The problem with 'massive pinned discussions' is that it's hard to know where to jump in. I don't care enough about the subject to read all 37 pages of posts, but it can be hard to follow a discussion when you come in near the end, so I think it helps to 'refresh' these common subjects with new threads from time to time. Long-time members who have already contributed to the massive thread don't have to participate. I don't believe there is any such thing as 'writer's block'. I think that there are times when I have something to say, and times when I don't. When I don't, I do something else.
When the writer inside me puts up a block, I swipe him from the side and quickly make him fall on his feet. Once down, his survival mode will trigger and he will release the block, trying to get away from my persisting attacks. That's when I take out the flamethrower and rapidly, make him accelerate back to his task. Works every time. The main reason for my blocks are usually that I don't remember where I was in the story, so I just sit there clueless as to how I'm supposed to continue. Therefore I've started to experiment by writing a quick synopsis of past events after each long writing session, so I know where and how to proceed, without being forced to read the previous couple of pages. Another experiment you could do is stop writing in the middle of an event/action, that might force you to want to continue.
Sometimes I take a break, read a favorite novel. Sometimes reading something exciting helps me to get jazzed about my project. Sometimes I make a cover for one of my stories on photoshop which is fun - if you're arty. Usually I buy construction paper draw or cut out what I want take pictures and alter it in photoshop. I love doing art. Sometimes just getting out in the fresh air is good. Taking a camera or a notepad is good. You can take photos of interesting things or jot some descriptions or feelings down. All free form no pressure. Walking to a coffee shop observing people, having a quiet moment to yourself. For me observing and daydreaming usually is what gets me back to writing. But I start creating things in my mind that eventually need to be released. Madman - good tip! I often take too long breaks from my story and then have a hard time jumping back in.
Hi Zaphina. As you know, many people, or we can say writers, has that kind of problem when the pen turns to be useless. I actually use many methods to get rid of that horrible problem, and they are extremely useful. I don’t know if they will be useful for you, but I will share them with you anyway. I get involved in a library or a place which has taking their pens and writing, maybe they are just doing their homework, or taking notes of something or what ever. But watching many people writing around me makes me feel that I need to write something. Also, if you have written a novel, or even a short story, remember how it feels when have finished writing. It feels absolutely amazing, and I always want to try feeling that way over and over again. Sometimes you need just to try another activity besides writing, maybe going for a walk, exercising, visiting a friend. I don’t know how to explain that, but practicing another activity besides writing helps you with your writing, and makes you feel like writing even more than you did before.
ive found that writers block isnt so much as an issue as spending too much time writing, if i write for too long, i get stuck frequently and it is slow going, even on as easy flowing stories as the ones im writing, thats when i know i need to take a couple of weeks out, play games, read (this helps me a lot!) and do other stuff then come back with fresh eyes...
I sometimes back up and go in another direction. For example, I'll have my character react differently. This helps if I write myself in a corner.
I write about how I have writer's block. Maybe I'll get lucky like Proust and end up with a 4500-page novel as a result.
But where's the harm in that? Halfhearted writing is better than not writing at all. I know that some people don't want to write unless they're inspired, but I would argue that inspiration is most likely to show up for work if you do.
This is why writers revise, revise, and revise again. Push yourself, and who cares how good it is? You're the only one who will ever see it. You revise it until you're happy with it before you show it to anyone else.
Or you could try to top Coleridge's "Dejection: An ode" or Wordsworth's "Ode on Intimations of Immortality."
Most of the time I try to throw in a curveball. Or maybe something more mild, like a changeup. If the story, for instance, is at a place where I'm just rolling my eyes and finding myself bored, I throw something new in. You can plan out the story and then find out half-way in that it isn't as interesting as you think, so you have to improvise a bit. I think that's most of writers block. Getting stumped because you've hit a roadblock. A lot of the time this is because you're going down a road you probably shouldn't. Pave a new one from there. Problem solved. Makes for better stories too.
After talking to an old friend, my writer's block is broken!! YAY! Oh god, three chapters done in 3 hours.
I suffer much the same ailment however I have found a simple tool to get the words flowing. I start to write about what writers block is to me, and usually find it helps me to stop thinking to much and just get something down on the page. I have published a version on here. check it out let me know what you think
I have two stories started. One is about a 12 year old girl named Isabel, who runs off and through a knothole finds herself in a kingdom where all things are literal. The premise is personal responsibility and yes, it's a fairy tale. I absolutely love this story. The second is about an older woman named Jolene, who, after years of being controlled by her husband, kills him with a frozen turkey out near a frog pond, not premeditated, and starts to free herself. The premise is about being true to yourself. This story I also love. Some days I feel very adult (which I am, age-wise anyway) and focus on writing about Jolene. Other days when I feel overwhelmed and want to revert back to just being a kid - a hallucinatory do-over, so to speak - I want to write about Isabel. I'm not progressing on either because I can't stay focused. When writing, I have to focus on one thing and see it through, which is very difficult because of these attitude shifts, and which I haven't done yet with these novels. To further confuse things these shifts are on the inside. To the world, I'm the same. Some days I smile more and others I may be more quiet, but my disposition is practically the same. , If this ever happens to you, how do you stay in one story? Maybe I should just write certain scenes depending on my mood? And is it really a mood thing or just something that happens during my dreams that upon rising I have no recollection of? Maybe I should just ignore it. Any thoughts?
Well, first thing that jumps at me is how you are separating youth from old age. Jolene is still a child at heart, we all are, just like children feel and sense beyond their years and sometimes can have very mature and wise perspectives on things. Separating these aspects into two separate characters is risking writing them in a very two-dimnensional way. You need to focus on one, and inject young and old regardless of which you are writing about.
Which is exactly what I am doing - the heart of my question! Isabel has adult moments as the adults in her story have childlike fits. This is so obvious now. Thank you Jazzabel!
Hello! I've been on a writing bender for about three days and have run a gambit of typical writing issues. One that's got me stumped right now is this: two of my characters are heading towards a relationship. I myself, in real life, am uncomfortable in relationships and all they entail. I didn't think it would be that much of an issue - I mean, I've got giant monsters running around and I don't think I'd really be super comfortable with that either! But alas, I reached a *slightly* romantic scene and ground to a halt. After an hour of trying it was to the point that I wrote two words and deleted them while yelling "LAME!". I've had relationships before so it's not like I'm stuck because of lack of experience. I've been having this trouble for a while now, and it's annoying because I really want to write this story but can't seem to work through this one scene! I'd love to hear some tips and tricks on how others work around this kind of issue
Go read a romantic scene you really enjoyed from a book/author you like. See how the pro does it. Otherwise, maybe stick around for a while longer to fulfill your minimum requirement before you can post in the workshop, and then post something up for critique and then we'd be better able to help you. Cus right now we can't really see what you've done, so it's hard to say where you're going wrong. If it's not a lack of experience holding you back, then it's probably a writing issue - and for that we really do need to see the scene. My only other piece of advice is perhaps to relax. Let it go and just write it. It sounds like you're holding back on details or emotions or levels of intimacy within the scene because you're uncomfortable to feel those very things yourself. There's little cure for that except to remember - You are NOT your characters. Sure you might be uncomfortable but perhaps your character is super comfortable - take it from her perspective and not your own. It might help you loosen up.
Well, I don't think an hour spent on a difficult scene is enough time to despair or declare yourself unable to do it without external help. My advice would be that you try a lot harder. Sometimes, it takes months, dozens of re-writes, coming back to it many times, and pressing on with the rest of the work in the meantime, before we resolve a difficult scene or a paragraph. This is a normal writing process, something everyone struggles with. Ask yourself, why are you struggling with it? What is it about your past relationships ( or a particular relationship) that left you feeling inadequate, or bitter, anxious, scared, confused, whatever is the emotion that's blocking you. Good luck!
Oh, I've been working on it for three days now. That was just the last time I got anything on paper I've got plenty of little things going on in my life that are causing it to be difficult, but there's currently no fixing them and I just want to write! Thank you both for the advice! I just went looking, what are the minimum requirements? Someone said 20 posts? It's not even close to being viewable by other human beings right now but I could give it a quick spell check if need be.
Alright, I'm not sure if this is good advice or not, but here's the mantra that got me to churn out 15k words in three days (which is the most I've ever written for a single story). "I suck, so I should just write and not worry. I'm the worst, so I shouldn't try to re-write that line a billion times. This plot is irredeemable, so I should just do what I want!" It's weird, and not true, and doesn't completely stop me from deleting line after re-written line, but for some reason it got me to relax and enjoy writing. Sometimes we can put too much pressure on ourselves to be the next J.K. Rowling and freeze up.
