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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

THE CHICKEN NUGGET CURE FOR BLANK PAGE BLUES - BY SHAYNA MATTHEWS

The necessities of writing.

CHICKEN NUGGET CURE FOR BLANK PAGE BLUES - BY SHAYNA MATTHEWS

     Chicken nuggets, bread, milk, eggs. A short list, but it's much more than a grocery list. It wields the power to tell an incredible story. Of course, the 'incredibility' of the story rests solely upon the mind of the author. (Well that, and the characters' willingness to cooperate).

     I fear it's safe to say, virtually all authors have secrets. Some more so than others. We're a tricky lot, we have to be. Writing books is a daunting task, after all. We will stare at a blinking cursor for hours, only to lie awake all night running plots, scenes and characters through our minds like an old movie. Most of us live on a scandalous amount of caffeine, but that isn't much of a secret, is it?

     The secret lies within the writer and how we deal with the darker side of writing. What do we do when the words just won't come? Some are inspired by music, (always one of my favorite methods for coping with any mood or crisis!) or by sitting in a cemetery with a notepad and pencil. Travel-the exploration of someplace new can often stir the creative juices, but what if you can't manage any of the above? What do you do when its just you and a blank screen/paper? The showdown at high noon, words at twenty paces. You hope.

     I have a simple method of coping with the fearsome blank page blues, and yes, it includes chicken nuggets. (Bettin' you'll read the next line, now won't you?)
The chicken nugget cure for writer's block came from one of my elementary school teachers - oh, how I wish I could recall her name! She told us a grand secret--one which stuck with me over the years--really nothing more than a simple trick to prod the flow of words. A blank page may be that--empty, but it is LOUD in silence.

     Indecision(my worst foe), intimidation, fear, and a host of other insecurities can sometimes rear back and stampede across that blank page. When faced with such cursed evil, beat it back with something I call the Chicken Nugget Cure. Set a timer for, oh, say fifteen-twenty minutes. During that time, the point of your pen MUST NEVER leave your paper. If you're typing, you MUST NOT stop. Not once. I don't care if your goal is to write the next bestseller, a monthly blog, or a letter to a friend. If you set your alarm for twenty minutes, write down whatever comes to mind for those twenty minutes. If you don't know what to write, write just that. "I don't know what to write. I need to get groceries. Let's see, Zane needs more chicken nuggets. He loves those dinosaur shaped ones, I hope they have them. Chicken nuggets, bread, milk, eggs." If nothing else, reading back over the direction of your mind, recorded on paper, is amusing.

     More often than not, however, you will fall back into the realm of the written word, having demolished that loud emptiness. One page will fall into another. Don't let the timer stop you. Keep writing, follow the chicken nugget pathway of your brain...let it lead you where it may. Your brain will flip through channels, like a taped down PAGE button on the remote control. Jot down your grocery list, (don't forget the nuggets!), swim through the barbecue sauce sidelines and I promise, you'll find yourself exactly where you want to be...writing your next epic masterpiece.

     What are YOUR favorite literary secrets?








Shayna Matthews is the author of "The Legend of Venture Canyon", a short story encompassing the dark secrets of a traveling Side Show as they travel through canyon country, and one cowboy determined not to fall for them.

"A Spot in the Woods" is Shayna's nonfiction short showcased in a wonderful anthology collection of personal stories about leaving childhood behind. "A Spot in the Woods" deals with the memory of a childhood bond shared through historic play...a bond which tragedy just could not break. You can find this story in "Memories from Maple Street, U.S.A: Leaving Childhood Behind".






14 comments:

  1. I am well acquainted with stall-outs and writer's block0...unfortunately. Though you didn't say it, you intimated the truth about these barriers to placing words on paper--it has nothing to do with the loss of creativity. It's more like, as you mentioned, indecision and some internal conflict that keeps us from putting words down.
    I'm a plotter, so my stories are always mapped out. I know what's going to happen every step of the way, and yet, I have had writer's block. It's me resisting writing for whatever reason. It can be deeply psychological and complicated to sort out, but since I have deadlines, I have to get in there and get busy. This action requires some tricks. You're right, all writers have some secrets and tricks. I, too use a timer sometimes. I set it for 10 minutes and write whatever comes to mind, or sometimes I write about inanimate objects like fruit. The other exercise (not really a trick)is to write by hand with paper and pen 3 pages (5 if I'm really stuck)of whatever comes to mind without a care for punctuation or spelling every day for a week. I place all the pages in an envelope without reading them until the week is up. At the end of the week I take the pages out and read them. Whatever it is that's bugging me will surface. Once I've identified my dilemma, I can formulate a plan how to take action to correct it. Somehow it acts like Draino on my brain clog. I got this great idea in a 6 week writing seminar based on Julia Cameron's book THE ARTIST'S WAY. She calls them "Morning Pages."
    I loved your story, The Legend of Ventura Canyon, Shayna, and loved it. I have the anthology of Leaving Childhood Behind and I've been reading them one at a time between writing, but I haven't gotten to yours yet. The ones I've read so far (been skipping around), have been unique, touching, sometimes funny and absolutely terrific. I like these kinds of memoirs.
    All the very best of everything to your corner of the universe, Shayna. I always enjoy your posts and this one was excellent.

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    1. Sarah, thank you so much for your reply. Glad you caught that--barriers to putting words on paper has, as you said, nothing to do with lack of creativity, but internal conflicts and the stresses and distractions of daily life. Fighting our way through all that mess is most of the battle, sometimes.
      I've always been a pantster, flying wherever the characters take me, though to a pre-planned ending, usually. I really must try and do a little planning, as you do...it would probably save me quite a bit of sanity. ;-)

      I'm so glad you enjoyed my "Venture Canyon!" My pride and joy, that story. I hope you enjoy reading "A Spot in the Woods" just as much. Thank you Sarah, for everything.

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  2. I piddle. This in itself is an art. It's mindless--in other words, it clears my mind of such nonsense as "oh, woe is me, what to write?" Piddling involves straightening the drawer on my desk--pens, pencils, pads, etc. I could all kinds of boring tasks. After tiring of all that, I sit down at the computer once more....sometimes it works, some times it doesn't. Good article, Shayna!

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    1. Perhaps that is what I should call my infuriating habit of mindless tasks leading up to actual writing. I have to mull things over, stress, and prolong the writing by finding excuses such as needing a drink, or the dogs have to go out again, before I tackle sitting down and putting words to paper. Thank you for reading, Celia!

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  3. A writing sprint is always useful. Lately, I just have a set word count I need to hit. I keep it low and manageable--just 1500 words/day. Sometimes I can't think of anything to write but somehow I squeeze out something. That usually leads to the next thing and it starts flowing again.

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    1. 1500 words a day is a solid goal, and good advice. Even if you wind up scrapping a few days' worth of work, at least you are keeping up the habit of writing every day.

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  4. Sarah's comment about morning pages, which your concept reminded me of, is suppose to get all the 'gunk' out of the brain so creativity can flow. Thankfully, the blank page has never been a huge problem for me, probably due to all the improvisational acting I've done over the years. Still chicken nuggets is a good thing. Doris McCraw/Angela Raines-author

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    1. Lucky woman, Doris! This is my current struggle, shoveling the "gunk" from my brain to make room for the story, and my creativity. I've had to resort to chicken nuggets from time to time, that's for sure! lol

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  5. I always enjoy your blogs Shayna. You have such a way with words. This piece on writers is right on spot. When I get writer's block I clean...and listen to very loud music. Somehow it clears my head. I do most of my planning out scenes at night while in bed. Also while driving and if I am mumbling to myself folks around me might think I'm a bit touched in the head talking to myself and all. Happy writing. :)

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    1. Aww, well thank you, Barb. Your kind words are quite appreciated! Loud music is a staple for me, my mood plummets if I don't listen to good music every day. Many stories, scenes and plots got their start from an inspired musical moment for me. Don't worry, people who know me immediately dismiss me as "a writer" and those who don't can go ahead and wonder, for I too talk to myself, or rather "the characters in my head". Haha

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  6. I'll skip the chicken nuggets, thank you, but you reminded me of this great exercise. Just write what comes to mind. If I'm really blocked, I give myself a break and do anything else. Basically, relieving the stress opens the flow again. Thanks!

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    1. Relieving stress is a difficult task sometimes, but if it can be broken through, or at least shoved aside for a few hours, you're right--the words will flow! :-) Thank you for commenting!

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  7. I've tried both free writing and morning pages. What I learned is that my mind is a scary place to be, and no one -- including me -- wants to get lost in there. In the interest of preserving mankind as a species, I promised never to do either writing exercise again.

    What often gets me unstuck is taking a shower. Consequently, I take a LOT of showers. I may be the cleanest person I know. :-D

    Nice post, Gunslinger. (I said that under extreme duress. ;-) )

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    1. Tex, aside from the bouts of creative language I'm tempted to shower you with from time to time, you surely do have a way of making me laugh. (Even when I'm scheming with my posse to jump on your trail). Knowing how terrifying it is within my own mind, I can only imagine getting lost in yours....ahhhhhhh!! ;-) At the risk of admitting you and I have something in common, I also come up with some of my best ideas in the shower. Ahh, yes. Duress. Hah! Thanks for reading and commenting.

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