Ways To End Writers Block?

Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard. Write one word. Then another. And another. Before you know it, you'll have a sentence, then a paragraph, then a scene.

Get into the habit of writing every day. It trains our minds to be ready to go whenever we sit down to write. No messing around.

What do you write? Do you have a specific genre you stick with? Do you know your genre?
Ways, generic:
Sit down
Set a timer
Write, until the timer buzzes.
When it buzzes, do it again...don't set the timer.
It doesn't matter what you write during the rush timing. This is just getting you ready to write. When done, the excercise is done, and you move onto your writing. Don't for the love of anything look back at what you wrote or second guess yourself while writing! This slows you down, and hinders your mindframe for writing. When you second guess, or go back and look, or worry about individual sentences/paragraphs/words, you don't get anywhere.

Nothing beats writers block more than writing. If your current WIP isn't going anywhere, begin something new. I try to always have two or three projects going as well as continuing to refine older ones. Another tip you might find useful is, when you are away from your normal writing place, carry a notebook or recorder so you can put down ideas that might come to you. Personally, I do a lot of walking for exercise and always seem to figure out how to overcome a block or come up with a way out of a dilemma while away from my computer screen.

Moostang said:

For those who read my boring intro,(hehe) they might know that I suffering MAJOR writers block.

So, what are your ways to end it? I have tried and tried, but nothing is working. Any tips?

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There is one way to end it. Write.

Seriously.

Sit down at your computer, make yourself write. The more you write, the less often you'll feel blocked.

I personally believe that people have a much greater tendency to feel blocked when they don't have a regular writing routine. So choose a time of day during which you can definitely write uninterrupted. And choose some kind of duration goal, whether it's X minutes or X words. Then, when it's writing time, go to your writing place, rid yourself of all distractions, and write until you've met your required goal. Every single day.

If you can't think of anything good for your current work in progress or the idea for your story you've always wanted to write, then write stream-of-consciousness. Or a short story. Or an essay on a topic that interests you. Or write an interview with one of your characters. Or a poem. Write anything creative. Or, if you can't think of anything good, write something that sucks. Giving yourself permission to write crap is a big part of getting around a perceived block. You're not writing anything that's permanent; you can always go back and change anything you want to change, up until it's published. And if there is a brilliant work of prose out there that never needed any revisions, I sure as hell haven't heard of it. So recognize that everybody writes stuff that sucks once in a while; it's part of the process we all go through. It's okay for you to not be brilliant all the time.

So, with those things in mind, put your butt in the chair and your hands on the keyboard, and write.

I am among the many who do not believe that "Writer's Block" is a distinct, tangible thing. In my opinion, it's just a combination of fear of not being brilliant and a lack of discipline or routine.

I'd say, be aware that there are other things than "writers block" that can make you feel unable to write. One is exhaustion. Make sure you're getting your rest. Another is an overfull life. Since I have to deal with two kids all day, I get this one a lot. The solution is to make time for writing in a systematic way. A third is what I call a "story problem." Often when a story of mine peters out, it's because I haven't got something right in the earlier material. I try to help this one by talking through the problem with critique friends, and by stepping back to take the long look at the piece I'm working on. Often I'll find that I've strayed off the main conflict, or that I need to clarify what the main conflict is.

Good luck to you.

Sometimes reading through the portion I've already written is all I need to inspire me to write more. I see things that need fixed, and after I fix them, I just keep going. Or I see a character in a whole new light--a side of him I didn't notice before. Or I simply remember what it was that had me so excited about this concept in the first place. Most often, I become curious about what will happen next, much as a reader would. I'm anxious for the characters' goals to be met, for things to work out, etc.

When you find yourself stuck with writer's block, as everyone has said, just sit down and write. Don't worry about writing a story, scene, poem, or whatever. Just pick a topic and free-write (there are plenty of writing prompt websites out there if you can't think of anything). If you keep your fingers pecking away at the keys (or the pen scratching away at the paper), chances are you'll forget all about not being able to write, and the excitement of seeing those words on the page will inspire you. Maybe the free-write will turn into your next project. Or maybe you can set it aside and get started on something that you wanted to work on before you were blocked. As long as you get the words flowing with a free-write, you'll have that bout of writer's block gone in no time. Good luck!

I solve writers block by pulling out the headphones and listening to that while I work, if it's not a generic project-wide writer's block, that is.

When it's because the project isn't going well, I backtrack and work out what's causing my block. Usually happens for me while I'm in the shower, in class, or otherwise unable to write, but it may be different for you.

I'm with the Butt In Chair people.

Even if it is utter crap.

bettielee said:

I'm with the Butt In Chair people.

Even if it is utter crap.

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The good thing about writing utter crap is that it can be fixed in revision.

I like to get involved with writer's groups. That push helps me get back into writing. For me the hardest part is just getting things on paper. Even if it is crappy, just seeing it provides motivation to keep going.

Yeah... just let yourself write something absolutely terrible. If you can't even get started, just say what the previous sentence (or, hey, paragraph) does but in a different way.

I've been finding that reading writers write about writing a good way to get me into my seat. Right now I'm reading a couple of books by Natalie Goldberg where she gives all sorts of writing prompts. Something as simple as "I remember..." or "I don't remember..." can really help while giving you material to work with later on after you've taken a break from it. Keep folders of your writing, old and new and return to them. Review journals you've written years ago. Talk into a tape or digital recorder and then transcribe some of it. Ms. Goldberg often suggests using writing prompts as a tool and writing fast and furiously for just ten minutes at a time. Write and don't stop and don't censor and don't worry about spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc... Small bursts of writing anything at all can get you back on the road and walking again.

Kate

I recently blamed my writer's block on work, but now that I'm writing again, I realize it was me.

Yes, the work was there, but I let it take over my personal life because I was stumped.

http://writeordie.drwicked.com/

try this...it flashes at you and makes a loud sound if you stop writing...you can also set it to kamikaze, if you stop writing for too long it starts deleting your work

Assuming that it is really writer's block and not just being tired, overwhelmed, tired or any other physical/life-related problem, it means that I screwed up something in what I've already written and that's jammed up my creativity because the story isn't flowing.

Sitting down and writing crap doesn't unblock it, all it does (for me) is expound the frustration level of not being able to get the story right.

The only thing I can do in this condition is to take a moment and remember what the initial story idea was (I generally write it down all over my notes so it's harder to forget) and then sit down with what I've written and READ what's on the page from start to the last word.

Generally, at some point, I realize where I screwed up. Fix that and the words start flowing again.

Works every time for me.

Depends on why you're blocked and to what extent. Is it a block on a particular project? It's possible you made a wrong turn somewhere. Or is it a more general block? Maybe you're overtired or pressuring yourself too much, doubting your abilities, etc. Some problems can be solved by forcing yourself to sit down and write anyway but some really do require understanding what's causing the problem (assuming you don't want it to just come up again).

I do agree with setting defined times to write and ensuring that your mind is free from the everyday stresses. However, sometimes I take a wider approach to my work and consider some generic questions... Who is going to read this piece? Describing the general topic.. Describing what the customer would want out of the product? Sometime just searching the net about the chosen topic can stimulate thoughts.

I have actually devised myself a work book specifically aimed at beating writers block. My customers have been raving about it!

Sometimes I just copy, what others have written. Like those...Readers' Digest books with 4 shortened stories in each. You get the point. I am sure you do. Somehow it helps, when one can see, how others do it. Especially if I am uncertain about...construction (it is a big story thing), that's when copying helps. Or at least it calms my mind.

I found that regular exercise helps me. my body gets a little sore sitting all day behind the computer, and its a little difficult to really get into it when I am not comfortable.

The second and most important for me is to create a detailed plan of my story, so that I know exactly where it is heading, and what needs to happen to get there. I know a lot of writers shun this, but for me it works. When I know that today my protagonist has to do x,y and z, its easy to flesh out the details.
The first 6 months of the year without a plan I probably got through 20 000 words. I then took time off to work out the details. After that I wrote about 100 000 words in 3 months and haven't experienced writers block even once during that time.

I have this same problem. There are days when I am stuck looking at my computer (or notebook) thinking, "Uh, what do I do?"

So, when I can't think of anythng, I walk for twenty to thirty minutes. When I go I take a little journal and pencil and think about nothing else except for my story. I think about what my characters should do next, how will the characters interact in this scene and what they're feeling. Eventually I find the creative juices flowing! And when it does, I find a place to sit down, pull out the journal and pencil and started writing down everything. Then, when I go home, I start getting to work and my writer's block is gone.

Hopefully this works for you too. Even when I don't have writer's block, I still do it.

iwannabepublished said:

If your current WIP isn't going anywhere, begin something new.

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I recently read a thread from a writer here who would do this all the time, and she would find herself completely unable to finish a project, and when I was younger, that would happen to me, too. I would start a project and then when I felt blocked in that one, I would start another one. That prevented me from finishing anything and next thing I knew I would have like thirty incomplete MS's in my computer. Not good. At all. I did that without finishing my WIP Jencarlos II, but I only did that because my little cousins, ages 10 and 12, they don't have a computer of their own, and I decided to let them use mine whenever they wanted to, just until I finish my other WIP, rewrite of Species, done by hand. When I finish writing Species by hand, I will put my pages on two different 2" ring binders, (800 sheets, written on front and back, for a total of 1600 handwritten pages, as they equal about 10 to twelve typed pages per chapter) put Species away and get back to my typed WIP's, working on them only while my cousins are in school and giving the computer to them when they get home around 2:00 PM. However, this is the only time when I am going to be doing this. When I finish the first vol of Species, I am going to go back to not working on another project till I finish my current one, and I am not blocked anymore, so I can afford to do that. I can write even when I'm not inspired, and even when I'm depressed, so that's not really good advice for everyone. Forgive me if there is any disrespect in that last comment. That was not my intention.

lisamarie84x said:

Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard. Write one word. Then another. And another. Before you know it, you'll have a sentence, then a paragraph, then a scene.

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iwannabepublished said:

Nothing beats writers block more than writing.

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Neither of these address the problem though. If the problem is an inability to write, how can you possibly overcome it by writing?

To me that's like telling an insomniac the way to overcome insomnia is by sleeping.