Break Through Writer’s Block With Clusters
Staring at a blank sheet of paper won’t do much to ward off your writer’s block. Next time you’re lacking for inspiration, try experimenting with clusters to get the creative juices flowing again.
Photo by tnarik.
Weblog Dumb Little Man says that “with a little work and effort, anyone can write”. Their cluster advice is meant to build up your writing confidence, but the trick can also help eliminate blockages. To use it, you’ll need a sheet of paper and some coloured pencils. Next:
Write your topic in the middle of the paper and draw a circle around it. With different coloured pencils, draw lines from the circle, write words that are related to your topic, and circle them. Make your cluster colorful. Extend your cluster by adding words that are related to the words you wrote. Make your cluster as long or as short as you want to.
The idea is relatively similar to mind-mapping, which we’ve covered in detail before, so if you want a bit more structured approach, give it a look. If this doesn’t help you write that novel (or at least help you complete your work project), try stopping mid-sentence. And if you have your own proven ways to beat writer’s block or improve your writing, jot them down in the comments.
How to Write When You Think You Can’t [Dumb Little Man]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
This kind of reminds me of what me elementary school teachers taught us to do before we wrote something to organize our thoughts.
JohnnySaber
@Keter: Wow is that photo of van Oech on his web page creepy or what?
rockhopper
I use Freemind to draft everything longer than an email. And I write for both a living and a hobby. This is a good idea. So is using an ideation randomizer, like Roger vanOech's Whack Pack.
Sometimes all it takes to get unstuck is a change of perspective. Since I started blogging and social networking regularly, I haven't had much writer's block thanks to the constant new perspectives offered by my online friends.
Keter
I'm using mind-mapping for many things, and I do it on a whiteboard. It's easier because you can erase and it feels better (more controlled) than mind-mapping on a computer.
Since this is my field, I will say that listing, mapping, clustering, directed freewriting--they're all part of the notion of "invention," which is basically the starting point for any writing project.
Invention is then complimented by the actual drafting process, where you use the material you generated, and then you move (hopefully after a break of some sort) to revising and editing (then hopefully, publishing).
Why not "just write"? Well, usually because we ask our brains to do two complex tasks at the same time when we compose: we ask our brains to be creative whilst being critical of that which we create...in real time. Hence, "writer's block." Making writing into a multi-step process helps separate the two actions (creative vs. critical) and get some material down. Invention and drafting are the creative aspect of a writing project. Revising and editing are the critical part. They work much better for all of us when they're separated. :)
Remember, though, the writing process isn't linear. It's recursive. Plenty of people who write for a living make multiple uses of each step.
For more info, see:
Elbow, Peter and
Murray, Donald
at amazon.
Greg.Rowler
This is some cutting edge advice--fifty years ago. Anyone ever seen brainstorming/mindmapping software like Inspiration, Visio (yes, Visio), etc? Or the back of an envelope? It's just not really new.
DangerousLiberal
@tylerf: LMFAO!!!
rjdsmith
Another name for this is brain storming, but apparently this is offensive towards people with mental problems, or so my teacher says... Wow the world is stupid.
tylerf
Best method ever: Ass In The Chair method.
Also a big fan of the mac app "Self Control" which I didscovered here at LH - great for turning off web distractions.
Lula Mae Broadway
Funny, this is what I do to AVOID writing.
The quoted block: analog mind-mapping. Worksforme. See also things like analog–first approach to presentation design.
valexeev
One of my English comp profs taught me that (more years ago than I care to admit.) He didn't call it mind mapping or clustering of course. He said to just start writing down everything that come to mind about your topic dumping words on the paper in lists, short paragraphs or anyway we saw fit. He said this often leads to a decent outline and then to the rough drafts. This technique has served me well over the years ...
My personal preference is the skeleton approach. If say, you plan to write a thousand words, decide how many paragraphs you'll need to make your point. Give each a word to summarise it. This then becomes a sentence, which becomes a paragraph, which becomes your thousand words.
In terms of writer's block, I always found the best advice was to tackle the writing as early in the day as possible. This has a dual benefit. Most people are more productive and creative when they first settle down to work. It also frees up the rest of the day to do less demanding things, guilt and stress free!