Writer’s Block and Stepping on Lego by Alison Tedford

Many people curse writer’s block. Encountering this dreaded barrier unexpectedly can be like stepping on Lego. It’s sharp, it’s annoying, but if you can stop hopping around while cursing and swearing, it can be used to build something beautiful.

Once upon a time, I went to a self-paced school and did really well there. Through the magic of caffeine, spurred on by life circumstances and my own social awkwardness, I crammed three academic years into two. I did so in the same way I purposefully deposit my derriere into yoga pants after a shower, with significant and noticeable effort, grumbling and without a lot of grace. Done is better than perfect and all that. Since graduating, my relationship with deadlines shifted significantly.

There is nothing like a good deadline to remind me that my fridge needs a thorough cleaning and my personal filing is two years behind. Procrastination smells an awful lot like Lysol and feels like paper cuts on hands I remembered should really be moisturized more frequently. What is my debt repayment plan exactly? Will I ever become a home owner again? These are the inane things that become urgent and relevant when I am facing an important task.

The reality is that despite my best efforts to generate ideas on demand, inspiration strikes at the weirdest times. It floods in while I’m shimmying in Zumba; fresh thoughts flow like the songs from the speaker. My creativity stretches with my muscles on the yoga mat. Ideas alternate like the ebb and flow of traffic on a long drive, blinding me incessantly in flashes like oncoming headlights. I have smeared raw meat on the screen of my iPhone while I assembled dinner for my family to ensure my concepts didn’t evaporate undocumented like the water containing the spaghetti (enough for 500, without fail, particularly if there are only three of us for dinner).

I’m not normally one to admit to being intimidated by anything, but the blank page towers menacingly over my writing skills, taunting me to string together a coherent sentence that demonstrates a fresh take on an old issue. My methodology historically was to operate on very little sleep for days until funny or insightful fell out. Repeat as necessary until a distinct and marketable voice materializes from the sleep deprived fog, dissipated intermittently by caffeine infusions. It’s that voice that makes me personable and accessible as another random human who just happens to build paragraphs instead of skyscrapers.

Writer’s block, while inconvenient, is a cornerstone of my practice as an artist who uses ink and blank spaces to paint a picture of the world as I see it. While incredibly irritating, it builds resilience, character and faith in my ability to manifest something from nothing, eventually. It’s still like stepping on Lego, but I can build something with it.

Alison Tedford is a freelance writer from Abbotsford, BC. She is a data analyst and an eating disorder support group facilitator. She's raising a little boy and documenting her adventures in parenting, fitness and feminism on www.sparklyshoesandsweatdrops.com

#lifestyle #writing