Let’s talk about writing ruts!
By writing ruts, I don’t mean writer’s block, or that point in any project where you’re starting to think, wait, why did I ever want to do this in the first place?
I mean writing ruts at the line level: words, sentences, grammatical structures.
I can’t be the only one who goes through phases of finding themselves using the same turn of phrase or conjunction or sentence structure over and over and over again.
You try to stop. You do. But for whatever reason, it’s really, really hard.
An example. The past couple weeks, I’ve noticed myself using “when it comes to” way more than any person should be allowed. I have no idea how this began, nor why this phrase has suddenly appeared in every other sentence I write.
What’s worse, I’ve started ending every paragraph with the words “and beyond.”
In the coming months and beyond. Through the pandemic and beyond.
You are not Buzz Lightyear. Please stop.
We all have our linguistic quirks and go-to sayings. But for authors, copywriters, essayists, and marketers producing thousands of written words each week, these quirks can be thrown into especially stark (and obnoxious) relief. Editing helps. And reading your drafts aloud to yourself makes any repetition cringingly obvious.
But the rut can still get pretty...rutty.
This is more likely to be a problem when your subject matter is theoretical. When writing fiction, or copy about a physical product, you’ve got all those fun sensory words you can throw into the mix. It’s pretty easy to make it all feel original and specific and gleaming.
But when you’re talking about a service or an idea, it’s much more difficult to avoid returning to the same language you always use (not great). Or the same language everyone uses (even worse).
And thus, the rut.
A specificity refresh
Fortunately, I’ve come up with a way to refresh my linguistic brain. First, I start paying more attention to language. Then, once I’m a little more tuned in, I start jotting down random things people say, strange combinations of words I come across online or in print, catchy song lyrics, and anything that seems evocative or like a nugget of something more.
This results in some pretty random notebooks and sheets of paper and Post-Its.
I’ve always liked the color of the spleen
sparkling brain tingles
Who wants to hear about the world from a worm?
Twelfth-favorite weathercaster
In every cave where there are bats and paintings, the paintings disappear.
I don’t even want to think about the sky
Both goddesses were retained because of the importance of their roles
After reading about antennas, I’m more confused than before
My first girlfriend turned into the moon
These bits and pieces of language remind me that it’s worth the effort to try to achieve an effect with words. Suddenly, I feel about 5 million times more creative. There’s something replenishing about remembering how, even with all the language we’ve already heard, it’s still possible to be delighted by something new.
Wikipoems
Two summers ago, I took this found-language inspiration a step further and made up a challenge I called “Wikipoems.” Each day for one month, I clicked the Random Article button on Wikipedia and scanned the page until a turn of phrase caught my eye. Then I set an egg timer for five minutes and wrote a poem based on that turn of phrase.
A few of them came out alright, and I’d go back and play with them later when I was stuck on other writing.
They’re weird, obviously. And I never realized there were so many Wikipedia articles about random planets. But the whole thing was fun, and definitely helped me reconnect with the work.
Here’s one of the poems.
*
"White van man" is a stereotype used in the United Kingdom for a smaller-sized commercial van driver,[1] typically perceived as a selfish, inconsiderate driver who is mostly petit bourgeois and often aggressive.
that guy you saw
petit bourgeois
speeds cause he can
the white van man.
hauling his load
like he owns the road
might be named dan
the white van man.
he’s got poor taste
probably running late
may be fake-tan
the white van man.
should vote Labour
but scared of immigrant neighbors
likes awful bands
the white van man.
arriviste vulture
ruining the culture
we do not stan
the white van man.
*
Is it silly? Yes. Does it make me happy? Also yes.
I’m by no means suggesting everyone write poems based on Wikipedia articles. (Though I’m picking up the challenge again for July if anyone wants to join in!)
But I do think any time you’re in a creative rut, whether that’s at the idea stage or the execution stage, taking some time to revel in the texture of your medium can really help.
That medium, for me, is words. And the fact that after all this time they can still make me happy reminds me why I do this work.
Happy writing, everyone. And happy holiday weekend to folks in the US!
<3
–Erin
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Erin Becker (she/her)
Writer | Communications Consultant | Storytelling Expert
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