If I Only Had a Brain--Writer's Block

Writers who are trying to work with faulty brain connections end up frustrated with little or nothing to show for all the hours they put into their research and writing efforts.  I truly know how maddening this can be because I’ve been working on these two sentences for about four hours now.  Time wasted staring at that blank page on the computer screen is just too closely related to what happens in the brain—nothing/nada/zip—just barren, white space.  At times like these, the lack of neuronal activity could easily drive someone to drink or to just turn off the computer and pull the blankets up over their head.  This is a classic case of writer’s block.

Aside from a big blank space, what does writer’s block look like?  I think I can give you a good idea of what it doesn’t look like.  Let’s see . . . I think there is a little mouse around here somewhere.  Ah . . . here it is!  This is the Stanford University mouse.  The scientists have found a way to actually see the neurons firing in this lucky little mouse’s brain.   The reason I called the mouse lucky is that my brain did not look like that today.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/february/reading-mice-minds-021913.html

That’s a clear picture of what a brain does when it is healthy and working properly. 

Writer and co-owner of Posit Science and Smart Brains, neuroscientist Dr. Michael Merzenich is one of the leading scientists, in the country, who is attempting to make a difference in naturally regenerating brain function that has been damaged or lost completely.  He explains a little bit of this process that we are just now learning about in his You Tube video.

For contrast to the mouse's healthy brain, I’d like to show a nearly opposite situation with what happened to Ryan Reitmeyer when he had his auto accident.  This young man, by all rights, should be a vegetable.  The outlook on the patient’s recovery from his doctor was not much brighter than that.  In order to keep Ryan alive they had to remove a very large portion of his brain.  When Ryan's father asked the doctor what will happen after the surgery, his doctor replied that Ryan would not be able to talk again and that he'd have to be put into a nursing home.   

The ability for the brain to repair itself is remarkable as you will see from this next video.

Had Ryan's accident happened 25-30 years ago, the outcome on his life could have been substantially different.  It's because of these times, and the remarkable neuroscientists who are plodding forward with new ways to increase the brain's capabilities, plus the sophisticated equipment of today that we now know about the brain's regenerative powers.  The brain, like the muscles and the rest of the body, needs stimulation and new information in order to grow and develop.  No longer do we have the idea that if your memory or other brain functions fail that it will become the end of the road for that person.  There is a chance!  There is hope!

And, even though, as writers we don't have such severe obstacles to overcome (for most of us, anyway), we still have the problem of those neurons that won't fire when we need them to.  That trick is yet to be seen as my quest to solve how to find that spark that will fire-up the writing brain, continues.

Until next time--just keep writing. . . .

Analyzing Smart Brains' Facebook Page

“Although hardship can make us more mature, it can also be a clear sign that we are devoting our energy to things which are hindering rather than helping our spiritual growth” (www.astro.com.)

It seems that my horoscope today hit the nail right on the head with this assignment for the New Media class. We are to find an author’s Facebook page and analyze it for best practices. This has not been an easy task since I need to stay with my subject matter. Facebook is not an easy application to learn. And, I am seeing that there are plenty of authors out there who are as stumped about this as the rest of us are.

As mentioned in the last blog, I was seeking valuable information from scientists in the brain training field to help unlock the doors to writer’s block. What I am finding on Facebook is there seems to be a trend for people, who don’t have time/don’t want to bother, to just copy the information from Wikipedia and post it. These sites seem to garner a good number of hits, but there is little interaction between the authors and their fans and I think they are missing a great opportunity for increasing their fan base. In 2011, New York Times blogger Somini Sengupta wrote “Half of America is using Social Networks.” I’m guessing that a good deal of those people are on Facebook. That is a huge number of people to ignore and abandon.

Let’s just, for a minute, jump into the topic of brain training to spark those sleeping neurons in the writing part of the brain. Scientists have learned that the brain is plastic—it can heal itself to some extent when various parts are not working properly. Most of us, who write, have experienced this when we just can’t think of that next sentence or, sometimes, with a whole story/book/article. Deadlines loom, we panic, and the process shuts down completely until we walk away and go for a drive, do some yard work, or just relax and recoup—in other words, distance ourselves from the situation to calm the emotional responses that hamper our creativity. When we come back we, once again, have inspiration and insight to write.

It was about a year and a half ago, that in my search for a better brain I ran into Posit Science. After having three major head injuries in my lifetime I was eager to find “anything” to help my thinking process and execution of tasks to enable me to succeed at college and in my writing life. I bought the training program and had a good deal of success with it. (At some point in the future this will be one of the topics I’ll write about in my investigation of writer’s block.) This is how I became familiar with Alvaro Fernandez, cofounder of Posit Science. He, most graciously, gave me his Facebook URL so I could complete the assignment for the New Media class. I have not read his book The Sharp Brains Guide to Brain Fitness, co-authored with Elkhonon Goldberg, but I am familiar with his writing from the newsletter articles I receive.

There seems to be a bit of humorous irony here, and I would like to refer back to the quote at top of the page—because, the URL won’t come up. Ahh . . . another lesson to learn in my writing life: Don’t wait until the deadline to do the assignment! Since Mr. Fernandez’s site is not available I will refer to the Posit Science Sharp Brains’ Facebook page where some of his articles are posted.
The best practices criteria for Facebook are--be social, be natural, be consistent, be diverse. Be social—there are 4,702 people signed up on this page. Most of the posts have more people who “Like” the posts or “Share” the posts than they do in commenting on them. It does seem that Sharp Brains will respond to comments when needed, and I believe there would be more interaction from the company if more people commented. Be natural—this one is a little harder to approach as the site is a business site. However, I feel that in all the newsletters and in all their Web and Facebook presence the staff and co-founders have always appeared genuine and down to earth. They show a true appreciation in dealing with the public. Be consistent—this site is consistent and regular posts are being made. Be diverse—this doesn’t totally apply to this site. Considering the nature of the site, it would be hard for them to be interacting with other people outside the site to diversify. There is a section called Notes at the top of the page; and, there, they do list information from other sites. In my personal opinion, a site is going to succeed, not by being diverse, but by having a strong, solid quality of content. And, in that respect this site does win. Even though they are in the business to make money from their brain training software and their online program, there is a continued sense of dedication to the science of the brain and how to improve on what we have to begin with. They aren’t just hawkers claiming to have the next miracle cure . . . they are serious about all aspects of brain science and that is why I like this particular company. I am addicted to learning new information and they certainly can satisfy that need.

Overall, I feel that the Sharp Brains' Facebook site does meet the criteria for best Facebook practices on the Internet. And, again I would like to thank Mr. Fernandez for his consideration and I’m sorry that the Internet wasn’t working properly.

In the next blog, I will continue with the exploration of the science-end of writer’s block.


Works Cited:

Sengupta, Somini. " ." Aug. 26th 2011.Web. <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/half-of-america-is-using-social-networks/>.

"Web-based, Mobile and Biometrics-based Technology to Assess, Monitor and Enhance Cognition and Brain Functioning." 2013.Web. <https://www.facebook.com/pages/SharpBrainscom/129961036462>.

My Writing Brain vs. BIC

     Having had, at least, three serious head injuries in my life gives me a pretty good idea of how my brain works—or, doesn’t work.  The last major one happened in a car accident in 1995 which left me unable to speak, write, or read correctly.  I remember trying to read a paperback and after thirty minutes, I was still on the same page--yet couldn’t tell you any one thing I had read.  My short-term memory was severely affected.  After coming to the realization that I was having trouble, I decided to go back to school to regain some of the brain function I had lost.

     One of the possible problems with head injuries, besides the short-term memory loss, is the inability to learn new information.  This made school work very hard to manage.  About this time I was toying around with the idea of becoming a writer; but knew I was really in a pickle trying to learn all the rules of English and grammar.  I signed up to be moderator of the Grammar Lady Web site.  Because I had to read every post, and because people asked the same questions over and over, it gave me a good opportunity to learn through repetition.  Sadly, Dr. Mary Bruder (owner of the site) passed on, and the site did close.  My progress was slowed but not stopped.  A few years later I learned of Long Ridge Writers Group.  Their “Breaking into Print” course was just what I needed.  Long Ridge was a wonderful experience, but I was still hungry for more information after I graduated.  An online search led me to Southern New Hampshire University’s creative writing program.  After three years into my bachelor’s degree I can say this was one of the best decisions of my life. 

In all my travails to a writing life, one of the most irritating pieces of advice is: BIC.  It is also the most common piece of advice to a new writer. 

“Dear Writing Mentor, How do I get started in the writing business?”  Dear Newbie—BIC, put your butt in the chair and write!  “Dear Writing Mentor, I’m having trouble with writer’s block.  How can I get past this obstacle?”  Dear Newbie—BIC, put your butt in the chair and write! 

     I say PHOOEY!  Oh, sure . . . I followed that advice the first couple of years after I decided I wanted to be a writer.  I bought the books, I followed the exercises, I did my time.  Did it help?  Yes and no.  It did help me to find my writer’s voice and become comfortable with it.  Did it help my writing?  Absolutely not!  And, I am solid and firm on this testimony. 

     Anyone who knows me really well knows how my writing brain works. One could venture a guess that I have a multiple-personality-writing-disorder.  There are days where it takes me a week to write a one page, double-spaced assignment, and most of the time when I am finished, this page will sound like a fourth grader wrote it.  Then, there are days I am simply brilliant and feel that I could compete in any arena.  The rhythm is consistent, the words flow, the music of my heart is on the page, and I can hear the angels sing and the trumpets blow with every fluid sentence.  It is pure magic.

     The great part of having this type of brain disorder, in the 21^st century, is now we know why this writer’s block is happening.  The writing brain is not firing up the proper synapses to spark the flow of information from one neuron to another.  This is how some writers go for months or years without being able to write. Sometimes, one good jolt to the skull could end a writer’s career without them ever knowing why--they simply have no desire to write any more. The trick to solving the mystery of writer’s block is to learn how to spark up the writing part of the brain on a regular basis.  And, for me, BIC isn’t the answer. It may work for those writers whose brain connections are always intact, but it just doesn’t work for me. I truly believe that writing drivel every single day is just that—writing drivel.  Drivel writing will only get me more drivel writing.  

     Luckily, there are scientists out there now who are making great strides in the field of brain science.  And, there is one amazing woman who was at the head of the pack, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young.  She was born with autism and learning disorders.  Her school days throughout high-school were just horrible and she did not know why her brain was different than the other kids who seemed to just sail through without the constant strife she felt.  In college, she started reading everything she could about brain science.  Her dedication paid off.  After college, she started teaching learning disabled students and devised computer brain games to help them in their education.  These students who were deemed as learning disabled/stupid/retarded at the other schools were now surpassing their peers, by leaps and bounds, in their studies.  Barbara Arrowsmith-Young started to solve the puzzle of the learning disabled brain and how to retrain it.  It didn’t matter if the student had autism, ADHD, dyslexia  or other cognitive deficits, her computer programs were working and changing the lives of these children.  Now, both children and adults benefit from her years of study in the field of brain science. http://www.arrowsmithschool.org/

In the future blogs, I will delve further into this science to explore other scientists, procedures and the different types of brain training for the writing brain.

This blog is up and running for the New Media class at Southern New Hampshire University.

I hope everyone knows that there is a Facebook page for the student writers at SNHU.  Also, there is the new Penman Review which is taking submissions now.  You can email Pamme Cotter Boutselis for more information or drop me an email about how to find the sites.