UNBLOCKING

“It was a dark and stormy night…”

“No, no, no, you can’t start like this. Try again.”

“Okay, then… A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…”

“No! Stop torturing me. Besides, you know Spielberg won’t stand for it. Try again.”

“You’re so hard to please. Okay then, how about this: it was a grey day, the kind usually reserved for sitting inside with a favourite book, unending cups of warm beverages and wistful stares out the window at a landscape washed of colour.”

“There you go, now I’m interested. So what comes next?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m going to have to think about it.”

“And there’s your problem. You need to stop thinking so much and just get on with it. Inspiration can’t be collected and saved. You have to use it or someone else’ll grab it.”

“I can’t just let it flow out of me. I have to think about it.”

“What’s there to think about?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Little things like plot, character development, story arcs and such.”

“Look, why not just let the story come out. If you start concerning yourself with trivialities like plots and arcs, you’ll lose the magic.”

“Magic! There is no such thing as magic. Storytelling is about technical ability, understanding the plot developments and devices and, most of all, planning ahead so it doesn’t become bogged down.”

“Jeez, no wonder you get blocked up all the time. You should learn to relax and let things happen. Its not as though you’re trying to write ‘War and Peace’, is it?”

“Well I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to develop the idea yet. I could be writing another ‘War and Peace’, for all you know.”

“Trust me, I know what you’re writing and it is not ‘War and Peace’. If you don’t let it flow, then I’m just going to have to leave you to your own devices.”

“Oh, goody, abandon me yet again.”

“Now, now, don’t be like that. There is only so much a muse can do. The rest is up to you.”