by Gerard Coulombe

Created on: October 27, 2009

Writers who stumble on a writer's block and cannot recompose themselves on returning to the writing page are all of a kind. Be they poets, essayists, freelance journalists, writers of fiction of all kinds, or playwrights, a writing block is the same to all of writers.

A writing block is an inability of knowing either how to start or what to say. To put it more succinctly, the writer is stumped for knowing how to start or is unable to get beyond the first few words.

It can be such a miserable feeling that it has brought many writers to tears or to drink. The former is a stupid hindrance and the latter can become an addiction, although some very competent writers have done marvelously well on the latter.

[Tip # 1] At Bard, during a summer session on writing, a professor taught that the best way to beat writers' block was to write whatever comes to mind. This is one way of working one's way out of a block. Write to put pen on paper or your fingers on the keyboard. Write even if what come out is gibberish.

[Tip # 2] It helps to have something to say. One does not often hear of newspaper reporters ruing the day they ran into writers block. The reason should be obvious. They have a story to write for a deadline. The act of writing is a routine involving gathering the news and organizing their notes into a time honored, pyramid format. If any get stuck, it's not for long.

[Tip # 3} Writers of the creative genres, short fiction, fiction, poetry, plays are of two kinds those who come up with an idea and develop it partially or fully, and those who do not. It is only a guess, but the latter group might have more trouble with writers block than the former.

[Tip # 4] Whatever you do, do not throw-in the towel before you have gone over your writing schedule. A lot of people will tell you they can write at any time. That may be so-good for them.

But if you are not an early riser, try getting up earlysay, 5:30AM. Sit with your computer, with a cup of hot coffee, and start writing. If you do not know "who, where, what, why or how, just think, Recall something you left off dreaming about and run with it.

If as a writer you are experiencing a writer's block over a particular genre, that may be a matter calling for a different remedy.

A favored one is the writers' conference or the writers' group, or even a writer's adult education class frequently offered by a school, library, or senior citizen group.

[Tip # 5] Many small town libraries with big

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