So many people in the NYT comments angry about the assertion that everybody loves cheese, but I certainly do. Shout out to every underpaid cheesemonger slicing me off bits of their favorite cheese so I can nibble mouse-like at it…reading this has inspired me to go searching for some truly good local cheese places. Thanks for posting, Powderhorn!
I find that, for me, the best thing I can do to get around a block is to stop attacking it. My mind works in the background and eventually produces a strong solution.
Some specifics are: long walks during which I intentionally don’t think about that project, a few days writing another section or tackling a different piece entirely, or editing for a while rather than writing. The best thing I can do for a book-length project after the first draft is stop looking at it for a few months, but you can apply the same principle (that taking your conscious mind off the work allows new thoughts to percolate) for any duration during the drafting process.
I agree with Powderhorn’s assessment, though, that your framing of this hurdle sounds less about struggling to compose sentences and more about struggling with the content emotionally. In those cases, I tend to lean on friends or writing partners and aim to talk out/about the issue before putting it to paper.
I hope you find a new creative path forward!
I’ve been trying to come out of a reading slump by returning to some old favorites!
I’ve already read most Sherlock Holmes stories, but I haven’t gotten to every single one in His Last Bow or The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, so I’ve borrowed a complete collection and promptly gotten sidetracked by rereading The Hound of the Baskervilles.
I also finally got around to reading the Anne of Green Gables series, and absolutely adored the first few books. The older and more restrained Anne gets, the less engaging I find them, but it’s a very comfortable series and I was gifted all eight paperbacks, so I soldier on through book seven. Anybody else in the community doing some recent reading?
I still haven’t made the jump from “putting things in the ground” to “thriving garden” in this state—I wasn’t made for the high desert! But my lettuce seeds are turning into lettuce seedlings, my pea vines are vining, and all of my cheap pansy annuals are thriving. I’m also seeing corn stalks come up, which is new and exciting. I just keep feeling like everything is slow and late for the season. I’m just glad to be out there in the dirt. Congratulations on your thriving lavender!!!
Ooh, congratulations! I’ve had a few ladybugs around my yard, but I’m mostly overrun with false chitbugs instead of aphids, and they don’t seem to be making a dent. Hope your buggy community keeps thriving!
What a wonderful sentiment! Your friends are lucky to have someone supportive in their lives, even from a distance—it’s an honor to be able to provide that to loved ones (but also sometimes feels like a big challenge to live up to).
I was surprised at the number of people in the comments who, neither vegan nor lactose-intolerant, simply hate cheese. A truly vocal minority (though, as one person launched in to defend with specific statistics, clearly not an insignificant minority).