The author and his class jam
[The writer’s monologue]
Blockage is a common occurrence
I have always attached great importance to the protection of the drain holes in the bathroom, toilet and kitchen at home, because it is expensive and troublesome to find someone to clear the drain holes after they are clogged, and once it starts, it happens almost every year. Therefore, if the drainage hole can be replaced with a fine filter, it must be replaced. If it cannot be replaced, a filter ring must be added. The more insignificant something seems, the more it cannot be let go.
Of the whole family, I, the interior minister and housekeeper, am probably the only one who cares most about this matter. Impurities accumulated on the filter of the sink, and the water flow slowed down. The family lost patience and refused to clean the filter. Remove the filter with one movement, and the water will disappear instantly, which is great. Putting the untreated filter back is still slow. If you often do this, the presence of the filter means that there is no filter, so the sewer gradually enters a period of long-term blockage. In the end, the water cannot drain even if the filter is removed.
When it comes to writing, there is a time to be eloquent, a time to scratch your scalp, and a time to see through the truth. Blockage is a common occurrence. Many beginners always dream that one day they will be like other writers. As long as the computer is turned on, their literary thoughts will flow out, and they will be free from the anxiety of being blocked forever.
"What??? You will also have blockage?" A student once exclaimed to me. yes! I get clogs too, isn’t that normal? I did more research and found that all the great writers in history were clogged. Is blockage a hopeless thorn, and if you want to write, you have to allow it to stick in your body openly?
Can continued practice and experience in writing make the pain of blockage less intense?
Unclogging and preventing blockage
During my years accompanying beginners, I have seen at least two things that can be improved when faced with congestion: First, continuous writers may not necessarily experience less congestion, but their tolerance and acceptance of congestion will indeed be better than that of beginners. a lot of.
Second, they will identify the existence of "class blockage" and use methods to prevent it from occurring.Blocks are writing blocks whose causes can be found and can be prevented, alleviated, or avoided.
In modern life, we write every day and at any time, a few sentences or a few lines of emotional essays. Occasionally writing a golden sentence will make people feel satisfied and create the illusion that writing should be like this, not to vomit or feel unhappy, but to say what you have to say.
You can write some emotional essays on your own blog’s public account as you please. Anyway, no one stipulates how long to write, and no one does quality control. You don’t need too much preparation or writing an outline to produce each article one by one.
It’s different if you’re writing a novel or a formal submission article of more than 3,000 words! My mood is like a pair of feet that don't have eyes. As I walk, I either fall into a pit or get lost.
The preparations that need to be made are not completed. I just rely on divine help or just write wherever I am inspired. I neither write an outline nor make a good plan in my mind. I write with passion to the opportunity of being relatively speechless. It's very big, and the final class jam will definitely make its grand debut.
Of course, no matter how thorough the preparation is and how perfect the outline is, the writing process will still inevitably encounter the danger of not being able to continue writing. If you don’t want to have too many blockages, you’d better do what you need to do. Once the blockages are eliminated, things will definitely go much smoother.
Another cause of "class congestion" has a lot to do with online behavior. When we allow ourselves to turn channels every three minutes, jump between different web pages, and browse as many times as we think every day, the neural circuits in our brains naturally become dotted line thinking: doing things requires countless interruptions. , and he chose to jump like this independently. When I was writing, I would knock on the door of Brother Gu and Lady Baidu whenever I thought of something. During the period of reflection, I would go to WeChat and Facebook to try to relieve my anxiety. Over time, most of the goals will be accomplished by going in and out.
▲Writing requires deep thought, lingering outside a door, and waiting for the door to open.
Writing requires deep thought, immersion, wandering outside a door, and waiting until the door opens to lead toInsideroom.If the brain's neural circuits can no longer maintain attention for too long, it will naturally enter exhaustion.
Regular reading, rather than browsing online articles, is the best way to maintain the author's ability to think deeply. I don't deny that it is much more convenient to find information on the Internet than flipping through books. But quietly diving into the deep sea of books, the depth of thoughts and feelings gained, allows the author to have a more stable grasp and grasp of the topic he wants to write about before starting to write. It is less likely that he will feel like he already knows a lot, only to find out when he starts writing. Get rid of all the superficial worries.
In addition, in the past two years, podcasts have suddenly become a buzzword, and a sound media similar to radio has become a platform that is eager to be used. I have been a podcast listener for many years. Back then, because I had to drive a lot, even if I am not a person who relies on listening to learn, in order to make full use of my time, I still listen to as many podcasts as I can. Later I discovered that being able to listen to a program to the end is actually a good training for maintaining concentration. The programs vary in length. When doing housework or exercising, instead of letting your mind wander, it is better to listen to the entire episode. Listening with a single sense often inspires me to write. Listening to podcasts calms the mind and is a good way to tame restless thoughts.
one bird after another
The famous American writer Anne Lamott said that because her family of origin requires that she must prove her value with results, she has always had a K-FXXX radio station in her heart since she was a child, broadcasting self-criticism at any time. While she was writing, the radio station would play automatically if she wasn't paying attention. She advises writing students to turn off the radio station before writing and to be careful when it suddenly comes on.
I believe that many authors have this self-evaluation station in their hearts. At first, it just sends out kind-hearted reminders in a small voice. When they pause to think or when they are pressed for deadline, they will jump on the anchor station and give strict instructions with correct words.
In the early years of pressure cookers, when the pressure in the pot increased, they made a harsh and loud sound. The same goes for the self-evaluation broadcast in the author; the greater the pressure, the more arrogant the shouting, and after listening too much, the fingers become weak and the eyes become numb. The resulting paralysis is also a type of blockage.
To deal with this situation, it is best to turn off the station, but for many people, turning the station may be a better way.
In "Writing Lesson: Just write one bird after another!" "Bird by Bird", Lamott explains the origin of the title.
Years ago, Annie's ten-year-old brother had to turn in a report on birds. Although the teacher had given the students relevant instructions and information long ago, my brother only looked at the papers and books on the table the day before handing in the homework. He didn't know where to start and almost cried. My father, a writer, sat next to his brother, put his hand on his shoulder, and said, "One bird after another, son. You pick a bird first, write a sentence about it, and then you write A bird, write two sentences about that bird, don’t worry about anything else, just focus on the bird and write two sentences.”
Anne, who was listening on the sidelines, took her father's words into her heart. Isn't writing just "writing one bird after another"? Whenever she felt unable to write, she would tell herself: Just finish the sentence in front of you!
I have met several students who often failed to submit their manuscripts. After finally finishing a paragraph, they kept revising back and forth. When I go back to write after a break, I have to be pointed out by the self-evaluation station inside again, and then revise it until it is beyond recognition and cannot progress.
Why not put the revisions later and write the first draft first? All responded unanimously: "Wouldn't it be worse to finish writing them all and then find out that they sucked? It tramples on the already fragile confidence?" Someone else asked: "Why would you suggest that I let the rotten apple grow into a tree before plucking it out?"
Thinking of the metaphor of letting the wheat and tares grow together and then sifting them during harvest, I smiled. So does writing! Sometimes you can't tell the wheat from the tares, and you waste your growth period by trying to pull them out. It's better to be patient for the time being and sow seeds! Water it!
In fact, the first draft is like playing the piano. You need to practice the scales first to get your fingers moving. The point is not to express the music, but to let your impetuous self dive into the ocean of words first and get used to the rhythm of the tide. For relatively long articles, because they cannot be completed in one go, I will read them out loud and slowly after writing a thousand words, and only make preliminary polishes to make the words smooth, in order to continue writing. After writing two thousand words, go back to a paragraph of about one thousand words and repeat the above process. The real revision must wait until the first draft is completed, and it will not be done immediately. The finished product must be allowed to dry like a freshly painted oil painting before the true appearance can be seen.
get away? Stop!
另一常見的類堵塞，是用最冠冕堂皇的方式逃避初期的不適感—先去忙別的。寫作碰到文思卡住，在催促聲音大、筆下出貨少時，為免受苦刑，就給自己逃避現場的好理由，比方去洗衣服，去把冷凍的肉拿出來，去掃落葉，去跑步，去拿郵件，去去去……。
This time, the world will be forever. never mind! Can't write it.
Philip Yancey, praised by evangelist Graham as the best evangelical writer, even though he had been writing for most of his life and his works had been translated into 40 languages, he still often used the excuse "I'm going first..." when he was stuck. Flee the scene.
For him, the research preparation before writing, the revision after the first draft, and the final draft are all very enjoyable processes. It’s only particularly painful when writing the first draft. Philip Yance said that every time he was about to write the first draft, he would walk around in the study, go to the bathroom constantly, and then tell himself to walk across the street to do something particularly important.
After so many years of writing, has the situation gotten better? He said that the anxiety has always been there, and the urge to escape from the scene has always been there, but at the same time, years of experience have made him understand that this is not a real blockage, but just a process.
Sometimes I feel that the desk, the lamp, and the laptop where I write are really like a person’s family of origin, which they once wanted to escape from. I have been wandering outside for a long time, and I miss it day and night, looking forward to going back. When we started, we found that the road home was far away.
I often tell myself, stay where you are and keep your hands on the keyboard. Writing inherently includes writing and not being able to write. This is more like loving someone, including loving passionately and when you can't love anymore. Stop, because this is the text I love, and I insist on it for the God I love; stop, because it is also the most effective tool to clear all kinds of blockages.
I especially like what American Jewish novelist EL Doctorow said:“Writing is like driving in the fog at night. You can only see as far as the headlights illuminate, but you can cover the entire journey that way.”How much more if we have a lamp for our feet and a light for our path? !
The path of writing is always the persistence of the step in front of you; following Him with a pen is also the step of taking the step in front of you, whether the steps are light or heavy.
Ruixin, writer, whose articles have been scattered in newspapers and magazines. He was a columnist for "Cosmic Light" magazine and "True Love" family magazine, and is currently the author of "Beijing Foundation" magazine. At the same time, he has been running the "Private School Madam" blog, "Give me your sincerity" blog, "It's You" blog for many years, and has a Facebook page "Grab Happiness". He is the author of the books "The Footsteps of a Wanderer", "Managing the Family and Mind", and "The Wisdom of Discipline".