Anyone who reads self-help books and articles for writers has come
across instructions for freewriting, writing practice, journaling or any
of several other topics that urge you to simply start writing and keep
that hand moving. If you run out of things to say, doodle, repeat a word
or phrase, do whatever it takes to keep that hand moving because …
what? You’ll go to the proverbial Writer’s Hell where you sit and stare
at a blank page for all of Eternity if you don’t? Or maybe the motor in
your brain is driven by the inertia of your hand and you’ll stare at a
perpetually blank screen?
The advice to keep your hand moving is
good advice if you suffer from serious writer’s block, and it can unclog
fascinating ideas that may otherwise never emerge. But here’s some
great news: You will NOT be sentenced to Writer’s Hell for failing to
keep your fingers moving. In fact, it’s often quite a healthy option to
lapse into a motionless trance during a writing session. Especially when
that writing takes the form of journaling.
