Good Writer's Blocks

[Laer Carroll]

Around about my third published book my attitude toward writer's block changed. I began to welcome it, at least a particular kind of block. This is when I see a problem with character, setting, or plot, one I can't see a way around. NOT when illness or ill luck takes over my life.

By this time in my career I had a dozen stories I'd begun but abandoned in favor of a particular one that I was spending a lot of time on. My solution to my block on one story was to switch to another. That way I was always working.

Sometimes I can't find something I like at the moment to work on. Then I've learned to work on some other creative endeavor such as making the artwork for the cover or interior of a book or writing blurbs for a book. Or I do research on some subject that I MIGHT use in a book.

Sometimes I just don't want to work on anything at all. So I take a mini-vacation. I read something by a favorite author, watch or re-watch a favorite TV show or movie, visit a friend, eat out at a café near a beach, people watch in a mall, browse a bookstore especially a good used-book store.

All of those activities have something in common: they free up my subconscious. Over the years it has become very good at solving problems. I know, KNOW, that at some random moment when my conscious mind is idling, say when I'm fixing a sandwich or watching a sunset, it will quietly deliver up a solution to one of my problems. I will say, Oh! Yes! Of course! THAT will do the trick.

And I plunge back into work.

 

[Woollybear]

I wonder if it has to do with deadlines. I agree with letting the subconscious mull a story-problem over, but if I was under contract to produce something by a certain date I think this kind of 'block' would be infuriating. But, so far, no one is asking me to produce by a certain date, so it all works out well enough.

 

[ChaseJxyz]

Pre-medicated me loved deadlines because it would make me get work done, an absolutely staggering amount compared to what I could do normally. But this was also when 1,000 words felt herculean. Unmanaged ADHD needs deadlines with severe punishment in order for work to happen.

Ace Attorney 2 was written in 2-3 months under the heavy consumption of alcohol in order to make all of that and reach the deadline. But that also explains why the MC is so freaking depressed the whole game (and also the entire case that takes place in the circus)(and the really dark final case)

I also find my subconscious is really good at solving problems, either by "freeing it up" by doing other things (walking, shopping, going out to eat) or consuming related media (both Root Double and the demo for Death Come True gave me amazing ideas for <Inspect>).

But I also like talking to other people about it, too. A suggestion made by someone else might not be the exact answer but it can trigger the thought process to finding it. I can't count the number of times I've DM'd someone with "okay I have this insane idea please help me make this work." I love collaborating with others and want to do more work like that.

 

[PraiseRao]

Being Schizoaffective Bi Polar type (manic type) I can kind of relate to the ADHD part of it. I am typically more manic than depressive and it really helps writing. I also have something called Social Communication Disorder which is basically kind of like Aspergers, either way that comes with obsessive focus in a special interest. Combine those two and it actually works really well for writing. Deadlines really pump up the volume on output as well.