Me on Robert Brewer's Blog Poetic Asides through Writers Digest

When I was a kid Writer's Digest was my Bible. My mother purchased me a subscription from the time I was thirteen that I maintained into my early twenties. I watched the mag go through many incarnations. I loved Lawrence Block's monthly articles. I learned more about writing from his wonderful biographical essays and his Write for your Life program than any creative writing class or writer's group or conferences. His energy is endless and his prolificness is legendary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Block
His website http://www.lawrenceblock.com/index_flash.htm
I liked WD's back page Chronicle and the profiles of famous writers, oh, and the Grammar Grappler, although interesting, was usually beyond my limited abilities at the time as a grammarian, but still interesting. I keep all my back issues of Writer's Digest at my mother's house on a shelf in her basement with all of my back issues of Rolling Stone, my comic books and other periodicals from my youth.
I was delighted to be invited to share my opinion about writer's block with Mr. Brewer. I had no idea my opinion would be posted with other writer's opinions on his Writer's Digest Website blog Poetic Asides.
I'm thrilled.
Thank you, Mr. Robert Brewer
L

Here is Mr. Brewer's question and my response:

Poets Helping Poets: Breaking through a writing slump
Posted by Robert

"Last Friday, I tossed out a question to the members of the Poetic Asides group on Facebook: How do you break through a writing slump?

Whether it's been days, weeks, months, or even years, we've all been through dry spots. Well, as I learned from the response, most of us have anyway.

In my own case, I find that reading new (to me) voices is what helps the most. Though listening to the news or going for a run, both usually work as well.

The response was so massive that I had to be selective with the answers, but here's what some of the poets wrote:"

I write book reviews for various online and print mags, so finding time to write my own stuff is hard. When I try to balance reviewing, family, my money jobs and my own pieces, I find that writer's block doesn't exist for me anymore. Because the reviews are on a deadline and I want to continue to be paid, I have to force myself to be a professional and write even when I don't feel like writing. Normally, when I am 5-10 minutes into the piece it starts to flow.
The reviewing and journalism has put my own writing in perspective and has made me realize, that if you're a writer, you write. Because my time is limited, I take the time that I'm given to work on my own stuff as a gift. If I have an hour or so, I apply Cory Doctorow's 20-minute method. For example, I know realistically that I do not have large chunks of time to write my novel. I give myself 25-30 minutes to write a chunk. I literally set my PDA alarm to go off in 20 minutes. The time goes by so fast, and when the alarm goes off I am usually in a white hot writing frenzy and I stop in the middle and I cannot wait to go back to it the next day.
I apply this technique to all my writing: play-writing, short stories, and even poetry. When you have finite time to write, you learn to inspire yourself. The book reviewing also teaches me to have more perspective about my own stuff. I discover quickly what works and what does not work.
My advice: Write like there is no tomorrow, because there isn't. Don't worry too much about revision or research, that's later. Get that initial draft down and write your butt off.
-Lee Gooden

Here is the link To Poetics Aside:
casides/Poets+Helping+Poets+Breaking+Through+A+Writing+Slump.aspx