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If you are a writer…an actor, a painter or even a teacher for that matter you know how it feels to be frustrated with your work, everyone does.  I can’t speak for everyone else but as a writer I feel even more frustrated because there are no screaming kids, no condescending director, absolutely no one to be frustrated with except yourself and an inanimate object, the computer.  Usually, frustration sets in at those times when it is just you and the computer and you are staring at a page full of words that do not make sense or a page of no words while you wrestle with your brain in an attempt for it to string together one relatively cognizant thought.  There are many solutions, drink a bottle of scotch, eat an entire pint of cookies and cream (both of these are personal favorites, just don’t do them at the same time…I speak from horrific personal experience), but in college I learned of another, more interesting avenue, more creative and less self-destructive.

One summer, years ago I studied at Smith College and witnessing my frustration while studying for an exam, one of the professors shared something with me, The Primal Scream (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_week). The Primal Scream takes place one evening on a pre-designated date at a specific time, before final exams.  That night every student that is suffering from frustration, exhaustion, paranoia or anxiety due to the pressure of final exams, stops whatever they are doing, wherever they are and screams wildly at the top of their lungs, releasing a steady cry that resounds throughout the campus.

Phenomenal idea!

There are days, when no matter what I do, I cannot fit this incredibly witty joke into my dialogue or cannot, for the life of me, create a climax that is worthy of the rest of the story and on these days, I go into the bathroom, close the door and I release a high-pitched scream for as long as I please.

Does it always fix the problem?…No, but you will be amazed at how powerful it makes you feel.  With power comes confidence and with the right amount of confidence and hard work, you are limitless.

JeanNicole Rivers

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