Something I discovered tonight

Yukinara · Mar 24, 2012

Tonight was not really good for my writing. I got stuck for nearly 1 hour without anything on my computer. I have all the ideas ready but when I started to write it down, I couldn't do it.

So how did I get around this problem? This is what I did.

1- Lie down for 5 mins and get up: still can't write
2- Run down stairs and drink some smoothie: still can't write
3- Turn on some epic music: still get stuck
4- Check facebook, read 9gag: still nothing.
5- Rolling around the room: almost slammed my head to the wall.

At this point, you may say: hell, dude, this is just a bad day. Everyone have that. Just go to sleep and refresh your mind, tomorrow will be better.

To be honest, I did think about it. However, before I turned off the light, something in my mind keep telling me: if I go to sleep now, I will end today without a single word to advance my story and there is no guarantee that tomorrow will be better. That is the first sign of procrastination.

So what did I do? I was like:" screw this, I will just spit out anything in my mind right now, no matter how horrible it reads."

And now I'm going at 1,500 words and I still have more ideas to write down.

So I discovered that sometimes, when my mind is lazy, I have to use force to make it work. I don't say that it works like wonder because the first part is horrendous. I'd be ashamed to show this to anyone, even my editor who help me fix the manuscript. But I think it can make a good frame to build upon. Not to mention that when I write, some cool ideas come to my mind and I have even more to put down.

This is just my own experience and I'd like to share it to everyone. Not every mind will work the same but you can always try. Good luck with your story.

Birol · Mar 24, 2012

Congratulations. Writing when you're not inspired is a mark of a professional.

Architectus · Mar 24, 2012

I often start off that way, forcing myself, but usually after a bit, I feel inspired.

OJ Connell · Mar 24, 2012

Awww, now I'm in the mood for a smoothie!

At any rate, I'm having one of those nights as we speak. I took a nap a little while ago, but still nothing. I guess I ought to just suck it up and power through, huh?

gothicangel · Mar 24, 2012

My personal antidote is to either go off and read something [novel, tackle latest non-fic] or decided to do some research instead. Actual writing is good, but sometimes I need to do indirect writing tasks to clear the fog.

kiwiviktor81 · Mar 24, 2012

In my creative writing course we had to write non-stop for ten minutes at the start of each lecture. If we couldn't think of anything we had to write 'blah' over and over until some inspiration came. It worked! Nothing like a repetitive, tedious task to convince your brain that it's better to be creative.

pylot · Mar 24, 2012

I've been having a similar issue, get to the desk and the mind runs dry. an idea forms in my head but the pen won't move that sorta thing. my solution (long term) is to get myself a new space to write in. i find that my home is just a dead space and is the cause of my creative troubles so to speak.

Solunar · Mar 24, 2012

We're like Franklin holding up a kite, waiting for lightning to strike. We need to write something every day, so that we're prepared for when it does strike. Procrastination prevents the kite from flying. It doesn't mean lightning won't strike you as you walk down the street, but there's a lesser chance of that happening.

jeffo20 · Mar 24, 2012

I will sometimes fight the 'can't write anything' monster by using a pen and notebook instead of the computer, taking said pen and notebook away from desk and to a different part of the house, just to change the venue. That usually helps. But forcing yourself to write, even if you just retype the last couple of paragraphs from your last writing session, or start with "I've got no freakin' ideas today what am I going to do?" or anything like that will often get things moving. Good deal, Yukinara.

Spy_on_the_Inside · Mar 24, 2012

Not being able to write is a problem that plagued me for many months, but this advice seems like something that will be very helpful. Thank you so much for all this advice.

Layla Nahar · Mar 24, 2012

thanks for posting that, Y - it makes for good inspiration

bearilou · Mar 24, 2012

I wash dishes. Or anything that takes my hands out of commission (if even for a brief time) and unable to put fingers to the keyboard. Then I'm overflowing with things to get down before I forget them.

goldhorse · Mar 24, 2012

Kudos to you. It doesn't matter if it's crap. It matters that you plugged on ahead. I know I've literally written the sentence "and then after this I have no friggen clue what to write but it's going to be epic."

That's what editing is for.

Talltree · Mar 24, 2012

Thats very inspiring. I've actually done that a bit in the last couple of weeks; the only bad part is I have to edit quite a bit out when I send to my writing/critique partner who I exchange chapters with every week.

Its more like write weekdays and edit weekends for me. I guess most people wait till the draft is completed before they start thinking about editing.

Does anyone edit before the full draft is complete? - curious

lolchemist · Mar 24, 2012

YES! this is what I do too. Just write even if it's absolute rubbish, you can always delete it later, it's not like you're forced to include it in your book.

Congrats on getting over your block!

SkyDancer · Mar 24, 2012

Congrats! You beat writer's block. Well done.

slashedkaze · Mar 24, 2012

Talltree said:
Thats very inspiring. I've actually done that a bit in the last couple of weeks; the only bad part is I have to edit quite a bit out when I send to my writing/critique partner who I exchange chapters with every week.

Its more like write weekdays and edit weekends for me. I guess most people wait till the draft is completed before they start thinking about editing.

Does anyone edit before the full draft is complete? - curious

I do. When I don't feel like writing, I edit sometimes. Sometimes I just have a really cool idea that forces me to edit earlier chapters, too. And I could never just write a paragraph and then move on without ever looking at it again. I try to make my writing as pretty as it can be while I write, and sometimes I go back and edit sentences for structure and such. And then I still do more editing when I'm done with the first draft of course.

Hip-Hop-a-potamus · Mar 26, 2012

I'm in an "in-between" mode right now. Someone's looking at my baby, so I've started a new baby.

My genre calls for OODLES of research, and it's been hard even getting started until I know how I'm going to frame it, the person I'm writing in, etc. If I can't write, I go do more research. Then I go back to it with more ideas, and can start banging something out with an idea where I'm going.

meowzbark · Mar 28, 2012

I won't let myself check Facebook until I write at least 500 words. I can spend my entire night on that site with nothing to show for it.

Kenpoclimber · Apr 13, 2012

Thanks, this is helpful. Next time I get that fuzzy 'how do I put this on paper?!' feeling, I'll say to myself 'dude calm down you're overthinking it!' Like you said, doesn't matter what you write as long as you write.

cmtruesd · May 31, 2012

I, too, often have to remind myself to just stop thinking and WRITE. Also, it helps to remember the times that I thought my writing was crappy only to re read it a few days later and surprise myself

randi.lee · Jun 1, 2012

Birol said:
Congratulations. Writing when you're not inspired is a mark of a professional.

Absolutely. Congrats!

E. B. Pike · Jun 1, 2012

Birol said:
Congratulations. Writing when you're not inspired is a mark of a professional.

Yes, I agree! It's hard to write when you're feeling uninspired.

E. B. Pike · Jun 1, 2012

cmtruesd said:
I, too, often have to remind myself to just stop thinking and WRITE. Also, it helps to remember the times that I thought my writing was crappy only to re read it a few days later and surprise myself

It's like that quote --you have to allow yourself to write poorly. Because if you don't, you may never make it past the first draft. I always remind myself of this when I'm first getting words down on the page. And you're right, often when you go back and look, it's not nearly as bad as you thought it was.

Yukinara · Jun 1, 2012

after nearly three months, this method is still rock solid. There are days I can't write, but I keep forcing words out, eventually, my mind decides to work for real and I can end up with 2k-3k words (like last night)

so I'm not so sure about other people's writer block, but I think as long as I can sit down and write, sooner or later, ideas will come

Something I discovered tonight

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