Every writer has run into the dreaded Writer’s Block. It’s a horrible place to be, sitting, waiting, hoping for some kind of inspiration. You pace back and forth, and you try writing random words or thoughts. You try going for a walk. Nothing works.
Perhaps the problem is that all of the things you’re trying, you’re trying as yourself. As odd as that sounds, there’s an exciting concept that may help you through your writer’s block by simply writing as someone else.
The theory is using a heteronym or “another name.” This literary device was developed by a Portuguese poet named Fernando Pessoa in the early 20th century. Other writers and philosophers had considered the concept, but Pessoa truly embraced it, coming up with up to 70 heteronyms..”
How Heteronyms work
Pessoa created entirely new people and wrote as though he were those people, something he started in his adolescence. He felt that this allowed him to take on completely new opinions, attitudes, and approaches to his writing.
Throughout his career, he wrote on vastly different subjects as these heteronyms. Some of his heteronyms included Alberto Caerio, who wrote open free verse poetry, and Ricardo Reis, a trained doctor who wrote classical poetry. Pessoa even had heteronyms who criticized and wrote about his (Pessoa’s) own work.
How can Heteronyms solve your writer’s block?
While seeming odd and outlandish on first thought, the heteronym concept is actually an interesting way to work around writer’s block. Similar ideas exist in other artistic fields like theatre, where method acting and the use of an internal mantra allow actors to “get out of their heads” and start reacting and thinking like their characters.
If your issue stems from hesitation or fear, you could design a heteronym who is very confident and unafraid of anything and write something from their point of view. You’re relieving yourself of the responsibility of being you, getting yourself out of the way of the work, and allowing it to come out on the page without your fears and doubts.
If you need to write in the voice of a gender you don’t belong to; you can create that character. Or, if you’re having trouble getting the proper dialogue and thought processes for a horror novel, you could write as though you’re Stephen King. He can find a cool way to say what you’re scared to; he won’t use any cliches and make it really riveting.
It’s an excellent tool for self-assessment. If you can find your weaknesses and fears as a writer and imagine a heteronym that is the opposite, you can begin to work through those issues. You remove the fear, responsibility, and the internal editor as you aren’t writing it; it’s your heteronym.
Conclusion
Using a heteronym is a great creative exercise to remove your own doubts and internal editor and allow you to write free of your own constraints. The next time you find yourself blocked and unable to come up with a great piece of dialogue, maybe it’s an opportunity to pull out Elmore Leonard or Aaron Sorkin. Notice you with all of your own unique shortcomings and geniuses. But create a new voice and see what comes on the page.
If you’re struggling with writer’s block, try writing something using a heteronym! Be sure to let me know how it goes!
Sources: https://lithub.com/the-heteronymous-identities-of-fernando-pessoa/