I had been stuck on my latest writing project. I spent a couple of months working together act breakdowns, scene breakdowns, character analyses, etc. I had all the pre-work done and ready to go, all I had to do was starting actually writing. I kept putting it off. So clearly something was wrong. I told myself that after I get the first couple of pages out, I'll get over my "fear" of writing and the rest will flow easily. I got myself to agree to only write 2 pages - to help me get over the initial hump. Those two pages came somewhat easily, then there was another delay. I found myself putting off work on writing.
My next strategy was to set aside one hour in which I could work uninterrupted. I did some NLP exercises to clear disctractions. I realized that I had a goal in my head that the writing had to be "good". I told myself that was ridiculous - it was a first draft for a whole play. The only goal is to get the whole structure down on paper. How could I expect to write in the wonderful details if I couldn't get my hands around the whole thing first? The deal I made with myself was that I had one hour to work. I didn't have to accomplish anything, but I wasn't allowed to be distracted. No checking email, no practicing piano for "just a couple of minutes", no checking the news. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted as long as it had to do directly with the script.
That went well and I got a few pages out of that hour of work. Then there was another several days where I could feel the act of working on the script turn into a "chore". Try as I might, I couldn't make the writing come any easier.
Then today, it hit me as I was practicing piano. I was working on Bach's Invention No. 4 and trying to get the last quarter of it. I kept thinking about the words of my piano teacher, Robert Cowie, that if you practice a piece in frustration and tension, you will have a hard time getting that out of your playing when you have learned the piece. It's much better to make the practicing easy so that you always have an experience of enjoyment and ease as you learn the piece. Ah...sage advice.
So today, the goal was to make writing fun! Make it easy! If I'm belaboring the writing, then only write the subtext. Write nonsense. Let the characters have emotional outbursts. Do whatever it takes to have fun.
Now that made a difference.