Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Writing Group => Topic started by: Elmandr on September 14, 2008, 01:54:26 PM
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Hey fellow writers,
I assume you all know what writers block is--all of us more then we'd like. I caught it this week, and it hit me hard. Now, you must know that i have my own personal remedy but i think it's losing its affect. I go rock climbing or hiking and sometimes if its raining, i put on my favorite hoodie, and listen to the rain trickle on the brim the hood--It's soothing, i don't know! Don't judge me.
Anyway, i realized how....unique my remedies were and wondered what other writers do to ward of the plague that is writer's block.
What is your way of getting through, over, under, passed, and around it?
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Well, I don't have any sure fire way to kick it, but I've been listening to writing excuses for awhile now.
http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/05/
This one in particular may give you some ideas.
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I deliver pizza.
Now, you need to have a job delivering pizza to do this (unles you want to buy a pizza and deliver it to someone.... or something), but it always works for me.
I'm all suffering from writer's block, not knowing what to write, and then I go to work, spend a few hours driving, alone in my car, just me, music, and that wonderful aroma of pizza, and BOOM, I get ideas and stuff. Pizza always comes through.
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I deliver pizza.
Now, you need to have a job delivering pizza to do this (unles you want to buy a pizza and deliver it to someone.... or something), but it always works for me.
I'm all suffering from writer's block, not knowing what to write, and then I go to work, spend a few hours driving, alone in my car, just me, music, and that wonderful aroma of pizza, and BOOM, I get ideas and stuff. Pizza always comes through.
Thats sounds awesome!
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I play with my son. He's only about a month old, but watching him interact with all the new things he is experiencing really makes my mind look at things differently.
This obviously only works if you have children yourself, and I don't suggest you run off and try and make one for the sole purpose of eliminating writer's block...
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Hey fellow writers,
...
What is your way of getting through, over, under, passed, and around it?
I wonder if not writing for couple of days (weeks?) count as a symptom of writer's block. In my case, it's distractions...life, as others call it.
I think motivation a big issue for me. There are couple of projects but I need to finish current one...and I can't seem to find time. I read somewhere spend each 5/15 minutes and just grind through...
I know I go through these phases where I am all hyped up but then the itnerest suddenly cools...despite deadlines and what not.
Any suggestion to get out of this slump besides stealing a kid next door or quitting a day job for pizza delivery?
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Just thought of another one that happened to me the last couple nights...
Stay awake several nights straight...it works charms on the imagination.
NOTE: I think that technically, after being sleep deprived for 48 hours, then you are clinically considered insane...just, you know, a warning.
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Just thought of another one that happened to me the last couple nights...
Stay awake several nights straight...it works charms on the imagination.
NOTE: I think that technically, after being sleep deprived for 48 hours, then you are clinically considered insane...just, you know, a warning.
Yeah im pretty sure you become delusional...i think your confusing that with the imagination... :-\. Get some sleep.
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If I get writers block and can't write anything good, I just go and write in my journal or blog. Usually that fixes it and I can continue writing on real projects. Either that or I just browse Wikipedia for hours on end or read some books I need to catch up on.
Or Warhammer Online.
*shrug* I don't know why that always helps me but it does.
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If I get writers block and can't write anything good, I just go and write in my journal or blog. Usually that fixes it and I can continue writing on real projects. Either that or I just browse Wikipedia for hours on end or read some books I need to catch up on.
Or Warhammer Online.
*shrug* I don't know why that always helps me but it does.
For me, i play Monster Hunter on PSP...Im not sure if you know what that is, but its a really cool game. :)
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For me, i play Monster Hunter on PSP...Im not sure if you know what that is, but its a really cool game. :)
I think that's what I had been doing... just playing some DS games or surf online. Though it's probably because I am sick with cold and there isn't much time when I get off work... So sleepless nights are out of questions for me.
Silenced... that's pretty good idea...I should try just typing. For that matter, anyone tried to type/work while they commute? I wonder if one of those small eeePC will help me in this endeavour (haha.. just an excuse...I am sure I might end up playing games on that thing).
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In my creative writing class we have talked about how sometimes the delay that comes from writing block is actually an important part. It is a time when our mind can just work through things and develop your idea, almost unconsciously.
Of course, I may just be trying to justify procrastination...
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In my creative writing class we have talked about how sometimes the delay that comes from writing block is actually an important part. It is a time when our mind can just work through things and develop your idea, almost unconsciously.
Of course, I may just be trying to justify procrastination...
lol, I sometimes think that too though. It does make me feel better about not working. : \
And I play games all the time to get new idea's and see new worlds. Right now, I'm playing Warhammer Online and it's the most fun I've had in a game in a very long time.
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In my creative writing class we have talked about how sometimes the delay that comes from writing block is actually an important part. It is a time when our mind can just work through things and develop your idea, almost unconsciously.
Of course, I may just be trying to justify procrastination...
lol, I sometimes think that too though. It does make me feel better about not working. : \
And I play games all the time to get new idea's and see new worlds. Right now, I'm playing Warhammer Online and it's the most fun I've had in a game in a very long time.
Actually, i think that could be true, i haven't had a serious attempt in writing of late but i have head an idea that i've been chewing on for a while--looking back at what it started as and what it has become, barely recognizable...
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I recently went through a fairly long phase of writers block. In desperation I starting writing about this image I had in my head of a completely different story. It was kinda cool cause I was completely making things up as I went, almost like I was discovering my own world...I realized who the villian was going to be, and then discovered his motivations and talents. Of course, I completely forgot about my first story. So that part of it backfired. But otherwise just randomly writing works great! :P
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I also just realized another way I use all the time. As long as you know basically what you want to accomplish in the scene you are stuck on it works great. Just switch the Point of View! One time I literally started the chapter with a POV from a plain, ordinary snake and it worked great.
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Really, just randomly writing seems to do well, too. I've found that it doesn't seem to be that important what it is. Sometimes I'll write about an idea I've got, but other times I just write down my random trains of thought. I've also found that writing down a conversation with myself about what I should do with my writing, it works. I dunno... just put a pen on paper... or uh, a finger on a keyboard?... and you're good.
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And, uh, I've never tried this, but I imagine that a mystical adventure through Narnia would get you some ideas, too. :)
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And, uh, I've never tried this, but I imagine that a mystical adventure through Narnia would get you some ideas, too. :)
:'(
you double posted...
thats a no, no.
I'm not sure if you know, but thats shunned upon round these parts...
if you wanted to add something you could just modify the first post ;D
and yeah, narnia does stimu..la...t...*head falls, and begins to snore obnoxiously*
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How you handle WRITER'S BLOCK!
*sigh* I stop writing. That's how I handle it....poorly. :D
I'm in another slump right now. What usually works to get me out is writing flash fiction (200 words or less) or focussing on a different story. Sadly, lately I just haven't felt in the mood to try either....
Maybe this weekend I can kick the block between GC sessions....
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And, uh, I've never tried this, but I imagine that a mystical adventure through Narnia would get you some ideas, too. :)
:'(
you double posted...
thats a no, no.
I'm not sure if you know, but thats shunned upon round these parts...
if you wanted to add something you could just modify the first post ;D
and yeah, narnia does stimu..la...t...*head falls, and begins to snore obnoxiously*
Lol I think I double posted too, its just nobody noticed because it was on a new page :-[ (phew)
Also correct me if I am wrong but I think Danger was likely referring to the books...I heard the movie was a nodder tho
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And, uh, I've never tried this, but I imagine that a mystical adventure through Narnia would get you some ideas, too. :)
:'(
you double posted...
thats a no, no.
I'm not sure if you know, but thats shunned upon round these parts...
if you wanted to add something you could just modify the first post ;D
and yeah, narnia does stimu..la...t...*head falls, and begins to snore obnoxiously*
Lol I think I double posted too, its just nobody noticed because it was on a new page :-[ (phew)
Also correct me if I am wrong but I think Danger was likely referring to the books...I heard the movie was a nodder tho
So you confess your sins, and return to the Salvation of the Forum? Wait, don't answer that, you might lie...i have another way to find that out...
I must tie you up and toss you into this river, if you float then i will stone you, if you drown then you are saved...
Float because it was believed the water was pure and anything that it rejected (floated) was corrupted...
so pick your choice, drown or stoned? ;D
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Uh, exactly what ancient law are you even referencing?
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Uh, exactly what ancient law are you even referencing?
Are you questioning THEE ancient law?
:o, now we tie you up and feed you to the pigeons--they eat real slow.
on a serious note, the Salem witch trials of Massachusetts--thats where the first form of torture happened most recently--or atleast as far as we know...
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Well, this is lovely. I've been trudging along with my story, writing away like the happy little camper that I am, and tonight I go to continue my work and.... bleh. It's not that I'm having a severe case of writers block, my quality has just dipped to a point where revision couldn't even save it.
Back to Warhammer: Online. Maybe I can get some work done tomorrow, and revise a good chunk of what I have.
._. Or maybe I can solve it by the "stoned" method posted above.
(Yes, I realize it's a different type of stoned. I just have a lame sense of humor that I feel I have to explain because I'm fairly new to these forums. Yay.)
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Well, this is lovely. I've been trudging along with my story, writing away like the happy little camper that I am, and tonight I go to continue my work and.... bleh. It's not that I'm having a severe case of writers block, my quality has just dipped to a point where revision couldn't even save it.
Back to Warhammer: Online. Maybe I can get some work done tomorrow, and revise a good chunk of what I have.
._. Or maybe I can solve it by the "stoned" method posted above.
(Yes, I realize it's a different type of stoned. I just have a lame sense of humor that I feel I have to explain because I'm fairly new to these forums. Yay.)
STONED! ahh, maybe thats what people meant in the olden days--lets go stone somebody...lol, just so their parents wont find out!!!!
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This may sound rather childish, but I have found it to be helpful when I have writer's block. Depending on what you're writing, different items will be substituted (I write mostly fantasy, with swords/armor/stuff-like-that), but this is the basics: When I have writer's block, I look at things that could be common items in my story: (for me,) swords, arrows, magical pieces?.oftentimes, my mind will start working on a story or scene just by looking at these items and thinking about them.
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Sometimes if I'm having trouble, I'll go play the guitar for a while. Or go read someone else's book (though sometimes that can be self-defeating).
If I'm not on a deadline, I might work on something different than the thing that's giving me the problems. Or, as other people have mentioned, switch up the POV.
A lot of the time, though, I think it just amounts to planting your butt in the chair and putting your pencil to paper. I'm suffering a bit of writer's block by now (well, in the form of "massive plot hole that hates me" more than just "can't write", but whatever) and don't feel I have the time to go screwing around and hoping something comes to me.
So a lot of the time I think it's just sit down and write. Likely things will occur as you go along, and if not at least you've gotten something done. It doesn't even matter if it's bad - that can be fixed later.
It's not always fun, but it does work.
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Yeah it doesn't matter if it's good or not–just that it starts the words flowing.
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Whenever I'm suffering from writers' block, I find that the most effective way to fix it is to grab my iPod, put on some nice instrumental music, and either lie down in a dark room and just sit there and think, or take a walk around some unknown part of town and, again, think.
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Yeah. Getting out and about can help–even if all you do is sit in your backyard or something.
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Writers block is a major issue in my book right now. How I handle it is write in other areas of my book. The more interesting parts get a lot of attention but I don't give nearly enough to the in betweens, how my character gets from here to there. I will sit, listen to music just as all of you and it does help. But I find laying down and just imagining the part I am trying to write in my head. It works better.
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Sometimes if I'm working on two stories at once, I'll go work on the other one for a bit…but if I'm not, then I just do the above-mentioned stuff. ;D :P 8)
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Interestingly enough I find that reading other people's comment on forums and then writing responses has helped tremendously. Especially if it's a side topic not directly associated with what I'm writing about...
ummm... I'm not sure where I was going with that. Maybe it'll come to me on the next post.
-Jinxed
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I know what you mean. Writing of any sort can get the thoughts flowing, I guess. Especially intelligent discussions like these. ;D
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For me, writer's block can take a few different forms.
1) I don't have a very strong grasp on where the story is going beyond what I've written - I have no direction. I may have ideas, but I don't know for sure where my characters are headed, what is going to happen to them, how the story will develop/progress...etc.
Solution: Give yourself permission to stop writing and think about the story. Step away (not out of the house or far from your computer...you'll want to be within walking distance when inspiration hits). I usually take a hot drink, step to a window where it is cool outside and I can be alone, and just stare outside and think about my story. When an idea for how the story should go, I explore it a bit in my head, and then run back and start jotting down notes about outlining the story. Be sure and let this note-taking run its course before you start writing...otherwise you'll miss out on a lot of ground-breaking information/ideas. Usually, after taking my notes, I wait until the next day or at least that night before I actually start writing...like letting the ideas digest a bit.
2) I'm sick of working on a certain part of a story. Maybe I've spent the last month working on getting the characters through a particularly hard part of a story (maybe chapters 5-7 are heavy and hard to write...maybe it's something else...), and I just can't trudge through it anymore. This can be particularly worse if I know about another chapter/part of the story later in the book that I'm excited about writing and I'm frustrated 'cause i'm not there yet.
Solution Give yourself permission to jump ahead. You're the writer. You don't have to go through the same chronological, beginning to end process the reader does in order to understand the characters or the story. Go ahead and write that exciting chapter! You already know how chapters 5-7 are going to end...and how the characters will be different at the end. Go ahead and write chapter 8 and enjoy it. Go back later and finish the other chapters. Important note...one or both of the following conditions must be true in order to do this: A) You must know how your characters and story will be different after the chapters you will skip are written. B) You must be willing to re-write your chapters/story that you've already written if the future chapter you want to write will change the facts.
A note about chapter layout: I keep a spreadsheet to help with this stuff...it lists the chapters and quick notes as I think of them. Helps with quick layouts and knowing where I'm going and how/where to change things if needed...
3) My own writing is making me think horrible, desperate things about myself! For some reason, everytime I sit down and write something, it looks like the worst piece of writing I've ever read. I must be the worst writer in the world...who am I fooling...etc., etc., blah, blah...
Solution Give yourself permission to write badly. It's okay. It took me a LONG time to finally accept the fact that what my professors and fellow writers were telling me ACTUALLY applied to me...revision and re-writes are not only key to the writing process, but probably the bulk of it. Be willing to do re-writes and revisions. Until then...in those moments of utter disgust at your own words, just get through it. Write horribly (maybe even try to be comical about it...writing the worst prose you can think of just to laugh at it and get through the facts/events), and enjoy it safe in the knowledge that you can and will go back and re-write it. Besides, sometimes what seems like horrible writing at the time will look like you were channelling Robert Jordan when you re-read it. Like fine wine and smelly cheese, sometimes the best writing gets better with age. NOTE: The goal here is just to focus on getting a first draft, skeletal framework of your story down...not to produce publication-quality work. Give yourself permission to be okay with that.
4) I feel like there is no way I'll ever be able to do what these other writers have done. How could I ever hope to do what they've done??? I might as well not write it and give up now.
Solution Give yourself permission to take time off to read. Stop writing. Pick up some random fantasy novel, and just read. For me, at some point in my reading, I start thinking, "I can do this...yeah...I can do this! I just need to get going and be patient." Sometimes, you even get ideas for what to do - in a general sense - from what others do. Things like, "Yeah... I need to add a section of philosophical pondering for character depth and pacing..."
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT...I repeat, do NOT read Robert Jordan for this problem. Robert Jordan really IS better than us. The guy was a brilliant fantasy writer and possessed more story-related patience and world/character-building ability in one little finger than most of us have in our entire body. Everytime I read Robert Jordan, his stories only reinforce my fears of writing inadequacy. It will make your problems worse. But...don't worry...while you may very well be the next Robert Jordan (although, like Michael Jordan, I don't think that will happen...the guy re-defined the genre...like Tolkien did, and yet he and Jordan are infinitely different in style), you won't know it until years after the fact.
5) Nothing really helps. I've tried all of that stuff, and nothing helps.
Solution Find the music. This is one of the few pieces of advice I got from one of the dozens of "how to write" books that has actually stuck with me. As you write a story, find a certain piece/style of music to listen to while you write that just fits for you...for whatever reason. It may be tied to the story you're writing...it may just put you in the mood to write. For me, I listen to Enya whenever I write my novel. It just works. Also, it helps here to look at other ways to "put you in the mood." The mind/body is a creature of habit and conditioned responses. If I always listen to Enya, sit by a window, and drink hot coffee while I write, then whenever those three things are present - like Pavlov's dog - my mind settles in and the writing juices flow. Quick note: Headphones are great here for isolating you from outside distractions.
Ultimately, I don't think there are any sure-fire cures for Writer's Block...but my theory is that Writer's Block, more often than not, is caused by our own inner conflict. We are stuck between what we feel we should do and what a part of us really wants to do. You're writing for fun...find a way to listen to the "really wants to do" part of you. If you're writing for yourself and for fun, there really is no "have to" part of your writing. Do what you want, and everything else will work itself out...for the most part.
FINAL NOTE: I have to say this...if you haven't read Stephen King's book "On Writing"...go read it! I know, I know...I actually don't like King's writing...but his book ABOUT writing is actually wonderfully amazing. I had a well-published, literary-type Creative Writing professor that was wonderful at teaching young writers. She hates Stephen King's novels...and she has literally read over a hundred books on how to write (she has 3 degrees in writing)...and she flat-out stated that Stephen King's "On Writing" book is hands down the BEST book about how to write and the writing life that she has ever read. She recommends it to ALL of her students on day one of class.
Okay...that's enough of my long-windedness...Good Luck! Hope at least some of that helps!
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Scotch. If I have enough of it, eventually I don't care about the block.
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I would highly suggest checking out John Brown's blog. He's got an excellent section for writers. Short of it: Writer's Block is a gift. It's like a spideysense that you're doing something wrong, so it can help you be a better writer. Check out the article on trance breakers. Maybe it will help you to push through. http://johndbrown.com/writers/the-writers-trance-the-four-trance-breakers/