FORUM

Welcome home!

At The Poetry Cove Forum, we are dedicated to bringing together poets from all over the world. We believe that poetry can be a powerful tool for connection and community, and we want you to have a place where you can explore your craft in an environment that is friendly, welcoming, and supportive.

We are committed to providing this space for you because we believe that everyone deserves a chance to express themselves creatively and share their work with others who share their interests.

We hope you will join us in creating an open-minded, accepting, and supportive community of people who can help each other grow as poets.

Writer's Block is a good thing.

in General Discussion

Now before you go thinking this statement is crazy, please hear me out. I used to loathe writer's block like any other writer. However, over the years, and many many headaches, I've learned to embrace writer's block for four reasons.

1. Out Of The Box

Having brain farts can create room for some rather creative thinking. It forces you to really focus on an idea and simply run with it. This can create opportunities in your writing that you never thought you've had.

2. Room To Grow

Have you ever heard the phrase "too much of a good thing spoils the surprise?" Just like writer block forces you to think outside of the box, it also enables you room to learn something new. No writer has ever perfected their art. As contrary as this may seem. The ones that think so usually have an overactive imagination or their egos are large.

3. Figment Of Your Imagination

As difficult as it may seem, writer's block isn't real. At least not in the classical sense. No, writer's block I would say is just as real as Bigfoot walking into your house and stealing the leftovers in your fridge. In reality, all writer's block really is, is a lack of imagination. I know weird right!? Poets are some of the most imagination-enriched individuals I've ever met. How is it that they could possibly lack imagination? Well, it happens. Often. It's a self-imposed barrier a writer places on themselves when they don't have the motivation to write.

4. Self-Care

When push comes to shove. Maybe writer's block is just your mind telling you to lay off the coffee (or tea), place your pen and computer away, and just take a break. Go on that trip you've been wanting to take, but keep putting off because your book has a deadline. A few hours away from pen-pushing can really clear the mind. Or if you are like me, take a moment to just sit in silence outside to mingle among the fairies of the forest. Meditation has also been proven to bring clarity and focus as well. The point being that self-care is just as important.

So I hope you liked my take on writer's block. Perhaps it has helped. Or maybe you're just as lost as before you started reading my dribble. Either way, may the pen be mightier than the sword and forever prosper.

(Yes, this is a pun from Star Trek. I couldn't help myself.)

9 comments

Comments (9)

Rachel Glass

May 27, 2021

•

Ken, what a wonderful take on writer's block. I admit I do write fairly frequently thanks to prompts given by a weekly workshop. However, I will admit that I tend to panic when I haven't written in a while. I say to my best friend 'what if I never write again?' and he basically tells me to not be stupid. But it is a genuine fear because what do I do without writing?

That's just some small ramblings. That aside, I definitely relate to the self care and I do believe that when I do have writer's block, my mind is saying 'I don't want to do this right now. I'm tired'. Overall, a fantastic post and very encouraging :) I think I'm going to print this out and keep it in my notebook :)

Ken LeMarchand

Jul 08, 2021

•

Replying to

@Noelle Shelton Exactly! One of my most significant pitfalls growing as a poet was struggling to remain traditional as possible, following all the strict rhyme schemes, structures, etc. At the same time, those are all significant aspects of making a poem. Sometimes writing thoughts out freely can be invigorating and spark creativity. Eliminating a lot of what I consider to be unnecessary restrictions is freeing and enabling. True, there are specific guidelines to writing poetry. Still, I've quickly learned over time that poetry is an art form of expression. It doesn't matter what form it takes as long as the message is written clearly and every word is chosen with a purpose. Ultimately, telling a story. Poets are, after all, storytellers, if not musicians of the written word. Where else would bards and minstrels have come from if not from telling stories in the form of a song? It doesn't mean poetry has to be written as a song either, but that is where a lot of the earliest works of poetry derived from—slowly evolving and taking many different forms along the way. Just like life constantly evolves, so does poetry.