Has participating in forums like AW helped cure your writer's block?

[Isabella Amaris]

Hello there,

I've lurked around AW before, but am a newbie to actually participating on AW, and just realised something: my latest bout of writer's block seems to be giving way the more time I spend on this forum.

It's probably odd to think so; participating in a forum like this can be addictive and take time away from actual writing, not to mention that I'm generally a solitary (and quite introverted) writer who hasn't needed to interact much with others to get inspired... But I swear I can feel the imaginative side of my brain sputtering back to life as I write this post

Has anyone else found AW/writer's forums beneficial to curing writer's block?

 

[Tettsuo]

Hello there,

I've lurked around AW before, but am a newbie to actually participating on AW, and just realised something: my latest bout of writer's block seems to be giving way the more time I spend on this forum.

It's probably odd to think so; participating in a forum like this can be addictive and take time away from actual writing, not to mention that I'm generally a solitary (and quite introverted) writer who hasn't needed to interact much with others to get inspired... But I swear I can feel the imaginative side of my brain sputtering back to life as I write this post

Has anyone else found AW/writer's forums beneficial to knocking out writer's block?

I don't see it as writing on the forum cures it, but being immersed in a community of people that are all looking in the same direction can. I know in my everyday life, no one actually talks about writing anything creative... ever. So it's a boost to come somewhere where everyone is talking about being creative and tossing out ideas. Ideas that bump my ideas up in my mind from the recesses to the forefront.

At least that's how it works for me.

 

[Isabella Amaris]

I don't see it as writing on the forum cures it, but being immersed in a community of people that are all looking in the same direction can. I know in my everyday life, no one actually talks about writing anything creative... ever. So it's a boost to come somewhere where everyone is talking about being creative and tossing out ideas. Ideas that bump my ideas up in my mind from the recesses to the forefront.

At least that's how it works for me.

Hmmmm, that might be it. Whenever I emerge from my latest WIP, I do have fellow creative folk I talk to, but they're not all writers heading toward the same goals... and the interaction's not a consistent thing, so... you're probably right, Tettsuo! Glad I found AW...

 

[Chris P]

I agree with Tettsuo. AW help keeps me in a writing frame of mind (which isn't very hard for me!) but helps me focus as well since so many people here are so accomplished and knowledgeable.

 

[Isabella Amaris]

I agree with Tettsuo. AW help keeps me in a writing frame of mind (which isn't very hard for me!) but helps me focus as well since so many people here are so accomplished and knowledgeable.

I think this is key for why this forum works so well. This and the fact that so many ppl here are so generous with their knowledge... inspiring...

 

[COchick]

AW distracts me pretty often...but in a good way. I can't say that it's helped any writer's block I've ever had, though.

 

[Tepelus]

I don't think I've ever really had writer's block. Lack of motivation, for sure. This place somehow gives me back my motivation. That, and it's fall, and this time of year my mind is focused on writing and not frolicking amongst my flower beds.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I'm not really experiencing a writer's block, although it's been a while now since I've finished any story, but reading on this forum has definitely moved writing closer to the front of my mind. It reminds me that writing and creating is fun. I want to do more of it again. The enthusiasm and love for writing here is infectious.

 

[MoLoLu]

Whenever I get blocked (which can be quite frequently) I poke around here. It gives me ideas, gets me going again. Though it's only one of the many great things this forum offers, it's one worth noting.

 

[vivalalauren]

I agree with others that this forum definitely helps me get in the writing frame of mind. I like the positive spin people put on things, it's helpful when you're feeling discouraged. It's not helped me with actual writers block, unless guilting me into poking at WIP's count.

 

[Isabella Amaris]

wow, more comments have to agree with you guys... motivation and ideas... lol yeah, I'm not sure myself whether it's writer's block exactly that's being helped here, but definitely the motivation is very, very nice. Onward!

 

[DanielaTorre]

I felt like this at first. This forum got me through tough, unmotivated times. But now I avoid it like the plague. I tended to visit the BWQ thread a lot, but then I realized that the same kind of questions are being asked over and over again. I don't know why that bothers me, but it does. It's nobody's fault.

I guess I'm feeling really discouraged lately. I'm on the brink of finishing my first draft but I feel unmotivated. Ugh. Rant, rant. I'm thinking about posting an excerpt in the SYW forum to shake myself out of the blase mood. Don't know.

Carry on now! Don't mind me. I'm just trolling.

 

[Fallen]

I felt like this at first. This forum got me through tough, unmotivated times. But now I avoid it like the plague. I tended to visit the BWQ thread a lot, but then I realized that the same kind of questions are being asked over and over again. I don't know why that bothers me, but it does. It's nobody's fault.

I guess I'm feeling really discouraged lately. I'm on the brink of finishing my first draft but I feel unmotivated. Ugh. Rant, rant. I'm thinking about posting an excerpt in the SYW forum to shake myself out of the blase mood. Don't know.

Carry on now! Don't mind me. I'm just trolling.

 

[Isabella Amaris]

I felt like this at first. This forum got me through tough, unmotivated times. But now I avoid it like the plague. I tended to visit the BWQ thread a lot, but then I realized that the same kind of questions are being asked over and over again. I don't know why that bothers me, but it does. It's nobody's fault.

I guess I'm feeling really discouraged lately. I'm on the brink of finishing my first draft but I feel unmotivated. Ugh. Rant, rant. I'm thinking about posting an excerpt in the SYW forum to shake myself out of the blase mood. Don't know.

Carry on now! Don't mind me. I'm just trolling.

Sorry to hear that, Daniela. Yes, getting feedback on the SYW forum will probably chase the blues away, even if only by distraction Hope you feel better soon

 

[DanielaTorre]

Thanks Fallen and Isabella.

Part of the problem is the chore of switching scenes around. If I don't do it, then I won't be able to move on. It's just that characters will have to be switched to accommodate these scenes, and I don't know if they'll work as well since the scene was initially written for the original character.

Ugh. Why is writing such a chore sometimes? AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

 

[KatieJ]

Part of the problem is the chore of switching scenes around. If I don't do it, then I won't be able to move on. It's just that characters will have to be switched to accommodate these scenes, and I don't know if they'll work as well since the scene was initially written for the original character.

Daniela, that is exactly how I felt in something I'm rewriting now. But I had to do it and I am so happy my beta reader told me to fix that part. Now, changing those first scenes around, changing the focus and enlarging them was a pain, but it opened everything up! And I stalled almost a year avoiding having to rewrite that part.... AAARRRGGGGGHHHHH!

I am so happy I did it, even though I was apprehensive and annoyed she was telling me to do something I really didn't want to.

So, make sure you have it saved - then go for it!

 

[Veroontjexx]

I've noticed that I tend to write more when I'm interacting with a community committed to writing. I've told barely anyone I know that I write, basically because when I told some people I wrote, I got laughed at... a lot. That's not very encouraging.
I used to have some writing buddies, but they lived pretty far away and I've lost contact with most of them. Back in the day, I used to write a lot, and not just on this particular story (I've been working on it for five years). Since then, I didn't write that much anymore, but a few days ago, I joined another forum and started reading. I wrote almost 6k in 2 days!
I can only conclude that forums such as this one boost my creativity and get me writing. I'm not sure that if I encounter a real writer's block it will be enough, the future shall have to point that out.

 

[Cidewalk]

Depends what you mean by "writer's block."

If you mean, there's a hard edit I need to do and I want to procrastinate because I'm not sure how to do it?
No, I have never found this type of thing to help with that Mostly because, in that situation, I need to buckle down and write.

But if you mean: I'm not sure how to go about this scene, or I have several ways it might play out or...?
Sure! Often I talk out a scene with people to see how it goes, be it in person or over a forum. If all else fails, editing other people can help you get back into your own work.

 

[kguiver]

Hmm.. it mostly just helps me procrastinate my writing.. lol. I should probably work on that.

 

[Blarg]

I've noticed that I tend to write more when I'm interacting with a community committed to writing. I've told barely anyone I know that I write, basically because when I told some people I wrote, I got laughed at... a lot. That's not very encouraging.
I used to have some writing buddies, but they lived pretty far away and I've lost contact with most of them. Back in the day, I used to write a lot, and not just on this particular story (I've been working on it for five years). Since then, I didn't write that much anymore, but a few days ago, I joined another forum and started reading. I wrote almost 6k in 2 days!
I can only conclude that forums such as this one boost my creativity and get me writing. I'm not sure that if I encounter a real writer's block it will be enough, the future shall have to point that out.

I relate strongly.

I find these forums spark my creativity a lot. But they also can be distracting and turn me from the task of actually writing. What they will do and be good for varies day by day, as does my gratitude for them. Sometimes they're just what I need, and sometimes, despite my thoughts to the contrary, they're exactly what I don't.

 

[LucindaLynx]

I don't think I've ever really had writer's block. Lack of motivation, for sure. This place somehow gives me back my motivation.

Same here.

 

[Nymtoc]

I don't suffer from writer's block.

However, turning to AW between fits of my abysmal attempts to write is salutary. All the discussion, opinions, experiences, advice and chuckles in AW give me a needed break from my own unsatisfactory work.

I have belonged to writers' groups in the past, and such groups have their limitations. Five or six people (or 10 or 12 or 20) sitting around criticizing each other's work can be helpful, but it can also be confusing and at times damaging. In such a group, there always seems to be at least one person with a chip on her/his shoulder, or even with an animus toward someone else in the room, and personalities can easily trump intelligent discussions.

At least here at AW, we are all supremely objective, highly generous of spirit and unfailingly helpful to one another.*

*I mean that.

 

[randi.lee]

I've noticed that I tend to write more when I'm interacting with a community committed to writing.

Same here. I don't get writer's block so much as I become unmotivated. Being involved in the community helps to curtail that.

 

[gothicangel]

I'm 55,000 words into my new WIP, and I have had severe burnout for the last week, following a bout of literary mania.

Basically, I know the ending. Heck I know every plot point, what I don't know is how to get my MC to point X to get him hurtling towards The End.

So I've backed away from the WIP, and began the final line edit of the almost-finished book. I'm reading a lot of non-fiction on my subject, and my creative juices are slowly beginning to flow.

 

[bearilou]

I use AW as a procrastination technique.

I really should stop it. :/