Writing for self-reflection

Over the next few days I’m exploring the third step in my seven-step approach to overcoming writer’s block. I covered focus and emotional valence in the first two steps. Basically, a writer needs to remember to write, and then they need to build positive feelings around that writing so they don’t slip into avoidance behaviors.

At this point, the writer is sitting in their chair ready to write. But what should they write about?

Jumping straight into writing fiction may undo the previous step. My advice is to start writing for self-reflection. Write about the writing process itself and how the experience of writing feels. Each of us has our own particular emotional baggage. For example, I discovered through writing that I have a fear of being seen or noticed.

This practice then leads into the fourth step, assessing one’s own writing practice in order to avoid interference patterns. From there the writer can finally face the fearsome blank page which is not so frightening once they learn how to (step five) use mental imagery and (step six) study episodic patterns to fill the page.

The seventh step is almost an extension of this fourth step: use writing to solve problems. It’s the public version of this step. And it’s the reason why I’m writing this now.