writer block - Page 2 - Writers Forum

SilkFX · 04-29-2008, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike C

Do you notice how nobody ever has a problem writing - often at length - about their writer's block?

Out of curiosity I did a search on "writers block" in T&A thread titles. 25 threads popped up. Include the recent "writer block" thread and we have 26. I myself have responded to 7.

This discussion keeps coming down to the difference between the "waiting for the Muse" and the "full speed ahead" schools of thought. IMO it's a little of one and a lot of the other. (Again...see my sig.)

nacreous · 04-29-2008, 05:02 PM

Re-if-i-ca-tion.

Wallmaker · 05-03-2008, 02:15 AM

Whoops. Double post.... somehow? Please delete.

Wallmaker · 05-03-2008, 02:21 AM

Writer's block is expecting yourself and your work to be brilliant from the getgo, which frankly it won't be and you stop writing becuase you feel you are not up to par with what you think it should be.

It's not writer's block, it's setting up a false expectations which are then impossible to fufill. And then you stop or avoid writing becuase it's a set up that breeds disatisfaction and disappointment.

So this is all you need to get through it: you have permission to write crap. You can even have a scene where all your characters literally say "Crap" if it gets you through the story beat or gets the juices flowing. That's what the delete key is there for when later you start revising and editing the story. Now revisions, that's just a more interesting process.

PageOfCups · 05-03-2008, 05:42 AM

I'm not really sure where I stand on this. I think in some cases it is just pure procrastination, but then I have got to points in my writing where my brain just refuses to come up with the next sentence even though I picture exactly what I want to happen. It usually lasts for a couple of days and involves me staring the screen of my lap top and swearing at it for anything up to two hours at a time. Though it passes when I get pissed off enough and then for some reason my writing is back to its usual pace.

starseed · 05-05-2008, 03:42 PM

I agree, no such thing as writers block.
Even just giving it a name makes it seem as if its some sort of evil, dark force looming over writers just waiting to strike and ruin their lives.
It's an excuse, and its crap.

I sometimes feel like I have nothing to write, or my story gets stuck and I don't know how to transition to the next scene, etc. It gives me this uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I could say "oh no! Its writers block!" and give that bad feeling power, but I don't. I don't believe in writers block. I believe in waiting for inspiration.

So I usually just start writing. This happened to me yesterday. There was a scene I was really looking forward to working on, but I hadnt got there yet, I was stuck at a sort of transitional scene leading up to the scene I was excited about. I had no clue how to get there so I just started writing. Who cares if it isn't good? I just want to transition, and I know I can always come back later and redo stuff and edit.

And of course, as soon as I started working on it, it came together and the transitional scene worked out perfectly. I knew it would come to me, it always does.

Of course I already have my novel mostly planned and outlined so this makes it easier.

If you want to write a book and are at a loss for what to write about at ALL..well I don't know if I can help you there. I feel like there are ten thousand stories I want to write about. The possibilities are endless. There is too much wonder in the universe to not have something to write about. If you can't think of anything, you should get out there and open your eyes to the world around you!

Besides that, find muses. I have all kinds of them. There are certain actors and actress' who always inspire me. I don't know why, but watching them perform their craft always makes me want to write. They are everything I love about people..their mannerisms, the way they speak, I find it fascinating and it's something I always enjoy looking at and trying to convey in my stories.

Also, music music music! I listen to music and stories just pour through my brain..music is all the best and worst parts of life. Listen, and allow yourself to be inspired.

And most important, I cant drill it in enough, STOP BELIEVING IN WRITERS BLOCK! There is no writers block. There is only you, open to inspiration.

NaCl · 05-05-2008, 09:20 PM

I'm not one who agrees with the "just keep writing" theory.

People are different. One size does NOT fit all. A successful approach to the problem for one person might be ineffective for another.

Inspiration fuels writing. When creative ideas combine with literary skill, the result is a magical story, capturing the imagination of readers. A writer struggling for inspiration might be best served to "put the pen down" and take a walk...or eat some icecream...or listen to music. The human mind accomplishes amazing things at subliminal levels. When the product of this unconscious pondering suddenly slips into your consciousness, (entirely at a time of its own choosing), the result is far better than anything you might force during a just-keep-writing funk.

The problem with inspiration is it can't be turned on at will; ah, but you can "recover" it from a prior moment. Here's how:

All people experience flashes of brilliance. Such inspired moments rarely come at convenient times for writers. Keep a notepad or cassette recorder near you at all times. When a particularly exciting idea comes to mind, capture it! The next time you sit down at your word processor, review your notes and the excitement of that "ah-ha" moment returns!

Writing just for the sake of writing, seems pretty mindless and mechanical to me. It might work for others, but I find it defeating. By the same token, if I sit down to write and find lots of exciting notes sitting on the keybopard, inspiration rekindles immediately. Then, my biggest problem is how to apologize to my wife for missing, yet another, dinner!

.....NaCl

Judith Tramayne · 05-07-2008, 01:47 PM

When you have what appears to be writer's block, go take a walk like some have suggested or print your book out. There's nothing like sitting in a chair to re-edit what you've written.

Another way to jump start you're writing, think what if? and then write a scene that fits the what if. Maybe you'll use it and maybe you won't. But it does put you in your alpha state where the words start flowing again.

Judith