Here, staring at a blank page; it’s been a while. The temptation to give up is here but I know that I won’t give up — simply because I can’t. Some days the writing is cursed and won’t come out; other days it’s because I have nothing to say. Still, the pen has to move or the world will come to an end and the pen will move once more, proving that it is totally possible to write without engaging the brain.
I write (needless to say): How to beat writer’s block? Dear reader, you can’t beat a thing that doesn’t exist. I can’t answer that question. What I can do is tell you that you can always force the words to come out when you want them. For example, here’s a shopping list:
1. Tomatoes
2. Barbera
3. Red peppers
4. Olive oil
5. Panettone
6. 200 grams of Parma ham
7. Black olives
8. Amaretti
9. Single cream
10. Fernet
Once the words are forced out the verbal diarrhoea1 follows. And phrases start forming on the page. It’s like magic — trust me2.
Another thing that works is writing about not being able …