Customer Reviews

Blocks: The Enlightened Way To Clear Writer's Block and Find Your Creative Flow

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4 star:		(1)
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Being an author myself, what I liked about this book was it that it comes at freeing up creativity from many different angles, the obvious and not so obvious. However, this is not just a book for writers, it is for anyone who wants to enhance or free off their creativity and make the most use of their brains and minds. Particularly useful for writers, managers, consultants and designers. Invest today and quadruple your output. I did! Thanks Tom!

I expected to pick up this book and get some specific techniques to blow out writer's block. I got this and so much more. The book give you details on how to deal with every aspect of writers block from detailed advice from time management, exercise and diet right through to esoteric and neuro-scientific issue such as dream interpretation and "Whole Mind" thinking.

If I were to level a criticism at the book it would be the phenomenal ground it covers in so few pages. If I were to single out one aspect of the book that I thought was brilliant it would be the phenomenal amount of ground covered in so few pages.

It is a short easy read, I finished the whole book in less than an hour. But the depth and breadth of what is covered if amazing. Obviously in the space of an hour I didn't do any of the exercises and I have plans to mind map all the best bits for me, do the relevant exercises and implement some of the strategies starting from today.

I can easily say for new and experienced writers alike there is something in this book that will make your writing life easier. A brilliant well thought out and useful resource for any writer.

Rintu

`BLOCKS' by Tom Evans has self development tips and tools to clear writer's block and get that book of yours written via a "new and holistic way of thinking and being". Whatever you are writing (books, scientific papers, adverts, articles, blogs), BLOCKS is a self development book that resurrects and develops your creativity. Have a look at the self development review below.

`BLOCKS The Enlightened Way To Clear Writer's Block and Find Your Creative Flow'

In essence, Tom shows you new tools to clear writer's block, help you "undergo personal transition, enlightenment and evolution" and get your book published. His self development tips can help to clear any mental block and get your creative thoughts in print.

There are 130 pages (including Glossary). The headings are succinct and the text is interspersed with drawings, bullet-points, etc. Each of the 15 chapters ends with simple exercises to consolidate learning. The short chapters, paragraphs and sentences all contribute to the book being easy to digest even though it covers some complex issues.

With many books you skim over paragraphs looking for phrases that mean something to you. With this book, virtually every sentence has some importance and is worth pondering to acquire the full power of this book, e.g:

"The internal dialogue in your head, which is externally silent, gets replayed inside someone else's head miles away or years apart in time."
(You realise that words can touch people anywhere in the world - now and well into the future.)

"The world is full of authors who only made it through tenacity and persistence."
(You see that total focus and drive will get you what you want.)

"...how you sleep, how you eat and even how you breathe affects how you will write."
(A simple phrase but the depth of this is explained.)

Talking about books with depth, so often, books that stretch the mind are heavy and bulky. This paperback is a great size for popping into a small bag, with a font (type and size) that is very comfortable on the eyes!

What `BLOCKS' covers

Tom is a visionary and a futurist but, because of the language he uses, quite complex topics are made accessible - and exciting! He covers a huge amount of information in a small book, also telling you what topics are beyond the scope of the book and where to go to find out more.

With a `hard science' background of electronic engineering, he discusses `soft sciences' concisely, covering creativity, mind maps (and mind mapping), cosmic consciousness, collective consciousness and much more. He explains brain plasticity and how the creation of new neural pathways can be used to clear writer's block. His section on superconsciousness sheds light on:

* All the different types of information it can relay to you
* Why YOUR secret inventive ideas are picked up by OTHERS
* How you can tune into inspiration you never realised you had
* How you can use it to "write whole chapters on demand while you are sleeping"
* How to harness not only your five senses but also your sixth one - and there are SIX sixth senses!

All in all, he explains why, if this is what you really want, anyone can be an author: "With print on demand technology, and the ability to self-publish via blogs and ebooks, to become a published author you just need to make the decision you want to write."

`BLOCKS' also covers

* Why write a book at all
* How to write a great book
* Why thinking can exhaust you
* How to think of topics to write on
* How to use walking for inspiration
* Why you should keep a dream diary
* How books can emerge from your blogs
* The non-financial assets of writing a book
* What foods give you focus and motivation
* Your `intellectual DNA' and its immortality
* How you can expand time to get things done
* How to deal with `getting shot down in flames'
* What blocks your mind and prevents creativity
* Why it is crucial to keep up your nutrient levels
* How and why you flip between thinking and doing
* What your vestigial minds are and how to use them
* Why it is important to keep a notebook by your bed
* How writing your book is a pivotal point in your life
* How to use your dreams to make you more creative
* How to make a passive income through your writing
* How to get rid of the deep fears that stop you writing
* How even imagining exercises in your head is beneficial
* How exercises release creativity you never knew you had
* Why mind maps and mind mapping have explosive impact
* How your neural pathways evolve to protect you from harm
* Why walking, even for just a few minutes, stimulates creativity
* What stops you from writing your book and what action to take
* What your `vestigial minds' are and how to reconnect with them
* How dreams offer a rich source of information and how to harness this

You may feel that some of these subjects are airy-fairy. Whatever you think about the subject matter, Tom says "I cannot stress enough that it doesn't matter if this is all physically true but, you will make huge leaps forward by merely thinking that it is. The proof, if needed, is in the pudding of your creative output."

'BLOCKS' - summary

This book by Tom Evans has some great self development tools and tips "To Clear Writer's Block and Find Your Creative Flow". Whatever you are writing (scientific papers, adverts, articles, blogs, etc), it will help you overcome writer's block and mental blocks in general. BLOCKS is a self development book that will help to resurrect and develop your creativity!

Tom Evans uses his electronics engineer's mindset to create a practical but reverent guide to the mysterious and powerful forces of the human brain, allowing you to tap into them without fear.
This handy paper-back of the e-book will always be my travel companion to dip into on my journey to author-hood and beyond.

Blocks takes both aspiring AND experienced writers on a journey far beyond stringing words into sentences that sparkle. Tom Evans delves into his vast pot of knowledge about the mind and dishes up an extraordinary insight into improving creativity and aligning with the future self; a self who is a successful published author.

Keidi Keating, author of Sol Searching

Sol Searching: A fun-filled tale of a modern girl's move to the Costa del Sol

I was frankly very disappointed with this book. Although much of the advice is sound for those in a rut with their writing (go for walks, eat right, use your dreams, meditate) and some of the more esoteric stuff interesting (I look forward to trying out the visualisations which can be accessed online), but the price seems hefty for such a small book (just 130 pages) not especially nicely produced.

Would recommend Nathalie Goldberg Wild Mind and writing Down the Bones and Julia Cameron's The Right to Write and The Artist's Way instead - these titles continue to inspire me and my creative writing students. Also try the first Chapter of Robert Olen Butler's From Where You Dream which delivers the perfect kick in the pants for slackers.