Kid Amnesiac

I've been going through a week-long writers block.
And for me, inspiration is never a problem.
I have something in my head right now, I know what type of thing (screenplay) I want to write, I know the mood, everything.

I just don't have a story! I can't come up with a feasible original story. I've tried everything, watching movies, listening music, etc. Nothing has come into my head.

Sympathy? Suggestions?

Spudley

I've suggested it before, but it seems to work, so...
Writing Challenge Generator

Enjoy.

And I hope you break through that block soon.

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gabriella

Try doing something that has nothing to do with art, let alone writing. Sports are the first topic - working out, playing basketball with some friends. It really takes your mind off something, does something good for your body, and makes you feel refreshed and healthy and ready to tackle that son of a bitch

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Sharaz Jek

Try pulling a few random words from the dictionary, then carefully think about the implications of each. Combine them together, and soon, you might have something to work with.

DL Ferguson

Plot is what happens. Story is WHO it happens to.

Who are your characters?

Kitten Courna

I suggest throwing an artistic hissy fit, preferrably with throwing of things, then pouting, then zoning out on a movie with some ice cream.

If all else fails at least.

Everyone's given the suggestions I would've, and they're all good, especially Spudley's Topic Generator thing. Just don't restrict yourself

-Kitten

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Kid Amnesiac

Nevermind, something popped into my head yesterday, and I've written 20 pages since.

So, Plot is what happens, gotcha.

Thanks!

Gundampilotspaz

I don't think thats a very good description. More like:

Story is the defined problem.

The plot is the events in which it gets solved.

gabriella

Or, Story is how the characters affect the plot and the plot affect the characters.

Plot is what's occuring in the story.

That's how I always looked at it, anyway.

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You write by sitting down and writing - Bernard Malamud.

Gundampilotspaz

It could be looked at that way, but not all the time. I'll use an example from some classics.

Lord of the Rings: The story was that Souron had return and was rasiing an army to conqure the world.

The plot is everything that happened intill that problem was solved.


Stranger in a Stange Land: Valentine Michael Smith is a Human who was raised by Martins. He is brought back to earth only to learn that his parents invented things that made him unbelievablely wealthy. But he can't get out of his martin mind-set. How will he adapt to earth?

The plot is how he adapted to the earth, the ways he would do it and how he turns out in the end.

Tale of Two Cities: A doctor who was locked up for years is released from prison as a revolution grows around the country. His daughter picks him up and brings him back to England in the wake of Revolution.

The plot would be the events that take place useing that as the base.

Armon

I don't know, I kind of like Gabriella's definition, and I think your examples, at least for me, use the terms "plot" and "story" backwards. I see plot as the one or more events that must transpire to form the story. The story is how those events come to pass.

The plot is evil trying to take over the world and good stopping it. The story is how exactly good and evil go about accomplishing their tasks.

I guess you really can't have a story without some kind of plot, and plots are just cliche without an interesting story being written around them.
Or, I could be smoking too much grass once again.

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