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December 26, 2003
Remove your Writer's Block with Writer's Blocks
Have you ever suffered from writer's block? Whether you are a fiction, non-fiction, or scientific writer, we all had our momemnts in the dungeon. There are many tools out there that try to help you get out of your predicament, but I found a program that is dandy for doing just that. It's called Writer's Blocks. This program uses the index card approach to writing--that is you enter your information into a series of blocks and then you can sort and arrange blocks afterward. So, you don't have to worry about logical flow, organizational structure, and coherence up front. You just write whatever comes to your mind into a block, and if you thought pattern changes, you enter it into another block. This free-flowing approach frees your mind from constraints (writer's block), and it allows you to just write. You can organize the blocks into columns to give more structure up front if you want to as well. The new version now has a great built-in word processor so that you can convert your blocks into a manuscript all in the same program (version 2 lacked this capability). So, this program can help you start your writing and finish it in one program. You can also link the blocks to indicate relationships (a.k.a. mind-mapping) to create a mindmap.
Now, we've been always taught in the past that we should always start our writing with a good outline, but my experience taught me that it doesn't work for me at all. That approach has always constrained my writing, and I have often given up writing while I'm still on my outline stage. Several writing books I have been reading of late touts the effectiveness of free-writing (Writing with Power by Peter Elbow, Writing for Social Scientists by Becker), and I gave this new approach a try. So far, it has done wonders for me in terms of my scholarly and personal writing, and this computer program brings that approach to the electronic medium. So, if you have always wanted to write more, but couldn't for some reason, try out this new approach with Writer's Blocks.