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TinMan’s Gratitude Grows Flow

Register Emotion with TinMan’s Flow

TinMan is literally rusted in place when we meet him along the Yellow Brick Road. He knows he needs help, but is literally and figuratively stuck in place until help arrives. And arrives it does in the form of two travelers going to Oz with problems of their own. Haven’t we all had a sense of grinding writer’s block that seems to freeze us in anger, fear, or resentment?

Want to grow your flow? Take a cue from the TinMan, who used appreciation to lead to flow.

Grab the Oil Can of Helpers

Just like us, Dorothy and Scarecrow are vulnerable. TinMan is no exception. They find  him rusted shut. Yet, TinMan is tenacious in his quest to speak and repeats, “Oil Can!”, in muffled speech until the Scarecrow recognizes the TimMan’s need for oiled joints. Upon application of the oil, TinMan is grateful to be moving again. He may be creaky, but his radiant smile shows his gratitude to his peers as he links arms with Dorothy and Scarecrow and dances down the road. In a sense, we all have had experiences like TinMan. We stay stuck until we find a critique group or writing mentor or online workshops to help move us forward on our creative trail. It all begins with the willingness to ask for assistance along the path. One great resource is found in the International Women’s Writing Guild’s Digital Village. Learn more about the Digital Village here: https://www.iwwg.org/digital-village/

Risk Heartbreak for Experience

In the last scene shot in Oz, Dorothy, her friends, and Glinda are all on the platform where Professor Marvel’s balloon has just launched. Glinda lets Dorothy know Kansas is as close as a few clicks of her heels. She begins her tearful goodbyes. As she hugs TinMan, he exhibits a flow of painful emotion, which most of us would call grief. Now I know I have a heart, cause its breaking. Dorothy hands him back his oil can so he won’t rust up again. In doing so, we know he and his friends will go on with their duties in Oz. He has come a long way from his frozen state to one of deep flow. My how he’s grown for the better.

Your Turn

Who can you ask for help in a writing project – or in any life matter – to regain your forward momentum of flow? Take out your journal and list friends and family who would be willing to lend a hand. Then, risk the awkwardness to write on the subject of your choice once again. You need not share the early work with anyone. Simply write to get back into flow.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

 

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Three Ways to Bust Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block Breaks When Viewed as Gift

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Writer’s block. It seems to hit at the very worst time.  During a deadline with a new client. During an mid-afternoon work session that needs to be completed by the close of the business day. During a project that can make or break career advancement. Writer’s block can feel and look like paralysis. Nothing gets written, but a lot of paper gets balled up as quickly as the stomach knots set in to contort the sufferer. Seen as a malaise, writer’s block will deliver a double-punch to both the ego and the brain. But seen as a gift? Is that even possible? Yes, observed as a gift, writer’s block can accelerate the business of writing. Try the following strategies to get the flow back to any project. ASAP!

First, consider sculpting. An artist chisels away a bit at a time to come up with breathtaking busts of figures that are withing the rock. A few years ago when I was experiencing writer’s block, a friend of mine, Linda Leedy Schneider, a poet and psychotherapist, recommended brevity. “Try writing in 15 minute sessions,” she suggested. Worked like a charm! Why? After the first session is over, a second or a third can be added. And as the words that were so painfully slow to come melt through the warming of confidence, so does the writer’s block. Sheer and brief movement is the gift that gets passed the block.

Second, write with the audience in mind. When an assignment gets personal and that person or group can be visualized, words seem to begin to flow. Want to stay stuck? Consider writing as a struggle – uncomfortable and painful – and that is exactly what will stick to each and every syllable that is keyed on a page. Consider the audience’s needs, wants, desires and get those items answered in as few words as possible. As another friend, author, Mel Ryane, has told me and others in her “From the Page to the Podium” workshops, “It is never, ever, about you!” The delivery of a speech has the same requirement as a piece of writing: remember that the audience is the focus. And there is no room there for a whiny writer. The gift here is a fresh perspective, which goes beyond the self as a writer.

Finally, write with authority to crush writer’s block. Write as quickly as possible to get the main idea out. Forget about spelling, punctuation, grammar rules and the like. That is what the editing and proofreading stages are intended to catch. Exude confidence, even if it feels odd. The projection of success will be found in the gift of words that multiply and spill onto the screen.

Now, time to start picking up those nasty paper balls all over the desk and toss them away!