A Writing Tip by B. A. Varghese
GOT WRITER’S BLOCK? BE A SCRIBE.
Writer’s block is something that all writers deal with in one form or another (depending on how you perceive it or define it). Anyone in desperation can Google “how to fix writer’s block”; there’s a plethora of advice on the internet. Some suggestions are simple, like taking a nap or reading a book. Others can be elaborate, like having someone keep you captive in a Colorado farmhouse during winter and threaten you to finish your manuscript (that helped the protagonist in Stephen King’s Misery). But for me, what has worked well is to become a scribe.
During the Middle Ages, a monastic scribe’s primary responsibility was to make copies of religious manuscripts like The Bible (centuries before the invention of the Gutenberg printing press). It was a grueling job that demanded patience, attention to detail, and precision, not to mention all the eyestrain from poor lighting.
Okay, so you don’t want to go down the path of being a medieval monk, scrawling with arthritis-riddled fingers by candlelight? Then pretend to be a professional copyist — a job that existed way before the 80s and computers, when the whole “copy and paste” thing ruined the profession. A copyist’s job was to type verbatim, word for word, what they read in a hard-copy text or handwritten manuscript. That’s it. They just made a copy of what they read.
Whenever I get a bout of writer’s block, I pick up one of my favorite books, like James Joyce’s Ulysses or Denis Johnson’s Tree of Smoke, and I pretend I’m a scribe. It’s not a new concept; the technique is employed by several writers. (Hunter S. Thompson wrote out entire books like The Great Gatsby and A Farewell to Arms.) Of course, you can pick up any novel that you’ve read or any book from an author you admire. Maybe consider a book you haven’t read because you’ll be reading as you’re typing the text out, and it’s a great way to jumpstart that novel you’ve been keeping on your bookshelf for display. (Is that a copy of Infinite Jest I see?)
Whenever the blank page taunts me, or I’m stuck, unable to create anything of worth, I just put on my scribe hat. Without spending any brain energy, I copy passages from a book for twenty or thirty minutes, exercising those finger muscles as they rap across the keyboard, typing sentences in the voice of my favorite author, allowing his or her sentences to flow through me, that voice inspiring mine. It always jolts me out of my block, allowing me to kick into gear my voice and my style. Afterward, I usually have no problem resuming my writing projects.
Next time you feel in a rut or a block in your writing, put on your scribe or copyist hat, pick up your favorite book, and copy away. Well… don’t copy directly into your own novel; that’s called plagiarism.
B. A. Varghese graduated from Polytechnic University (New York) with a degree in Electrical Engineering and is currently working in the Information Technology field. Inspired to explore his literary side, he earned a B.A. in English and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida. His works have appeared in various literary journals, and he is currently working on his first novel.
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