There are some days when I sit in front of my keyboard for hours. I can't type a damn thing. On others, I get a story out of my skull, but I can't figure out what's missing. A lot of it is due to writing being writing: the words just don't always want to flow. However, the thought that it might be because of my head trauma and all of the medications I take on a daily basis. Honestly, it's a wonder I can stand up, let alone string a sentence together. I've done a lot to try and make scribbling for a living easier on my thinking bits. I write down all of my notes instead of typing. Doing so helps with memory and cognition. I work on multiple devices and budget for coffee and travel: changing things up with my method or location can do wonders for the state of my skull. And I've got lots of mental exercises I do to help with my focus.
One in a while, I pick up random books and aids to see if they'll add anything meaningful to my work routine. The last thing I bought, along these lines, has been surprisingly useful.
Back in 1975, Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt came up with a card-based system for helping artists work through the dilemmas that keep them from doing their best work (or, in my case, any work.) The cards are designed to help encourage lateral thinking and, in doing so, get one's creative juices flowing in a way that may not have been previously considered. Packed into a neat little cardboard box, Schmidt and Eno named the set of cards Oblique Strategies. In its current iteration, Oblique Strategies includes over 100 different cards. Each card comes with a different sentence or word on it. They're all prompts to get you thinking about what you're working on differently. 'What are you really thinking about now? Incorporate,' 'Look at the order in which you do things' and 'Voice nagging suspicions' are just a few examples. Do the cards help me every time I feel stuck or unable to start? Nope. But more times than not, they have helped me to write myself out of a corner and, in some instances, have even got me thinking about a new project.
There are lots of ways to access Oblique Strategies. There's an iPhone app, for example. My preferred method is using the set of cards sold on Brian Eno's website. They cost more than a bespoke cardboard box and a deck of card stock likely should. But I like that they sit on my desk as I work; a physical reminder that when I run into trouble or can't get started, they're right there, waiting to throw me an oblique lifeline.
Previously:
• Writer's block? These literate apps have got it hacked
• Lawrence Block's advice on surviving as a writer
• Howto: sustain long-haul creativity
• The truth about writer's block
• Writer's block supercut
