Overcoming My Latest Writers Block…

I discovered something new about myself in my last bout of writers block. For the last twenty years I have composed my projects on my computer and thought it a waste of time to write something out by hand when I could use a word processor while I wrote.

Recently though I sat in front of my computer and could not write. A block formed in my mind and I just could not get around the offense that the computer was causing me. I didn’t know what it was until I began to realize that I didn’t like the temporary status of the text on the screen. I have found myself editing as I compose and could not keep myself from being critical while trying to be creative. If you have ever been there you know how hard it is to create with an editor in your head trying to change everything you are writing.

What made it worst was that my software is setup to point out my grammatical errors, but as I grow as a writer I see my more flaws that a computer won’t catch.

The break through came in one of the most old fashion ways, the fountain pen. I have fallen in love with the fountain pen and have a good collection of them with wonderful ink. I have discovered that the story is in my pens and not my computer. I throw down the ink on my writing pad and don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or plot structure. I just write and let the story flow with the ink.

Why a fountain pen? The act of writing connects me to the tradition of writing when I use the fountain pen. Taking breaks to refill my pen with ink helps pace my writing. The dark permanent ink I have been using could last for hundreds of years and is even water proof. Once the words are down no one can change what is on the paper.

Editing is now for the computer, but my writing is on the paper and my story is hiding in the ink. You should try it sometime, the next time you have writers block. Maybe it will work for you. Check out my website for cheap and inexpensive pens and the best ink in the world. www.crossview.us