20 August 2007

Posted by Zahid Hussain | File under :
Everything around us is a living narrative, a tapestry of tales. This is how we express the meaning of our lives and give them shape, meaning, a pattern, coherence, voice. There's this saying - you've probably heard it: "everyone's got a novel in them". But do we all have a novel inside us? A story to spin?

Oh yes, I think we do.

Whether or not that novel is worth reading - or writing - is a different question.

Is there really a story inside you? You doubt it?

Then let me ask you another question...do you dream? Of course you do. However, there are many who'd swear they never do, never have and never will. It's truer to say that they don't remember their dreams.

Now, I find when people sigh and say they could never write a novel or pen a short-story they fall into different schools of fish:

1. They lack confidence in themselves
2. They go blank at the thought of writing something
3. What they wish to pen is very, very private
4. They fear rejection
5. They fear success
6. They've never really thought about it
7. They have too many ideas - they don't know which one to choose
8. The idea of writing is a daunting one - it just isn't them
9. They think it would take too much of their time
10. They tried before and failed
11. They tried before and succeeded, but don't think they can do it again...

and so on.

I've got another question for you: which is your barrier, obstacle, self-limiting belief?

Our lives are about learning and discovering truths about ourselves and becoming more than we were and becoming what we want to be.

I don't doubt for an instant that there are potentially billions of writers out there. There are so many stories that are unheard, unknown, hidden, secret - I'd love to read some of those narratives and discover something I never did and perhaps in doing so I'll determine something about myself...and maybe that's why I want to see more new writing from new authors...everything we read is an echo of ourselves and perhaps by reading something totally new we can find something that we could not have discovered otherwise.

ZHZ

6 August 2007

Posted by Zahid Hussain | File under :
Today, someone asked me what I do when I get writer's block. It was an innocent enough question, but it was mooted on the assumption that I get writer's block. I don't, or rather, I prefer not think so. I don't want to believe that an external force dictates whether or not I will write.

That said, if you do suffer from writer's block then I believe, deeply, that if you can define what is holding back the flow of words then you can resolve it, get round it, climb over, demolish it. 


Let me qualify what I mean:

- Does a character lack life?
- Does the plot feel, well, wrong?
- Do sentences lack vigour and vitality?
- Do you lack time to write? Is there too much going on around you?
- Do you feel down?

You see, if you put words to how and what you feel, invariably you will 
determine the solution by yourself. As soon as you name something, you confine it, master it.

For some writers, it's about getting into the "zone", releasing the muse and they do that by "free-writing", by wildly arranging words and paragraphs to get the words flowing...for others, it's about walking along a beach and breathing in sea air...for others, it's a nice cuppa in a Kit-Kat moment...whatever, it is, it works for them.


If you need more help on how to get "unstuck" then I suggest you try out some of the exercises I've written:

What's your Thinking Style?
Are you a Visual Thinker?
Are you Auditory?

Writer's Block; I don't know if it exists or not. As far as I'm concerned it's like the mythical isle of Atlantis. It makes for great story-telling.


ZHZ