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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Dartmouth chapter.

           I have writer’s block at the moment. Which, apparently, is not a real thing according to the textbook for my introductory poetry class. “Writer’s block” is just something writers made up as an excuse for their unproductivity.

 

I want to argue otherwise.

 

During my good times, I usually churn out one or two poems per week, but now I’m having trouble even opening my journal. How? Why? I’ve tried to search for inspiration more actively in the past year, but I still struggle with periods of writer’s block. They might be less frequent, but they’re still strong.

 

The other day, I followed my usual writing routine: I take a shower, put on a face mask, prop up my legs onto my desk, and get to writing. It was a horrible work. Fragmented. Illogical. I was disappointed in it. In myself. This usually happens when I’m in the one of the millions of low points of my writing career. I’m not sure why I can’t write beautifully when I’m in that headspace. I think though, we should always cut ourselves some slack. I could probably edit it into something a lot more amazing than what it is now. Looking back at the piece, it has potential.

 

           Even though I say I’m in a writer’s block, I like to view it as more of a charging period. Charging up for a future rapid burst of creation. I have a few topics and ideas I want to write about stashed away. I’m just not in the right headspace right now to tackle those things. Writing is fluid like that, and when you’re put on a strict schedule (like classes), it can be hard to meet deadlines. I have to submit a poem every Monday. Next Monday’s poem has not materialized in the slightest. But, I do have a few tricks up my sleeves to help with this negative headspace.

 

  1. Take walks

I love walking and just looking and absorbing my surroundings. I usually listen to podcasts or read on these walks. Get some sun!

  1. Read articles, books, webcomics

Take in different perspectives and stories that may inspire new ideas or themes you want to write about.

  1. Listen to music

It helps me relax.

  1. Meet and talk to people

As an introvert, it can be very taxing. But I’ve noticed that every time I commit to socializing, it can be very enriching as well.

  1. Find writing prompts online and take a stab at them

Some of my pieces came about this way

  1. Random word generator

I like to mix and match words in my poetry. Sometimes this stirs creativity too.

 

Karen Zheng

Dartmouth '22

I am an undergraduate student at Dartmouth College majoring in English and Creative Writing. I am a poet, but I'm trying to expand into prose a little bit more. Aside from writing and reading, I love watching movies, Asian TV shows, and fashion modeling. I am a Lesbian, Chinese-American, first-generation college student, so talk to me about any of the above! E-mail: karenzheng99@gmail.com IG: __k.z or mx_zheng
Sophia Whittemore is a Correspondent for the Dartmouth HXCampus branch. When not working on HXCampus, they're writing webcomics on Webtoons, Pride books for Wattpad, was a staff writer at AsAm News, and has published the "Impetus Rising" series back when they were in high school. Sophia's also a geek, but who isn't?