The Writers Block Thread

And that is why I listen to Kelly Clarkson more than a 20-something guy is "supposed to":

Spoiler

 

Simopson17866 you really need to listen to more jazz, music that makes you think for yourself!

 

Some good advice here, @waitingforzion. The only thing I will add is that everything that's been discussed is within your control. You can decide to develop your skill as a writer, work to hone that skill, work to come up with a story others will want to read, work to make it the best story you can make it. Or not. It's fine to recognize your failings, but that act is pointless if you don't then do something about it. You can come here and there will be several people who will "there, there" you until the cows come home, but that won't solve your problem and it won't make you a writer.

If you need to make changes in your life, make them. If you truly want to write and tell great stories, you know what you have to do. The only remaining question is whether or not you will. And you are the only person who can answer that.

Good luck.

 

Writer's block happens every week. It's like when I'm done writing a really well-researched piece of article, I'm out of thoughts for the next 3 days. A friend of mine suggested StudyMode, a website where I could find ideas and research papers on a huge variety of topics. It was helpful for reference but again, it's hard to write something if your mind isn't active.
There's an odd time when you get that instant flow of words. Maybe when I'm sleeping, taking a shower, in a restroom or just sitting on my desk at work (an epiphany). But I have to wait for it.

 

You've missed my point.

I'm not saying being an outsider starts late, but realizing you are an outsider starts late, ie. labeling yourself as an outsider.

Of course it starts the moment you walk outside your own door. Hell, it might even start within your own family.

 

Time Runner.

If you can find it, it's on VHS, but I don't recommend it. There's only one scene that actually makes sense and one scene doesn't not a movie make.

And Mark Hamill doesn't list it on his resumé although it is on his IMDB page.

 

i like to look at pictures to get me going just random ones like maybe clothes a character could wear or pictures of places they could be it often sparks an idea

 

Is it in so bad it's good territory, or just plain bad?

 

Sorry, I don't know what that means.

But that aside, it's definitely bad. If they'd gone with any of the first three drafts my partner and I delivered, it still might not have been a great movie (high likelihood) but at least it would have made sense. What they released was disjointed, obtuse and fragmented. Poor Mark didn't know what he was getting into and that's what happens when you slip off the A List in Hollywood.

 

Just breathe. Take a break,sometimes trying too hard is not a good idea. Go to some short stories. well.... this is what works for me.
Hope it helps.

 

That's true, and widely overlooked on writing forums.

I don't see any real correlation between intelligence and being able to write well. I think there is some correlation between education and being able to do so. Once you're able to write well, from a technical standpoint, there's still no guarantee that you'll be a good storyteller.

I do think anyone can learn to be a good storyteller and writer. There are going to be those few who have an innate gift that places them on a different plane - someone like Einstein in science, or Joyce in literature. I don't think you can learn to be like that. But you can learn write a good, professional quality story. A lot of people who want to learn don't want to put the time and/or effort into it.

 

Ah! I finally got this...

What you're asking is:

Is it in "so bad it's good" territory, or is it just plain bad?

But now that I've forgotten what we were talking about...

 

This discussion reflects the whole 'nature or nurture' argument that often comes up when discussing human behaviour. I'm sure both have their influences, but as to which has more?

 

I know what you mean OP. From my experience writing Draft 1a of my current WIP, I am not sure "plowing through" was the best idea. I ended up just writing to write and later on not even liking what I put down. I am no saying to stop writing but take a break and take a step back and really think about your story before you begin. Ask yourself different questions, play out different story paths in your head and see where they end up. Read a book maybe.

 

I feel that major life changes 'blocked' my writing, as I used to write daily out of urgent necessity. My way of relating to the world was to write and it was as natural and important as breathing.
I remember so often in the day desperately needing to put pen to paper (envelopes, napkins, anything) as the day's stimulus had been brewing and churning on my mind and a poem was forming in my head.
I truly feel I used to be a natural writer, as it was what i most needed to do each day, i was so very rarely without notebook.
For me a major shift happened when i fell in love and met my now husband. We are such a team and so close to each other that our intense connection replaced the connection i used to have with my notebooks. I wonder if anyone relates to this?
I lost myself in the relationship for certain and the loss was so painful that I had a nervous breakdown. I have since been carefully rebuilding my life and now my return to writing is quite emotional. So I guess in my experience the 'block' which stopped my natural flow/practice/habit of writing was oddly also the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me: I never knew I could have so much true love in my life. But as I say in one of my songs, he 'blew me away from me'.
I have been doggedly determined through my breakdown and recovery to continue a creative output, and also support my husband who is a full time creative, but in truth it has been hard work and more a case of songs/poems popping out like occasional weeds in the pavement cracks.
Having had (and having grieved) the lush experience of daily creative practice/writing I feel I have lost a precious connection to my imagination, but I'm now ready to restore this.
My bipolar diagnosis is another stumbling block, as writing obsessively and urgently now signifies mania/hypomania and I have worked so hard to get myself stable I am scared of being 'crazy'.
Life has taken many difficult turns and while this journey is all wonderful fuel for writing, my 'unblocking' means coming to terms with a new way of creating. I am not the free, trusting, joyful writer i used to be. I am battle scarred and on psychiatric medication which is sedating. I am married and living in a foreign country, away from my family. I love my home, my husband, this country and this landscape.
But writing which used to be so natural and joyful now feels like somewhere neglected, ceased up and unsafe. The 'crazy artist' archetype is very scary when you treasure your stability/peace of mind after illness.
That said, I feel I have been on a healing process and although it has been about 10 years, I feel ready to restore that connection to my imagination and get back to my notebooks.
I am no longer who I used to be and I feel my writing will be different to what it was, but that's ok. It's time to unblock.
Thank you for providing a space for me to think this out

 

Approximately two years ago, I made it my ambition earn money as a writer. I felt that I had a modicum of ability based on the the fact that my writing was already of a reasonable standard, despite me having very little by way of formal education. My thinking was that if I applied myself, focused on education and practised accordingly, I would eventually reach a professional standard.


Now I find myself falling short of the mark. I believe I have put in the hours, the learning, and the self-criticism. I have gone back and learnt the fundamentals of syntax and grammar, practised sentence craft and worked on different styles. I have completed copywriting internships and entered writing competitions, taking great lengths to act upon any feedback I received.


Even now, this stream of consciousness was started as a writing exercise, a way to assess how I can improve and what gaps there are in my ability to recognise good or bad prose, whether written by myself or a professional.


Nonetheless, I find even now I am often turning out sub-par pieces of work and even making basic grammatical errors - after proofreading!


I realise that self doubt goes hand-in-hand with any creative pursuit, I also know that those who succeed are the ones that take the inevitable knocks and continue to improve, adapt and learn from them.


I should clarify that what I am referring to is not the creative process, but the technical side of writing. Constructing sentences and communicating information as succinctly and clearly as possible. For me, this seems to be very inconsistent and I always find errors in anything I write over 200 words. I’ve recently been trying to make some extra cash as a copywriter and it's with this endeavour that the inconsistencies have become so apparent.


I decided to post this little ramble to see if it may promote some discussion on tactics for improving the craft of writing. My only ideas at this stage are to review my drafting process, perhaps experimenting with a complete rewrite from first to second, for example.

If anyone has any opinions, I would love to hear them and perhaps share ideas.

 

Well if it makes you feel any better, I read a 11k novelette and at the start of one chapter I kid you not saw this:

The day my duties began started with an announcement to shower in preparation. -His to Use:Mastering Melody by Talia Zane (first sentence chapter three).

And that is one of many mistakes I see in 'professional' writing.

On the other hand I have grammar problems too. It is simply hard to avoid those things, but all you can really
do is try and learn from them. As long as you can have a well developed elements within your writing, why
worry about simple things like grammar (unless it is really bad)? Just keep writing and get opinions of your
writings regularly when you feel you need to get feedback on how your doing.

Good Luck.

 

If your writing is as well written as your post you have nothing to fear.

The only advice I can give is that you should critique others' work on this forum, read the critiques others have posted, and absorb that which you feel relevant.

 

Two years is nothing, depending on what sort of writing you want to sell. Having had a long career in journalism, writing and selling fiction is so much harder and the competition is crazy. I think the more creative the writing is, the higher the standards are for publishing. That's my experience at least. The hardest thing ever is probably to sell poetry to any of the top literary journals or poetry reviews. But I'm pretty sure we're not talking about poetry. I don't know. You mentioned some writing competitions. I'm guessing that's more creative writing than the copywriting.

Writing competitions usually have one top winner. Maybe they publish some finalists, but one person usually gets the big prize. I was once a reader for a competition. There were a few of us that voted on which stories got passed up to the final judge. I was so sure that a certain story was going to win it all. The competition judge felt differently. Someone always wins, but you could be up against hundreds of other writers. I recently entered a few writing competitions. I think it's good to try and put yourself and your work out there. It doesn't hurt to try. But don't use your success or lack of success with writing competitions to gage how good your writing is.

That being said, there's competition at every level of writing whether it's through a writing competition or not, and it's never going to feel like a fair fight because there are always going to be people who have done it longer and can do it better. But that doesn't mean you can't do it too. It just means you have to try harder. I'm one of those people that has to try harder.

It sounds like you have made some progress with copywriting. Is that what you mostly do or want to be doing? I've never done those types of writing jobs. I understand the pay sucks and it's not really my thing. But if that's your plan and goal, to be a better copywriter, I think, like with any type of writing, we get better the longer we do it. The number one thing I think of as I write is clarity. Nothing else will matter without it. Sometimes it helps to ask yourself how clearly to have stated something and is there a better way. If something sounds wrong, say it in a way you know is right. Especially, with copywriting keep it clear and simple.

 

I agree entirely. Get it written, polish it up later and you may find that in the process, you'll find more of the story to put down.
None of us are perfect and not finding errors in 200 words of writing would be unusual to say the least. On the other hand, show those 200 words to five or more critics and you'll get five or more different opinions.
The key is to maintain consistency and keep writing. I'm not one for giving advice, but I find that writing every single day (as well as reading), hones the craft.

 

What do you want to write? Fiction or non-fiction? Short, medium, long? I know my advice is different for each path.