at the bottom. Hook the wire hooks into the holes in the bean can to make a wire handle or bail. The bail should be deep enough to allow a cooking stick to hook onto the bail and still allow room for you to stir the contents of the can with a spoon. With the bail in place, the whole assembly is called a tin can billy.

Prepare to Cook:
Hang your tin can billy in the notch of the stick. Get close to the fire and dangle the billy over the fire. Don't cook over the highest part of the fire. Choose a place where the flames are low. Over coals is even better. If you're lazy, you can hang the billy in the center of the stick, drive a couple of forked sticks into the ground on either side of the fire and hang the billy so it dangles over a good cooking spot. This arrangement is called a cooking spit. If you want to impress a group of kids you're camping with, make one of these.

Cook:

Every couple of minutes, stir the beans to keep them from burning. I use a small stick about the size of a chopstick to keep from spilling the beans.  If the beans are sticking, move them further from the fire or to a spot where the flame is lower. Resist the urge to pour on the heat by moving the can closer to the fire. The can's thin metal transmits heat too easily and it is very easy to burn your supper. Cooking over live coals is even better than cooking over a flame as I said.  That's why. Patience here is the name of the game.  You will not regret being patient and slow cooking beans with a tin can billy is kind of a zen experience anyway - a sort of "old man on the mountain" moment with you as the seasoned woodsman, hunkered over your cooking fire.

Recycling Your Tin Can Billy:
Since you don't want to litter the wilderness with your old cans, consider hanging the billy from your pack and reusing it for cooking later. Eat your beans or ravioli or spaghetti-o's early in the trip so you'll have the billy for boiling dehydrated stuff, boiling Ramen noodles or making mac & cheese. Then you save the weight of a cooking pot. You can even shove a raw potato into your can and half bury it in hot coals to bake the potato. When your potato is ready, you can, unlike with aluminum foil, use a stick pluck the billy and potato out of the coals by the bail, thereby protecting your fingers from being singed and avoiding dropping your potato into the flames accidentally. Don't forget to use a pot holder when handling the hot can or bail.

Wildwood Wisdom:
Camp food can get kind of boring and a few cans tucked into your pack can give you a nice treat to look forward to and help lift the morale of your group. I like to take along a can of vegetarian hot dogs. If you don't have space for nice fluffy hot dog buns, toss in a Ziplock ™ bag full of flour tortillas. Take along foil packets of ketchup, mayo and mustard for condiments. You can even get pickle relish in little packets. They pack easily and you only open what you use, so no refrigeration is necessary.

Trust me – a few cans of favorite foods are well worth the weight and cooking with a tin can billy is good retro camping fun! Your kids will think you're a genuine mountain man and a camping genius.

References:
Joy of Camping: Campfire Recipes
Cooking in the Can by Kate White, Gibbs Smith Publishing, 2006

Image credits:


#1 Some rights reserved by emmaheff
#2 Some rights reserved by kalleboo

Illustrations (c) 2012 by Tom King - All rights reserved