How To: Get Out of a Writing Block pt.1

Have you ever been in a writer's slump? This could mean a plethora of things depending on the person but it’s usually when you don’t know what to write or you have no motivation to in the first place. Trust me, I’ve been there many times throughout my life. For me, most of my writer's block has been due to a lack of motivation because I’d forgotten why I loved it so much, or the pressure had gotten too high risk which led to heavy procrastination. In this two-part blog, I'll be sharing some tips on how you could get out of it. Hope this helps!

1. Vacation

 …bare with me! Vacation isn’t exactly what you think it is. Many people when they hear the word “vacation”, think of luxury and expenses. For a long time, so did I. According to the Cambridge dictionary, a vacation is “When someone does not go to work or school but is free to do what they want.” It’s essentially a break from your normal routine to do whatever you please for an extended period of time and no, it doesn’t have to be a week+. When I saw it from this perspective and realized I didn’t have to go out of the country or take a plane, I’ve actually taken many vacations. Whether that’s a day at the beach, park, or New York, or simply calling out of work for a mental health day.

Going on vacation is a perfect opportunity for anyone going through a creative block because it forces you to be a bit more present. Especially if you make it a number one goal to not use your phone so much. It’s beneficial to stay present in whatever you decide to do on vacation even if that’s just resting in bed all day. If you’re scrolling through social media viewing everyone else’s accomplishments, of course, you’re going to feel bad about not being on the same level. But it’s important to remember that everyone only posts the good things about themselves and being away on vacation will show you how everyone struggles in the real world. While you immerse yourself in vacation and get off your phone, you’ll see the smallest things will inspire you. It could be beautiful long trees at the park, pretty flowers on your hike, and so much more. I know in this day and age we live a busy life, so being off our phones is sometimes not an option. Vacation makes that a bit easier, you’re purposely setting that intention to get away. 

Suppose you’re a science junkie like me. In that case, The New York Times, neurologists across the country, the Gallup study, and the Arizona Department of Health have all done studies showing the benefits of vacation when compared to burnout. Allina Health medical group states, “Studies have shown that taking time away from the job can have physical and mental health benefits. People who take vacations have lower stress, less risk of heart disease, a better outlook on life, and more motivation to achieve goals.”

Taking time away is also a great reset from all your problems. Before going on vacation this month I couldn’t keep up with everything I was dealing with. I got this great opportunity to go on my first vacation out of the country in eleven years!! But I started stressing about all the problems I had back at home, “What will happen? I can’t just up and leave?” “Even with being away, my mental and physical symptoms will just follow me.” Though everyone was telling me I desperately needed to go away and relax, I was being very pessimistic. That all changed when I got off that plane. Not saying that’ll happen for everyone but sometimes our souls are crying out for a break and a new environment. I was able to write prose (poetry in paragraph form) that I’m so proud of and now it’s on its way to being published in a book! Only through a new environment and people inspiring me could I process life, be vulnerable, and get out of one of the worst writing slumps of my life. Through this, I was able to inspire others and let them know they’re not alone.

The poem:

Bahamas. 12:01 pm. June 17th, 2023. 

I’m sitting on this hammock looking back at the ocean trying to see if it could get a good read of me. Can it see what I’m thinking about? Thinking of how to stay as present in the Bahamas while still being in the Bahamas while writing this on my phone. A paradox I’m well aware I’m falling for. 

I forgot my notebook back at home and to be honest I was scared words wouldn’t fall out of me anyway. I think this is God's way of telling me I don’t need it all the time. I can be without a pen and still remember all of this magic.

Truthfully, I’m not meant to be on this trip anyway. I haven’t paid for a single thing and every day I’m here I’m trying to convince myself I deserve to be here. Deserve to be. That it’s normal for fathers to pay their daughters' expenses. Except, he’s not ‘technically’ my father… at least not by blood. As I’ve been constantly reminded of it my whole life. So, here I am on my last day in the Bahamas trying to convince myself I deserved to be here. Deserve just to be. Or at least accept that I’m here, deserving or not. People undeserving get far more. What do people know of love and family anyway? What if we weren’t connected by blood but by real connection? I wish there were some sort of test to prove family is ruled by the unconditional promise of it. 

I’ve been thinking about asking the trees here a question. The locals say it rains at least once every day, mostly at night. But when it clears, the sun and waters look even more beautiful. So; trees, how do you do it? How do you hold the earth's tears and all its storms? How do you carry so much in the dark and bloom again the next day? I’ll sit here for hours until you tell me your secret because, to be honest, I don’t know how many more tears I could hold until all I become is a wet sponge. The soggy kind you throw out for a new one. I’ll go back to the U.S. tonight and tell my home trees everything I’ve learned from you. Perhaps, no matter how many Category 5 hurricanes I endure; I’ll be okay. Maybe these tears just mean I’ll bloom even bigger someday. Even for a moment, a second, a day, it’s something worth having hope for. 

Now I’m rambling on because they told me to write about what matters. Or what’s been on my mind and if I had more time to continue I’d tell you about all the people that might never see this beautiful ocean I’m seeing right now. How I might not be able to see it again because I’m not here with my own money and I’m trying to be okay with that. But I’m about to leave and I’m still trying to figure out how to stay as present as possible. 

I’m sitting on this hammock looking back at the ocean. Happy that I’ve finally written something meaningful to me again for four months.

• AlyssaMR

I’ll see you for part two where I share smaller but impactful ways to get out of the slump syndrome.