Cure for writers block

[squidtender]

I've seen many posts about writers block and a general lack of enthusiasm that seems to happen to all of us half way through a story (especially the longer ones). So, I have a trick that I use and I thought I might pass it on. When I start a new novel, I find a few songs that I think go good with the type of story it is. My current novel is a hybrid of action and horror, so I used Drowning Pool's "bodies" and DMX's "Party up", both of which worked well for certain scenes in my story. When I feel the midway blahs (usually about 50-60k words), or anytime I need to make myself excited for writing the story, I listen to these two songs. I try not to listen to them very often, because the more you hear it, the less it has an effect, but about once a week is a good number. Music is great for triggering memories, and if you can associate certain songs with how excited you are at the begining of your work, then that will help when you feel like giving up on it. I hope this trick helps some of you, the way it's helped me

[Cefor]

That sounds like a pretty decent idea, actually... cheers, mate

[Jeff C]

haha cool idea, I'll have to try it out.

[abuistrago]

It does work, not only to remember how excited you were about the story in the first place, but as a source of inspiration as well! Excelent tip

[ChasWindsor]

Great idea.

Need to find some tunes that match my latest project.

[WiredNun]

I find 1) plotting out the rest of the story, at least in a general way, 2) writing the end of the story then filling in the middle, and 3) reminding myself I am making $100 a page (presuming average ebook sales) helps. As well as the suggestion above, which I use.

[destinoscelgo]

I am going to have to try that today since I am going through a bit of writer's block myself right now

[Max22]

I do this too! Recently I've started to listen to film soundtracks, they are good at setting atmosphere without the distraction of getting caught up in the lyrics. I really like Zodiac's soundtrack, works well for me and fits the tone of the story I'm writing.

[sunaynaprasad]

I'm taking a break from my writing and writing something else.

[Morkonan]

I've seen many posts about writers block and a general lack of enthusiasm that seems to happen to all of us half way through a story (especially the longer ones). So, I have a trick that I use and I thought I might pass it on. When I start a new novel, I find a few songs that I think go good with the type of story it is. ...

Music frequently helps writers, but most prefer music that doesn't have lyrics. In instances where it does, they prefer lyrics that can't be easily understood. Like, Gregorian Chants, for instance, for someone who doesn't understand Latin.

The regions of the brain responsible for interpreting music are also the same regions tied to emotion and, coincidentally, regions that are activated when we write.. or read. Funny how that works, isn't it? As a result, it shouldn't be surprising to writers that a session of listening to certain types of music can serve as an inspiration for overcoming a writing problem.

The term "Focus Music" has started to gain attention in pop-culture. A Google of "Focus Music" will likely turn up a lot of pieces of music that people listen to when studying or attempting to solve creative problems. For myself, I listen only to "Focus Music" that does not have lyrics and I frequently find myself creating new ideas for stories or for solutions to writing problems when I'm spending long hours traveling and listening to focus music.

Most writers that have written instructional aids for other writers comment on listening to music and most are in favor of the practice. Most emphasize that the music is free of spoken/sung lyrics, though. I like to listen to a variety of artists that specialize in that sort of thing, especially in gaming and theatrical music. There are a great many who list their works on Youtube and I also have a good playlist of such saved music on my own computer, for tough times..