Facing Writer's Block
You have a blank page and a pen in front of you. Or maybe you're at the computer, with an open document. You've already written the title at the top, and then... you get stuck. You ask yourself:
... And now? What do I write???
If you find yourself in this situation — or if you've already started but feel the ideas are no longer flowing — don't worry. There is a practical strategy that can help you overcome writer's block effectively.
Overcoming the block
This exercise is a simple way to stimulate the logical and creative parts of the brain in harmony, a practice also used in some therapeutic protocols. It uses the alternating use of hands to promote new neural connections and facilitate access to latent ideas.
If you are writing on the computer, take a pen and paper. The first step is to create a list of keywords related to the topic you want to develop. Write them with your non-dominant hand. Don't strive for perfection: follow your instinct and write freely.
Once you have written at least five words, switch the pen to the other hand and start writing a short text that connects them all. Use your dominant hand to develop a coherent, even imaginative, narrative that includes all the words from the list. You can use variations or declensions of the words, but the point is to use them all.
This technique will force you to find unexpected links between different concepts, activating creativity in a structured way and gradually bringing you into a state that favors fluid writing.
Eclipse – silence – oracle – threshold – sap – abyss – feather – vertigo
An eclipse slowly covered the sky, like a thought that darkens without warning. In the tense silence of the morning, every sound seemed to hold its breath, as if awaiting a response from an invisible oracle. On the edge between what is known and what one dares not name, a threshold opened in the mind, fragile and luminous.
He felt the sap of something wanting to emerge flowing within him, but it had not yet found its form. He looked into the abyss of unsaid possibilities, searching in the void for the first word to start with. A feather fell from nowhere, like a signal, and brought with it a sweet vertigo, the kind you feel when you realize you are ready to truly write.
The Writer's Secret
This simple exercise has a dual effect: it activates brain circuits related to visual and intuitive thinking, and it trains you to develop greater mental flexibility, promoting a more creative and divergent approach.
By training regularly, you can also develop greater dexterity with your non-dominant hand — an extra step towards ambidexterity — while improving your mental fluency and expressive ability.[3]
Did you try the exercise? Tell me in the comments how it went. If you found it useful, share it with someone who might appreciate it!
- Come superare, creativamente, il blocco dello scrittore - Wired Italia
- Blocco dello scrittore: 6 lezioni da 6 Nobel per superarlo - Felice Lanzaro
- Emisfero creativo, destro o sinistro? - Cervello Giovane
- 20 Creative Write-Brain Exercises from Bonnie Neubauer's The Write-Brain Workbook
- How to Become Ambidextrous and Increase Your Creativity - The Bioneer
- Practice Creativity with Ambidexterity Thinking - Radcom Services