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I’d rather write than talk. Nobody interrupts! Posting monthly or less now--see below. |
My original purpose for this blog, which I started in August of 2019, was to see if I could maintain consistency, to discover what I want to write about, and to find my writing voice. In January, I started a "niche-less" blog at Wordpress.com where I've published weekly. -- Kit’s Kontemplations  . -- I'm preparing to start a Catholic blog on Wordpress.com where I'll post weekly, and another site to put the rest of my writing. I also want to spend more time reading other blogs and offering thoughtful comments, both here on WDC and elsewhere. At most, I will publish once a month at no set time in this blog starting in September of 2020. Thank you to those who have read and rated any posts on this blog. I really appreciate it. I did NOT want to write “about” me on this blog. I wanted to share my interests, discoveries and maybe a few useful insights. If anything I've written helps even one person, whether or not they respond to the post, then this blog has been successful. |
| Is “writer’s block” a real problem? Most of the posts I’ve come across acknowledge it and have experienced it. Some of the authors outlined various causes, some authors suggest cures and yet others provide interesting lists of ways to generate new ideas. While researching this article, I came across a few posts claiming that “writer’s block” was nothing more than an excuse for a lack of discipline. That seems harsh when you consider that some well-known authors such as Leo Tolstoy and Ernest Hemmingway suffered temporary lapses in their ability to write. I’ve been maintaining a blog on writing.com since August 2019 and another on Wordpress.com since January 2020. A few weeks ago I found myself unable to think of anything to write. Even before I started researching this article, I listened to my intuition and paid attention to my body. I had been going to bed very late and spent every spare minute either reading or listening to podcasts. I had exhausted myself both mentally and physically. In addition to getting to bed earlier and taking naps daily for about a week, I stopped reading non-fiction and listening to podcasts. I did a brain dump and started colouring on my iPad. It made a huge difference. Here are a few ways I’ve seen writer’s block defined: - Writer’s block is a condition in which a writer is unable to think of what should be written next. —Mental Health Daily - Writer’s block occurs when a writer cannot write at all, when they work at a much slower pace than is usual for them or when they find it difficult and exhausting to write. —Dudley Court Press - Writer’s block is the state of mind whereby a writer loses the capacity to put words on paper. —The Latino Author.com It’s important to have a strong balance in your life, so writing doesn’t consume all of it. —Stephen King Although the physical rest and mental relaxation helped me to write again, I still felt stuck a week later, but for other reasons. Because the reasons were different, the remedy also needed to be different. Writer’s block is a significant problem. It has causes and there are cures. The cures most likely to be effective depend on the situation or the combination of factors that led to the block. Therefore the path to the remedy is self-awareness. Self-knowledge is critical. You can read 100 or more tips to cure writer’s block and the information overload could be more of a hindrance than a help. I read quite a few posts that gave lists of “cures”. I think I would have been further ahead to stop reading when I saw a suggestion that my intuition indicated would help. Sources — 5 main causes of writer’s block and how to fix them — Five reasons you’re experiencing writer’s block — Writer’s Block: Causes, Symptoms, & Cures (Overcoming It) — The Most Common Causes of Writer’s Block — What Causes Writers Block |
| When I returned to writing after decades away from it, I started searching for tips since I didn’t know where to start. Several articles about writing suggested blogging as a way to improve your writing skills, not to mention your discipline. I had no doubts about the kind of blog I wanted. To say that I was disappointed in what I found online about blogging is a huge understatement. I did this exercise a year ago and then again this past week. Nothing’s changed. Commercial and narrow “niche” blogging own the universe. Have you noticed how few articles there are that talk about blogging for the pure enjoyment of it, or even simply as a tool to improve your writing? Maybe there’s one in a hundred. When I researched this a year ago, it seemed more like there were maybe one in a thousand. It was like trying to find a frog at the base of Niagara Falls! When I googled “amateur blogging”, you’d think I’d entered a profane phrase in the search engine. All the hits were about the mistakes to avoid so as to NOT look like an amateur blogger. When I googled “blogging for fun”, the result was marginally better. I got plenty of hits for “blogging for fun AND profit”. For crying out loud, why does it always have to be about the money! There are ads on my blog posts because Wordpress.com puts them there. This happens on a free site. If I decide to pay for a site, it will be to remove all ads to make my blog a more pleasurable and less distracting experience for my readers, not to put other annoying ads to make money. Why does success have to equal income? Can’t “success” be to enjoy the process, to get the occasional comment and to gain a few followers? It is for me and maybe it is for other bloggers too, just not the ones I came across in my google searches. Once the money motive enters the front door, sooner or later, enjoyment slinks out the back door. I crochet squares to make blankets for charity. If I was selling them, it would become a chore very quickly and perfectionism would tyrannize me. I’m breaking so many rules of blogging, I don’t have a prayer of getting monetary gain from it and I’m OK with that. I don’t want to be bothered with hosting, domain names, SEO, and other technical headaches. I don’t want to bother with images for each post or even with having an image of myself. I just want to write what strikes my interest, and not to be hemmed in by a niche. Reflection  Why did you start blogging? Have you, as a blogger, departed from conventional blogging wisdom? If so, which “rules” have you broken? What are your criteria for a “successful blog” |
| There are no line-ups at the coffee shops and the malls are nearly deserted. I saw some grocery store customers are wearing masks. One of my relatives postponed his medical procedure until June. Many people who have symptoms are being quarantined at home. Others who are afraid of being contaminated aren’t going out unless absolutely necessaary. Consider this scenario: You have job security and are paid vacation, so finances aren’t a worry for you. You have everything you need at home and you’re alone except for, maybe, your cat. You don’t have the virus but have been quarantined for at least 14 days “just in case”. Here’s what I’d be grateful for besides what I mentioned above: My family and friends are, so far, unaffected. It’s not summer and so hot in the apartment that all I want to do is go to a mall or coffee shop and chill, both literally and figuratively. The power’s on so I have lights, hot water, a working landline phone, and let’s not forget, the internet. After being without power for almost three days in September 2018 due to a tornado, I think I’d rather be sick with a flu for a few days and have power than to be well for three days in a blackout.I have the type of temperament that thrives on structure and planning. I would roughly sketch out a routine for the coming two solitary weeks and post it on my fridge. There needs to be an element of discipline in my life if I am to feel good at the end of each day. To achieve this during my quarantine, I would do something from my “want to” list only after I’d completed at least one household chore and one or two things on my “should do” list, depending on how long the item took. If one of the activities involved more than one hour of sitting, I’d set my timer for about 45-60 minutes then get up and move around. I wouldn’t enjoy my two weeks much if I let myself get a stiff back and neck from too much time in one position. If I were in the situation I described in the opening of this post, the first thing I would do is to make two lists. The first would be a list of the things that I needed to do or that I “should” get done now that I had all this time with no committments or demands on me. The second would be a list of all things I’ve been wanting to do but haven’t had time or made time for until now. I’d keep both lists handy and add to them as I thought of other things to add to either one. Most of the things on both of these lists would be activities I do sitting down. Too much sitting is not good for a lot of reasons that I won’t go into here. As I mentioned above, I wouldn’t do a sedentary activity for more than one hour at a time. I would set my timer for one hour each time I started this type of task on my list. When it went off, I would get up and move around for at least 5-10 minutes. You could do some stretches or put on some music and dance - but not for more than one song unless you’re in good shape! I tried this last week for the space of three songs. I walked around for three days like a very frail 90-year-old lady. I felt all of my 62 years plus a decade more! One of the things on my “should do” list would be digital de-cluttering: Delete saved emails from email lists I subcribed to and never got around to actually reading; some of these have emails dating back five or more years. Organize my browser bookmarks. Since I use Safari on my iPad and Firefox on my Linux laptop, that would be quite the sorting exercise, putting them into folders and deciding which ones to simply delete. Detect and delete duplicate files on my external hard drive. Fortunately there are utiilities for that! I guess I’m quite a digital pack-rat! I still have files on CDs that I’ve had since the time I was using a Windows 95 computer. As for my “want to” list, I’d do the more actively creative things during the day when I had more energy. I would listen to my body and take naps when I felt like it, even for just 20 minutes. There are creative activities that I used to enjoy but which I haven’t done in over a year; these include guitar, keyboard, and virtual pottery on my iPad. I enjoy crocheting colourful, patterned 8” squares that are joined to make blankets for charity. Most of my creative energy these past eight months has been devoted to writing. I would devote my evenings to more light entertainment. I have novels on my bookshelf that I bought but have not read, not to mention loads of e-books on my iPad. After 9:00 p.m., I’d be better off to shift to print books if I want to fall asleep sooner rather than toss around for an hour or more. Since I wouldn’t spend every evening, all evening reading, I’d get a free trial of CraveTV and binge-watch all the episodes of Partridge Family. Am I dating myself just a bit? I’d likely watch the third season of Roswell since I only saw the first two. I might re-watch the first season or two of Drop Dead Diva; the rest weren’t as good. Though I mention this at the end, it is the most important part of my day now. It never goes on a list any more than breathing would. It is the foundation of everything good and worthwhile in my life. I would start my day with my usual hour of prayer, spiritual reading and journaling and end my day with another period of prayer as I usually do. During my quarantine, I would punctuate my day with brief periods of prayer between each activity. The things I would miss the most are: daily Mass and spending evenings at Tim Hortons with friends. By the end of the first week, I’d be really missing the freedom to go out whenever I wanted. I’m an indoor girl so I wouldn’t miss being outdoors. I’d just miss the places I like to go, like the library, coffee shops and craft stores. So what about you? What, if anything, would you be grateful for in this situation? Would you have any kind of structure or just do whatever came to your mind in the moment? Would you enjoy your solitude or spend most of your time talking on the phone, texting or browsing social media? How long would it take you to get a bad case of “cabin fever”? How would you cope with it? If you were to tackle a task that’s been weighing on your mind for a while, what would it be? Would you do something creative? Assuming you had the necessary material at home, what would it be? Do you find the prospect of a 14-day period alone at home appealing or abhorrent? Why is that? |
| Right from the start, I want to say that the most I’ve ever needed to lose is 40 pounds. I remember how being that much overweight made me feel. I try to imagine how it would feel to have 100 or 200 pounds to lose and the thought horrifies me. The daily physical and psychological suffering that would entail is enormous. If I found it difficult to motivate myself to do what was necessary to lose 40 pounds, how overwhelming must it be to need to lose 4 times that amount? If I felt uncomfortable in my body and wanted to avoid mirrors or any other reminder, what must it be like to be imprisoned by your own body? There is no question that weight loss must start in the mind or that it requires suffering and sacrifice. There is no quick easy way that lasts. After two successful weight loss effort, one in 2002-2003 and the second in 2018-2019, I’ve learned that maintenance is much more challenging than losing the weight in the first place. I’ve also learned that I had to work at changing certain habits of thought. Even before I took any concrete steps toward weight loss, I did a lot of reflecting and journaling. I had to get really clear about why I wanted to lose weight and those reasons needed to be substantial and compelling. Like many of us, I started off wanting something that would melt the weight off with no effort or sacrifice required. I considered diet pills and if I were heavy enough to qualify for weight-loss surgery, I would have considered that, too. I didn’t want to give up any of the things I loved to eat, especially sweets. I didn’t want any restrictions on my eating or any food boundaries of any kind. For those who do get the weight loss surgery and enjoy success, what makes the difference between those who keep the weight off for the rest of their lives and those who regain much of the weight that they lost? I imagine that like other medical procedures, weight reduction surgeries have changed over the years. Do the modern procedures make it completely impossible to regain the weight? Gastric bypass surgery can be an effective treatment for obesity, and most people do lose weight after the procedure if they are adequately prepared for the changes that are necessary. But you’ll always be at risk of regaining weight, even years later. —Katherine Zeratsky I believe the changes necessary include new habits of thinking as well as new habits of behaviour. To the extent that these are practiced, there is less risk that the person will regain much of the weight that they lost. The habits that contributed to extreme obesity would be firmly rooted and resistant to change. “The first year after surgery is usually a ‘honeymoon period,’” Keidar told Healthline. “That time should be used for coining new habits.” These habits include proper diet, regular exercise, and avoiding other unhealthy habits that may interfere with those, including smoking and excessive drinking. ... “If the patient cannot maintain these behavioral changes, then the weight will frequently come back,” he said. “While bariatric surgery can be helpful for people who have tried and exhausted all other options, we must realize that such surgery is no replacement for changing the systems that lead to obesity.” —Brian Krans A year is plenty of time to work on changing behaviour habits. The waiting period before the surgery is a good time to work on changing ways of thinking about food that led to overeating or unhealthy eating. Wanting the weight loss isn’t enough. We have to come to the point of wanting to do what it takes to get it off and keep it off. I’ve just passed my one year anniversary of reaching my goal weight. I still have to counter old lies about food with truth. I need to maintain a different set of ideas about food and eating. I will probably struggle with these from time to time for the rest of my life, especially during stressful times. I needed to develop a new relationship with food. It is fuel for my body. It is not comfort. It is not entertainment. It is not going to solve any problems or make any task easier. Maintaining this functional approach to food is a daily choice. The old ways of thinking don’t completely go away — at least they haven’t yet — but they aren’t constantly “in my face” as they were in the beginning. For any reader who is open to a Christian approach, check out Barb Raveling’s blog . Sources: Predictors of Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery Gastric Bypass Surgery: What happens if I regain the weight? Patients see weight gain after honeymoon period Rationalizing Unhealthy Food Choices {x-link:https://www.alive.com/health/rationalizing-unhealthy-food-choices/}WHY WE GAIN WEIGHT: RATIONALIZING OVEREATING AND EATING AMNESIA Monique from Ottawa, Canada No matter what, WRITE! |
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Yes, I know some people do that but I'm a creative writer not a journalist. Poetry sells ... but it's a money-maker for only a few. I write A LOT. Almost 180 pieces since Spring equinox. My goal is 300-400 per year. One year I went over 1,000. I need to do more editing, polishing, sharing, submitting. Writer's block? Who has time for that? I don't.