The Hero's Journey Through Writer's Block

Exercise #347 A Tale of Avoidance and Triumph

Strategy:

Writing can be an epic quest, with you as the hero and your anxiety as the formidable foe. We often try to sidestep our anxieties, hoping they'll vanish if we just avoid them long enough. But what if, instead of fleeing, we turned to face our dragons? In this exercise, we'll harness the power of storytelling to explore our relationship with writing anxiety. By creating a narrative where a hero must confront their fears, we'll gain insights into our own avoidance strategies and discover the courage to face our anxieties head-on. Remember, in every great story, the hero must face their greatest fear to achieve their ultimate goal.

Instructions:

1. The Hero's Quest: Begin by defining your hero's goal. What writing-related achievement are they striving for? This could be finishing a novel, sharing their work publicly, or simply establishing a consistent writing routine. Describe your hero and their objective in vivid detail. What makes this goal so important to them?

2. The Face of Fear: Now, create a character or creature to represent writing anxiety. This could be a monster, a shadowy figure, or even a seemingly benign object with sinister powers. Bring this representation of anxiety to life. What does it look like? How does it behave? What specific fears or doubts does it embody?

3. The Art of Evasion: Describe the hero's initial avoidance strategy. How do they try to sidestep their anxiety? This might involve procrastination, making excuses, or engaging in other activities to distract from writing. Detail the hero's actions and thoughts as they attempt to avoid confronting their anxiety. What temporary relief do these strategies provide?

4. The Growing Shadow: Show how the anxiety grows stronger as a result of the hero's avoidance. Perhaps the creature grows larger, the shadows deepen, or the benign object becomes more menacing. Illustrate how the hero's world becomes increasingly limited or uncomfortable as their anxiety gains power. What opportunities or experiences does the hero miss out on?

5. The Call to Action: Create a pivotal moment that forces the hero to confront their anxiety. This could be an external deadline, a personal epiphany, or an intervention from a mentor figure. Describe the scene where the hero realizes they can no longer avoid their fear. What emotions are they experiencing? What's at stake if they don't face their anxiety?

6. The Final Showdown: Narrate the hero's confrontation with their anxiety. How do they face their fear? What strategies or strengths do they discover in the process? Detail the battle between the hero and their anxiety. How does the anxiety fight back? What ultimate realization or action allows the hero to triumph?

Tags: writing anxiety, creative writing, metaphor, storytelling, personal growth, overcoming fears, hero's journey

Example:

1. The Hero's Quest: Lyra, a young apprentice wizard, dreams of crafting an original spell to present at the annual Mages' Conclave. This achievement would earn her the title of full mage and prove her worth to her skeptical mentor. Lyra is brilliant but plagued by self-doubt, often second-guessing her magical abilities.

2. The Face of Fear: Lyra's anxiety manifests as the Whispering Shade, a smoky, ever-shifting entity that follows her everywhere. It has gleaming eyes that seem to judge her every move and a mouth that whispers cutting remarks about her inadequacies. The Shade feeds on Lyra's doubts, growing more substantial with each spell she abandons or idea she dismisses as "not good enough."

3. The Art of Evasion: To avoid confronting the Whispering Shade, Lyra throws herself into studying ancient spell books, convincing herself she just needs to learn more before she can create her own spell. She spends hours organizing her workspace and perfecting minor, inconsequential charms instead of tackling her main project. When her mentor asks about her progress, Lyra makes excuses about needing more research time.

4. The Growing Shadow: As the Conclave draws nearer, the Whispering Shade grows larger and more oppressive. It begins to block out the light in Lyra's study, making it harder for her to read her spell books. Its whispers grow louder, drowning out her own thoughts. Lyra finds herself unable to perform even simple spells she once knew by heart, paralyzed by the fear of failure.

5. The Call to Action: The night before the Conclave, Lyra's mentor finds her huddled in a corner of the library, surrounded by stacks of unused parchment and untouched magical components. With gentle but firm words, the mentor reminds Lyra of her potential and the courage it takes to create. He shares his own stories of failure and growth, helping Lyra realize that perfection isn't the goal—growth and effort are what truly matter.

6. The Final Showdown: Inspired by her mentor's words, Lyra faces the Whispering Shade in her study. As she begins to work on her spell, the Shade looms larger, its whispers becoming shouts of discouragement. But Lyra pushes through, focusing on the joy of creation rather than the fear of judgment. With each component she adds to her spell, the Shade becomes more transparent. When Lyra makes a mistake, instead of giving up, she learns from it and adapts her spell. In the final moment, as Lyra speaks the last word of her newly created spell, the Whispering Shade dissipates in a shower of sparks. The spell might not be perfect, but it's uniquely hers, and Lyra realizes that the act of creating despite her fears is the true magic.