I write my novels out in public, by the pool at our country club, a good portion of the time. That's the way it’s been for the past four years. I can't count the number of times that people had come over to me to tell me they have an idea but don't know what to do with it. Or, they started a novel ten years ago and don't have the energy to complete it. Or, they have six unedited novels under their bed. Or they got three rejections and gave up. And the biggie is that they don't have time. Basically, what they're telling me is that they lost the passion for their work or their story. They hit a wall, also known as writer's block. That definitely can knock the spirit out of you.
I must tell you that in all my
years of writing, from the late '70's to mid '90's in film and TV, and through
2010 when I wrote non-fiction articles in alternative healing and holistic
health, to the present, now writing novels, I have never once hit writer's
block. Why? I can honestly say it's because I had never lost the passion for
the project on which I was working.
I've heard people say, “take a
break,” “start something new.” To me that's not the answer. The longer the
break, the more time away from the project, the less enthusiasm builds and the
passion you once had, decreases. I'd advise writing in a different environment.
If your creativity gets stumped cooped up in your office, breathing stale or
recirculated air, go out into nature. Sit on your front porch. In the city,
we'd call it a stoop. Remember those days? Go to the beach. I've written
screenplays and TV scripts as well as non-fiction works sitting on the beach at
Silver Gull Beach Club in Queens, New York. No beach? Write by a pool with the
sun shining. Get out into the fresh air. Yes, even with the snow. Being in the
open air is very cleansing on every level: spiritual, mental, physical, and
emotional.
Why do I mention cleansing?
Writer's block, losing passion for a project is an indication of blocked energy,
a clogged system. When energy isn't flowing properly through our bodies we feel
stuck. Stuck in moving forward. Stuck in tackling the day's chores. And stuck
in writing. Our thoughts, feelings, and emotions that we want to get onto the
paper are just not there. They can't come through to our consciousness. Picture
a jeep getting stuck in mud and it can’t move unless pulled or pushed. Their
wheels spin. Same thing with us, but it’s our brain that is stuck.
In my alternative healing
practice, I teach people how to make the mind-body connection. So I'm going to
ask you some questions so you can make your own connection. Focus on your
breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply as you sit comfortably in a chair and
relax. What part of your body is feeling tight, in pain? Can you connect to
what is causing you pain in your life? Practicing breathing techniques could be
very cleansing. That's why we call it “cleansing breaths.”
Our solar plexus, which is
underneath our bra line and above the belly, is our emotions center. Very often
our writing is very emotional. Not feeling the emotions? Try eating a healthier
diet. Losing fat in that area allows energy to flow more freely.
You can also detox from debris
that is surrounding you in your aura. When we have debris, new thoughts, creative
thoughts can't penetrate our energy fields. You know the expression, “I walked
into a room and you could cut the air with a knife.” Well that air can glue to
you. I use aromatherapy to cleanse my aura. Gardenia is perfect. You can get it
in a shower gel. In the shower, meditate to remove the debris from your aura.
Gardenia removes the toxic energy around you so that you don't get sick from
someone else's energy. Carnation oil has the same effect.
I also use crystals and gemstones
to keep the thoughts for my writing, coming. No, it’s not cheating. Sodalite is
also known as the students’ stone and is wonderful for writers. Keep it near
you on your desk. If you want to know about healing stones, and how you can use
them in your writer’s life, feel free to ask me questions in the comments.
Those are some of my
recommendations to keep the passion high for your project. The key is to make
the emotional connection. I hope you find them helpful.
How do you keep your passion high through your project and
avoid writer’s
block?
BIO
Ronnie Allen is a New York City native, born and bred in
Brooklyn, New York, where she was a teacher in the New York City Department of
Education for 33 years including the obtaining of a New York State license as
School Psychologist. Her various roles included classroom teacher, staff
developer, crisis intervention specialist, and mentor for teachers who were
struggling. Always an advocate for the child, Allen carries this through as a
theme in her novel Gemini, with the
reader seeing the horrors of child abuse through the eyes of three characters.
In the early 1990s she began a journey into holistic healing
and alternative therapies and completed her PhD in Parapsychic Sciences in
2001.
Along the way, Allen has picked up many certifications. She
is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner as well as a crystal
therapist, Reiki practitioner, metaphysician, dream analyst, and Tarot Master
Instructor. She has taught workshops in New York City and in Central Florida
where she now lives.
Combining a love of the crime genre and her psychology
background, with her alternative therapies experiences, writing psychological
thrillers is the perfect venue for her.
