The choice of words that people use says something beyond the surface of what they have said. Sometimes the deeper meaning is intended. Sometimes it is not intended. There can be occasions where that deeper meaning comes from the speaker--or narrator or the like as the case may be. Sometimes that deeper meaning comes from another source than the speaker. This last option adds a host of other implications and potential additional meanings. The question is how do you impart the deeper level and additional ideas when it is all too easy to miss the intended influence?
The first answer is to be very blatant about it. Some biases are readily apparent with only a minimum of work. Unwavering repetition is a fair sign too, but may speak to a different issue such as the narrator's vocabulary breadth or a lack of imagination. That repetition could also be a matter of no more precise a word to be substituted. Secondary information sources might back up and clarify the idea presented by the narrator, either as quotes or as separate literature (in the sense of pamphlets and books) available to the reader/listener/viewership.
The medium of a fiction blog opens up a different kind of opportunity to address the deeper layers. That opportunity comes in the form of reader comments. If the blog is a fiction to a level that there are fictional people leaving comments on the entries then one of these characters may call the poster to task for using the word. This commenter might applaud the specific use of words, condemn them, or ask for clarification. More subtle and involved methods might also be available as well.
Music: 10538 Overture by Def Leppard and Black Diamond by Stratovarius.
I don't know that I have suffered what people refer to as writer's block where they sit and stare at the page and nothing comes to them. Certainly I might have theme block, and even project block, where I don't know what to write next. Then it's usually a matter of time to wait for a good idea. To just sit there and not know what to write about anything... That's just a foreign concept to me. I didn't know what to write here today. Several ideas came to mind but they fit better in the Inchoate Ascendant blog or they were related to what I am doing in Umbral Intentions directly, and there are always short story ideas, novel ideas, and ideas for things that defy description and cover a myriad of topics. Added to those now are image ideas for art that I am considering or planning to make. Methods to create those images are in the flurry of ideas as well. Those methods even may end up as posts in my Learning Dark Arts blog.
I think that one of the ways to combat this problem if you have it is to not focus on how great your first words need to be, or how impressive the overall piece of writing will be. This is obviously easier said than done, especially if you have a deadline looming over your head, which would of course leave you stuck writing in a particular vein, and in a particular style--if you happen to write to different projects differently. That points to the second fix you should consider. If you write certain projects in the same style trying varying it, not only between different projects, but also within the same one if that is feasible. I write posts to this blog in a couple different fashions. This is one of the more personable style posts. Other times I speak more authoritatively, in the sense of keeping myself out of it, not using personal or familiar pronouns, and keeping a tighter leash on the kinds of phrasing that I use, and other stylistic concerns that make for a more formal role as the author.
One of the classic attempts to solve a case of writer's block is to walk away. Close out the document and go do something else. Browse the web. Take a walk--they say this increases blood flow, which is good for getting the brain working (it adds more oxygen too), not to mention the change of scenery may inspire, and recent studies have delved into why we forget what we planned to do when we leave a room (it has to do with making mental room for increased awareness of a new environment), which is important for this because it alleviates the stress of what all was on your mind in the room you were trying to write. I guess the last suggestion, especially if you write blogs is to allow yourself to repeat previous topics. I certainly did here. The writer's block tag below will tell you when I last wrote about this.
Music: Music: Gonna Buy Me A Dog by The Monkees and Breathless by Quiet Riot.
