Wednesday, January 23, 2008

What Not to Do Wednesday: All Work and No Play

Makes Cathy C. Hall a dull girl. And a dull writer, too. But maybe I should explain that part.

Remember the last time when you were typity, typity, typing away and then suddenly wham! You hit the brick wall. Or technically, the block. As in a writer's block. Maybe it was a phrase that you fiddled with, tweaked, or picked at but try as you might it just wouldn't come out right. (Ooh! I made a little rhyme!) Maybe it was a whole section of your stunning short story that you suddenly realized stunk. So you moved this, scratched this out, added a little here, took away a little there, and before you knew it, you had the same old stink.

Instead of fixing the problem, you sat there, agonizing over the stinkiness, and sabotaging any future Fortune. What you could have done instead is take a little break. Given your mind a rest so you could come back, intellectually renewed with vim and vigor! Pumped a little fresh air into the old grey cells. But what to do? How do you take a break when you're stuck?

Maybe you'd like to listen to my old buddy, Bill, and his daily podcast here. He's funny and free. You can't beat that. Or maybe try a game here. I LOVE those tiny little Nitrome freakazoids. Or take a shower. (Don't ask me why this works. All I know is that whenever I'm stuck, I take a little dip and voila! Not only do I have a great idea but as a bonus, I also smell nice and clean!). Maybe you have your own ideas about the perfect break. I'm all ears, if you want to pass it on.

Whatever you do, little grasshopper, don't sit there banging your head against the keyboard. Talk about your breaks---