The Experiment: Becoming Unstuck with the Gift of a Word by Meline Scheidel

 

Writers, have you ever had times of feeling stuck, unmotivated, or uninspired? It’s on those occasions the doubting voice within awakens. It reminds you of things like – you’re not good enough, it has been done a million times, that subject is boring.

After staring at a blank page on the computer and not feeling motivated, I tried some of the recommended solutions to get inspired; online prompts, listen to webinars, join writing groups on Facebook, meditate, walk, and still nothing.

I had a familiar nudge this past fall for me to rewrite an old poem. I had filed it away after a tough critique. It would be a fabulous picture book, if only I could get it right. I tried it several ways taking the suggestions I had been given. The poem went from 200 words to 4000. It wasn’t a poem, picture book, or novel! I filed it away again and cringed.

Maybe, I was done writing? My last two books were published at the beginning of the pandemic. As with everyone, my marketing strategies disappeared with all the event cancelations. The nudge to complete this story continued, but the doubting voices were stronger.

Recently, on my walk, I pondered what could inspire me to want to write again. I recalled in the past while creating articles for magazines and writing for Scholastic, my words flowed. I was thrilled with any subject they assigned me. I wrote quickly, efficiently, and relished every minute of the creative process.

I thought about an experiment to see if I could spark the passion that was once there. I’d ask loved ones to assign me a single word (noun preferably) with only a few seconds of thought. The next day I would write about their word, beginning as they did, spontaneously.

My sister-in-law gifted me the word elephant. She had no idea why that word came to her mind. The next day the realization hit that I didn’t know much about elephants. They are gray, wrinkled, and there’s one named Dumbo. I did a quick search to find some facts and had so much fun with my discoveries. The first sentence in my sister-in-law’s word story was: “If I were an elephant, I would bat my five and a half inch eyelashes at you.” I had a blast writing this in first person. I later thanked her for that exciting learning experience. I had never been an elephant before.

A friend gifted me the word song. She thought I would write about my favorite musician at some point in my life. What came to me were the songs of the world. I wrote about the countless sounds and rhythms of nature within our environment. I felt so much gratitude as I thought about how the universe creates its own phenomenal orchestra.

The nine other words began with a brief list of my first impressions and then I’d elaborate on the list. Once I began writing for each person’s word, I wrote more than my intended plan of at least one paragraph.

These words filled me with forgotten memories, others had me laughing, and some brought on emotional tears. The gift of a single word has awakened my creative energy. The angels are singing and have already conquered those doubting voices.

My confidence and passion have returned, along with motivation and inspiration. The old file has been reopened this time with enthusiasm; a new story is about to be born. My hope is that you never give up and you add this experiment to help you get unstuck, if ever needed.

Meline Scheidel publishes under the pen name of Patti RaeFletcher. She is the author of three books, magazine articles, and blogs. Her children’s creative non-fiction picture book, Whoa Nilly, A Nymph Grows Up! is about the lifecycle of a dragonfly, teacher approved, using both illustrations and photographs. She has two short memoirs where she shares her experiences recognizing signs that are undeniably beyond synchronicities and coincidences. These messages of love helped her through cancer and led her to a cottage of her dreams. In Patti’s spare time, you can find her outdoors in nature, gardening, fishing, reading, or playing with friends.