Tip on Writers Block

Starting typing stream of conscious and see what comes out.

Or take a break and hope inspiration strikes again...

No, not really. I just sit down and write, even if I get distracted every 5 seconds (like I'm doing now...)

Well, I sometimes change writing outlets. If I'm blocked trying to work at the computer, I switch to writing by hand on a notebook. Or writing flash fiction on my cell phone. Or on a blackboard. Whatever gets your creative juices flowing.

It's amazing how this really works.

If I can't continue writing it is because there's a problem. I read my recently-written work and often come across a weak character, an uncharacteristic action by someone or something like that. If I can't find it straight away, I do some editing or look for markets or update my accounts spreadsheet. Sometimes I do some research. So when I get the urge to return to writing, I can get right down to it.

I normally pick up a book and start reading. Sometimes there is a word, line or situation in the story, and it gives me ideas or motivates me to return to write my own story.

I agree with cooee, reading always seems to spur me on. Even if it's not a novel, a newspaper article or something could help too.

The method of 'just keep on writing' never seems to work for me.

The more serious I get about my writing, the more I am discovering that writer's block simply doesn't exist. It's all in your mind and it's all about you trying to control what comes out of you.

Writing is a very fluid art. In a way it's almost alive in a way, because it takes on a direction of it's own.

Writer's block, then, is when you are trying to control what comes out of you (or avoid it), and no matter what you try to do, you simply can't write what you want. That's why "stream of consciousness" stuff works so well in "unblocking" you, because it's releasing control of what you are writing and allowing your creative side to kick in and spit out what it needs to spit out before you move on.

Don't fight the block, embrace it. Don't worry about what comes out, just write it. Even if it's stupid. Even if it's the same sentence over and over again. It's important that we as writers keep a journal of some kind anyway (journal, blog, whatever) so that when these moments come along, we can take a break from our professional work and go type up the nonsense that's wanting to come out of us.

My suggestion, which works for me--work on one scene at a time, but don't sit down to write until that scene is pretty much worked through in your head. The hard work can be done in the shower, while driving to work, through daydreams. Trying to compose at the typewriter without some idea of the goal of a scene (in terms of story development), or the trajectory of a scene, can create the "blank screen freeze." But all of this is an individual thing. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

I presume you have the overall story arc in mind (loose plotting at the very least). I presume you have an idea about the characters who will populate the story. I presume you have a rough idea of the kinds of scenes that will propel the characters into and through the story arc. If all of this is in place, then focus on that one next scene without looking at the whole picture. Focus on the goals of that scene, and start moving your characters through it to accomplish those goals.

I'll tell the truth, I don't know what to do when I'm feeling that way. I go do something physical to try and numb whatever anxiety I have sometimes. I don't know if it's the work or the distraction, but it does work for me.

I usually have my next scene in mind and can keep going that way. If I do get stuck I write what I can and then go back through the rest of the chapter and fix it up. If I really, really get stuck then I do some research.

Just put it off for awhile. Your juices will start flowing again and you'll be writing like crazy.

Or surf the net for images that represent you story and print them. That way when you see them you might get an idea.




~Sam

JBWebber said:

Dama Thats where I've been all day lol.

Maestro I can feel the idea at the edge of my consious thoughts its just not moving to center stage. I was trying the stream of consiousness and its just been alot of deviation, tried the break and when I think I have the thought clear enough I sit down and it moves off to the left a little lol

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You're trying too hard to get to the center. That's not what stream of consciousness is about. Let go and relax and just let it flow and see where it gets you.

Also, what works for me is to really think hard on the scene I have to write and visualize it as a movie scene... the sets, the lighting, the actors, everything and when they all start to jell in my brain, I close my eyes and start typing what I see in my mind's eye.

I don't really believe in writer's block. I agree with the acquaintance who says it's an indulgence of amateurs--when you've got a contract with a deadline and you either turn in a manuscript or return your advance (which you've long since spent), you may find writing difficult and your results unsatisfying, but you do it anyway, because that’s what professional writers do: write.

However, I do believe in the realization that your current work is of such poor quality that you should abandon it. (Don’t delete it--the idea may be worthwhile even if the execution isn’t.)

I believe in inadequate preparation.

I believe in inadequate organization, too.

I believe in writing yourself into a corner so tight that you either need to start over or abandon it. (“Damn, this only works if it was all a dream!”)

I believe in lost enthusiasm for a particular work.

I believe in lack of focus, in not knowing what your story’s really about and why these characters should tell it.

I believe in increasing boredom with an entire genre that’s become too familiar.

I believe in well-crafted characters you don’t want to spend time with. (Nobody else will, either.)

I believe in stories that require a daunting amount of preliminary research before you can write. (“Sure, that’s it, a police procedural following a serial killer who’s targeting milliners in 1910 Belgium!”)

I believe in shyness and lack of confidence that makes seeking expert advice or background hideously difficult or impossible.

I believe in not knowing how to start, or where to start, or even if you should start.

I believe in concluding that your whole concept is stupid, immature, derivative, impractical, embarrassing, too personal, legally actionable, or any of a host of other fatal flaws.

I believe in realizing that you're not as good as other people, the ones who ought to know, like teachers and fellow writers, think you are.

I believe in realizing that you're not as good as you think you are--or ought to be.

I believe in that ‘what’s-the-use’ attitude after you learn that your first several stories or novels are probably going to be pretty bad.

I believe in the inability of the writer to bring to life characters well beyond their experiences (regardless of research)--and I believe in the incredible frustration of being young and bursting with ideas that you shouldn’t tackle yet.

Now, any of those can stop you dead in your tracks and keep you stopped. The question then becomes, how can you get started again?

Give yourself permission to write crap. This is huge, letting yourself write something you know isn't good. Write it anyway. Nobody needs to see it. Written things can be revised or rewritten to improve them. The blank pages of the 'blocked' remain blank.

Change your writing environment. Try something radically different. If you write on your computer in a quiet room, try a spiral notebook in a park or coffee house, or ruled paper on your mother’s dining room table. (Not recommended: your blood on walls.)

Perform writing exercises. (Google for thousands of them.)

Move physically. Play a sport, go for a walk or run, swing on a playground, whatever you like, but get your blood pumping. When it's racing through your body, the brain gets plenty of oxygen--and ideas.

Give yourself blocks of unstructured time when you’re not likely to be sleepy. Find a quiet place, think about your current writing project, and let your mind wander. Rein it back to the subject as needed. This can be combined with physical movement--a long walk may be an idea wellspring.

Follow the BIC method and write daily.

Stimulate your mind with new experiences. If you're a movie fan, see a play or watch street performance. Hear live music rather than CDs, or listen to something in a genre you know nothing about. Eavesdrop on or observe people unlike most of the ones you know. People watch (and invent lives for passers-by). Attend a sporting event (any kind, at any level) where you don't know anyone and watch the crowd rather than the players.

On waking, jot down the surrealistic snippets of whatever dreams you remember. They don't mean anything, IMO, but the odds are good that they're packed with drama.

Just do it. You don't want to be a self-indulgent amateur, right?

Maryn, who's given this pep talk before

I don't really believe in writer's block either. It's been my experience that the term is used when one is either too lazy to write, or as said here:

Mumut said:

If I can't continue writing it is because there's a problem. I read my recently-written work and often come across a weak character, an uncharacteristic action by someone or something like that.

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When I myself have trouble continuing a story, this is often the reason why. Twice when I got stuck on a story and went back to take notes I found out I'd committed really bad plot errors, so perhaps some unconscious part of me knew something was wrong and "stopped" me from continuing. I'm having great trouble now but I don't consider it "writer's block." I just believe I'm having issues regarding my confidence over how to successfully complete the story. It happens.

Reading has been suggested. Are there any good books on a subject related to your story? I find that reading about the subjects I write about inspires me.

What works for me is writing something totally different. I usually end up writing poems in rhyme that turn out to be humorous. Probably because they're so bad.
(Look at my sig line. I'm being facetious. Sort of.)

A theory is that you can't create and edit at the same time. One is open, uncritical, free-flowing and non-judgmental, the other is the opposite. So try giving yourself permission to write any crap, tell yourself you're not going to keep it, in fact, encourage/require yourself to write anything whatsoever that pops into your mind.

Then, and only then, banish that creative artist, put on your editor's visor, and attack what you wrote critically.

Also, while you may not be able to create new paragraphs right now, you could go back and revise what you wrote last. Or you may be able to outline. Or you may be able to think of an idea for your next chapter. Or research something you need to know for a realistic detail. In other words, work on your work, even if you're not writing it. Then, when you have that outline, for example, you're halfway there tomorrow, and you can kick into the "write it any way, uncritically, free-flowing creative" mode to explicate your outline. Then you can go back and start picking and choosing from that.

bsolah said:

I agree with cooee, reading always seems to spur me on. Even if it's not a novel, a newspaper article or something could help too.

The method of 'just keep on writing' never seems to work for me.

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I'm often in the same boat. I try writing, say 'heck with it,' pick up something to read, and in about thirty seconds guilt has me chewing away at the story, and in about a minute and a half I'm back to writing it.

So I guess my method involves guilt-tripping. Hey, it got me to finish a short story today, so I can't complain.

I turn on the TV and the radio as I sit in front of the computer and things flow out. I have never really had writer's block but that is how I write. It is calming although some may find it distracting. The music gets my creative juices flowing! I guess the TV is just a distraction (LOL!!) but it works for me......good luck with it!!

Go back to the beginning and read up to the dam.

Take a break and read something else, or go on a critting spree.

Write something else.