The Writers Block Thread

Discussion in 'General Writing' started by Sapphire, Sep 21, 2006.

  1. Kalisto

    Kalisto Senior Member

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    Why you're running into a brick wall is because (and I'm not saying this to be mean) you probably don't have any real story here. What you have is a concept. You have this world. You have these locations. And all these cities. It's full of potential. Anything can happen in this world! But the issue is that it's nothing but potential. In order for there to be a story, something has to actually happen.

    And there is nothing wrong with doing substantial world building, but what happens is a lot of people just keep world building, hoping that at some point they have enough materials to write a story with very little effort. And that's just not true. As a matter of fact, excessive world building can hinder a story. Now you have these established rules and you have to work your story around the rules.

    Here's what I suggest doing. And it's not an easy thing, but it is what I did to get out of the world building phase: trashed my entire world. I just deleted everything. Then I just wrote a story and only worked on the parts of the world that were relevant to the story. And I think I did a better job world building.
     
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  2. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    ^ Yep. The world should be built around the conflict and the characters.
     
  3. Bone2pick

    Bone2pick Conspicuously Conventional Contributor

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    It can be. From what I've read on forums, that's an approach that works for a lot of writers. Maybe the majority. But that's not true for me.
     
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  4. Richach

    Richach Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    I think most writers agree that there is a creative side to writing and a structural side to writing. The creative is the ideas and imagination (very much felt side of the brain) and the structural is the theory (thought side of the brain). Thinking and feeling or structure and creating simultaneously is very difficult and I for one lack the experience to do both despite having written millions of words. Clearly both creative and structural techniques need to interface to make a solid and interesting book. This is probably the most significant challenge that faces us all as writers. How to remain creative whilst wrestling with structure.

    The best advice I was ever given on this forum was to write the whole story (first draft) and don't stop till it is done. Don't even stop to correct SPAG (to any serious degree) and other structural aspects. The structural aspect only comes into play after the first draft.

    Hope this helps!
     
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  5. Richach

    Richach Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Writing short stories is a skill I am trying to acquire. If anything I think it will be important if I want to write short or long.
     
  6. SaturnDreary

    SaturnDreary New Member

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    I've been experiencing writer's block for a few weeks now. When does it end? How did you overcome it?
     
  7. N.Scott

    N.Scott Active Member

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    It can end right now if you have the courage to put aside the quality of your writings. That's the best advice I've ever received on the subject matter. Eventually, building a writing habit would mostl likely put that bug to its grave.
     
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  8. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    There's no such thing. Put your ass in the chair and write anyhow. Write crap. It doesn't matter. Just write and don't stop. You need to program your brain to be creative on command.
     
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  9. Catriona Grace

    Catriona Grace Mind the thorns Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    I do believe in writer's block if by it one means a period when writing is more than usually difficult or unsatisfying. It's easy to go with the angst and wait for it to pass (emoting to friends about the difficulties of a writer's life is optional) and I agree with continuing to write something, anything during the phase, especially if you have a deadline coming up. Sometimes one has to work even when it is hard, frustrating, and boring. Sucks, but there ya are,

    Sometimes writer's block is plain old burnout resulting from, for example, a prolonged period of intense, focused production. When I get to that point, I give myself a break (a finite period of time; open-ended breaks can be detrimental) and write easy things like letters or journal entries and turn to another creative hobby that allows me to let my mind wander while I embroider, weave, garden, walk the dog, etc. While doing these things, I don't listen to music or books on CD or talk to people, and often the chance to turn things over in my own mind results in aha! moments where I solve a puzzle such as what happens next in a story or what I should write next.
     
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  10. HARKNESS

    HARKNESS Member

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    I force myself to do it, Park your butt, put your hands in the keys, and type away!

    YOU CAN DO IT!
     
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  11. SaturnDreary

    SaturnDreary New Member

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    Thank you, everyone!! I'd respond to each one of you individually but I'm still not 100% sure how to do it... and I don't want to risk looking silly. :pity: But thank you. :superidea:
     
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  12. petra4

    petra4 Active Member

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    I’m not a writer by any means but do journal/diarise daily. If experiencing writers block, read a book. This is what helps me.
     
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  13. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    There's no such thing, unless you mean a period when you want to write but everything seems to come out crap and you're just so bloody stuck. Then yes. The only solution is to keep writing. Write past it. Keep writing. Recently a friend gave me metaphorical slap and told me to just bloody write. I needed that. Stopped worrying about whether it's any good, still convinced it all sucks, and just kept on going. That was a week ago, been stuck for a month, and yesterday finally got past the scene that had me stuck woohoo!
     
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  14. Damage718

    Damage718 Senior Member

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    Came here to say this.

    A lot of times people use writer's block as a masked label for having no time, or not the right energy (or none at all.) I'm suffering from this as we speak. My schedule is hectic with 3 writing jobs, FT, PT, and freelance. While absolutely blessed to be in that spot, my WIP and other writing (blogs, research articles, etc.) have taken a major hit. Even when I can squeeze in pockets of time, my "head energy" feels off. Burnout is indeed real.
     
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  15. Aceldama

    Aceldama free servant Contributor

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    That is the most painful thing I think I've ever read. If you dont want to take those kinds of risks you cant expect to be able write anything. Let alone something of value. That goes with every thing in life. You're gonna look silly. A lot. Need to embrace that because people aren't their mistakes or silly nauace. People are the people they are in spite of their character flaws. How you get to know people and how people get to know you is by accepting the silly side that everyone has and wants to hide. People aren't their mistakes as much as they aren't absolute perfect either and if you're chasing perfect you're gonna die tired.

    No wonder you have writers block. And literally the way to not have it is to not worry about controlling stuff and to write for the right reason.



    When I feel unispired music always helps. Especially quality music that you can tell took some time to formulate. Makes me excited to make something exceptional in my own craft.
     
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  16. JLT

    JLT Contributor Contributor

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    This subject has come up before, so doing a search might reveal some more stuff.

    Hunter Thompson would experience these occasionally, and his way out of it was to type passages from other people's books. He found that after a few pages, the floodgates would open again.
     
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  17. Catriona Grace

    Catriona Grace Mind the thorns Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    My husband listens to music much of the day- retired professional musician as well as just plain music lover. He has invested in some amazing headphones, etc. over the years so we can work in the same environment.
     
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  18. J.T. Woody

    J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

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    it ends when you've found inspiration.

    how do i over come it? by watching tv, looking at digital photo albums (landscapes inspire me, so my "sleep" screen on my laptop shows nothing but landscapes. different ones every few hours), writing other things, or doing research.

    if I have a block on one WIP, i'll jump to another thing and start writing on that until my inspiration for the main WIP comes back. or if i dont want to jump to something else, and my WIP is set in a desert, I'll look at desert landscapes or look into desert places, animals, peoples, etc. on that topic until it triggers something.
     
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  19. Aceldama

    Aceldama free servant Contributor

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    I always wanted to learn music. I consider it the king of the arts. Was looking into keyboards and reading up on sheet music earlier. Probably will go ahead and invest in one at some point.
     
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  20. Catriona Grace

    Catriona Grace Mind the thorns Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    I wish you many decades of happiness in your new pursuit. I've never been the musician my husband is but studied voice, sang until fairly recently, played guitar and played at cello. Brought me a lot of satisfaction.
     
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  21. RMBROWN

    RMBROWN Senior Member

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    It is interesting the responses to writer's block. While we all write for different reasons, the main purpose is to share our insight and personal experiences, they are the only thing that leads to credibility. You cannot write what you do not know. You can't write with any authority on any issue if you either have not experienced it or done tons of research, hence why there is so much garbage out there.

    Unlike those they say, 'just grind it out'. I say, step away from the keyboard and go do something. Meet someone new, ask a lot of questions. Learn any new skill, go visit some place you have never seen. Dare to love or hate another, be willing to hurt, scared or overjoyed in any of the things that life offers.

    Passion and knowledge are the key to being not only a good writer but a good conversationalist. I have always used the analogy, if you were at a party would you sit and listen to someone who just talked and talked and really had nothing to say, or listen to someone who told you about something that happened today, and it scared the shit of them or saw something they have never seen before.

    If you have nothing to say, remain silent. Writer's block can be a signal that it is time to start living life instead of writing about it.
     
  22. Joe_Hall

    Joe_Hall I drink Scotch and I write things

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    Probably not everyone's solution: Scotch. Not like sloshing drunk...but a nice glass to sip and suddenly things come....
     
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  23. Homer Potvin

    Homer Potvin A tombstone hand and a graveyard mind Staff Supporter Contributor

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    Yeah, buddy! Lagavulin for expansiveness, Oban or Balvenie utilitarian progress, JW Black for the heavy lifting.

    Tequila, strangely, seems to have no creative effects.

    And weed used to write novels by itself for me. Now, a short burst of energy followed by sleepy time.
     
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  24. Joe_Hall

    Joe_Hall I drink Scotch and I write things

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    I do Lagavulin when I can afford a $100 bottle. The rest of the time I make do with Glenlivet or Glenfiddich
     
  25. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Freewrite—take the pressure off. It will frequently grease the wheels and get you excited to start working on a project again. Write about your story idea, write around it, or write about anything at all you want to. Just write, and don't bother with thinking too much. Just enough to get words to make some level of sense when strung together (or not even that much sometimes).
     
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