The best way to start any big project is to do the things you know you can do. Write the parts that are clearest to you at the moment. Don't think that you have to write the story from beginning to end in sequence. Don't be afraid to jump around or skip over something you're not familiar with. When you see your story taking shape, you are likely to see how to fill in the missing parts. If you don't, there's always this forum to help you out.
I have that trouble too. Really just start with a couple interesting first lines and go from there. It could be something vague, or something far too descriptive. It really doesn't matter. Pick one and go with it. You know your general direction, so make it go in that direction.
Write in 5 minute blocks mate. I have found this technique to work quite well when it comes to writers block. Write down 10 points you want to convey. Have 3 keywords for each point, one to be used to begin, one in the middle and one in the end. Then set a timer for five minutes and write continuously for 5 minutes. Don't worry about spelling and grammar, you can edit that later. After the 5 minutes is up, move on to the next point. I find I write about half a page when I use this technique and I never encounter writers block. It works especially well when writing a novel. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts.
Tackling the dreaded writers block Hello everyone, I have been writing ever since I can hold a pen. I've written over 200 short stories, about 10 screen plays, countless articles and 1 completed novel and several others. I have never really struggled with writers block but I have come across many people who have. I have many friends that suffer with it and I know how frustrating it can be. Here's a few tips to help combat writers block: 1.) Never write for more than an hour at a time. The brain can only process so much information at once. Just like your body, it needs a rest from time to time. I work to the 60/30/50/20 rule. That is 60 minutes of writing, followed by a 30 minute break, then 50 minutes writing, followed by a 20 minute break. During the break time, do something mentally relaxing like taking a power nap, watching t.v, go for a walk, something like that. You'll see great results, it also gives you a chance to think about what you want to write next. 2.) If you find you are struggling for something to write on a specific subject, write something completely different. I have often found myself skipping from one story to the next to keep my mind active. Think of it as going to the gym. When you go to the gym, you spend a few minutes on the bike, then a few more on the cross trainer, then you might do some weights. By skipping from story to story, you are stimulating your creativity. 3.) Write as you speak. Think of it as talking to your best friend. you have this great story to tell them, so instead of trying to think of what to say, just blurt it out, on to paper (or computer.) 4.) Write every day, even if it's to a diary. Sometimes I find myself writing for the hell of it. I find just chatting to friends of Facebook and Twitter help enormously. The more you write, the better you will become at it. I hope that whoever reads this, it helps. Comments and feedback are always welcome.
This is useful. Thank you very much. I'm suffering a kind-of block right now, and I think it's because I'm stressed about a job interview on Thursday. It sucks because I've got the next few chapters of my book outlined in my head, but I can't articulate it when I try to type it.
If none of that sounds like it could work, you can always just sidestep the problem. A 'beginning' is usually necessary to set up character interactions and things for later, but it is not really required if you choose a setting that doesn't require an in-depth beginning. For example, in my horror/adventure/scifi book that I'm attempting to write, the MC wakes up in a bad situation, with memory loss, and it's woven into the plot developements of the book. Alternatively, if you want your book to have a slow-paced introductory beginning, you could write about something that's so interesting that the beginning is not even remotely similar to any other book you have read. For example, imagine the beginning of a book about teenagers. It's probably boring, and you know what to expect. You can sidestep this by picking such an unusual topic that the beginning is a lot of fun to write, and really helps the reader understand what's going on, instead of just, "After school I had to go to my job. How surprising..."
I agree, the first step is to put pen to paper, open word(or other programs), and just start. Start where ever inspiration moves you, then let it flow. Where you start might not be the start of the book. You might even delete the whole first section(too boring, but helped to set the good part later on). Procrastinating is bad, planning is good until it turns to the other "P". Write, Write a story, write it all, don't worry if its not good enough for anyone else to read, just write. in other words; change sing to write, song to book: "Sing, sing a song, Make it simple, to last your whole life long, Don't worry that it's not good enough, For anyone else to hear, Sing, sing a song . ." Come on in, the water is fine.
I've found that emotion can be 'channeled' into a piece making it stronger [Mostly I find this works for anger and action scenes, but it may work here as well]
I usually start with a free-write. You just sit at your computer with the monitor turned off (or something else blocking the monitor from view) and write what ever pops into your head. Literally, EVERYTHING that occurs to you. Don't edit it. Don't think about it or judge it at all. Just write it down. You'll end up with a lot of "I'm hungry," and "this is dumb" at first. I find doing this at the beginning of a writing session helps to break me away from the need to be perfect from the start. With practice, you can tranisition into getting some writing done. It can be a way of brainstorming ideas or writing actual scenes. You just keep going until your mind is completely blank or you run out of time. Then you go back and delete all the random stuff... and voila! A great idea! Or a rough scene. An outline. A character's background. It's like walking along the beach and picking up treasures. You can ignore all the piles of rotting seaweed, and keep all the smooth glass and pearly shells.
I find that it's sometimes hard to start writing, even if I have an idea in my head. Once I have a few lines down though I'll happily scribble away for a whole page or two. I do wish there was some device that would transcribe thoughts into text though. Would be sooo useful.
For me it helps to plan. First I either have an idea of the characters or the setting, and I expand on that. Once I thought about it enough to have the plot details in my mind (having several hours to daydream helps ) I write a synopsis, maybe 1-2 pages. But it depends on what I'm writing. A short story you can pretty much just sit down and write, but for something like a novel I find it really important to plan so you don't end up on page 34, miss out a plot detail and have to overhaul the whole thing. Nightmare. What works for me though is to write an overview of the story, and then split that overview into parts. I expand on each part (so say it began as one paragraph, I'd keep adding plot details to it until it was a page or so long) until it was done. Then I'd split those parts into smaller sections, chapters. Each one would go through the process again and the story would become longer. My aim is to do this (iterative process? sounds so formal hehe) until it's completely finished. This way I won't miss anything out and I'll always know where I am in the story. Sorry for rambling, but I hope this helps.
When I started writing my first book (which is so far my only book lol), I had a general idea of everything I wanted to do, and then I just started writing somewhere and hoped to get somewhere else. The key to creative writing comes in two parts. Keep writing, and, once you get to the end, start over again. The first is to keep your words flowing. Don't get caught up with the need to write the perfect sentence. Write complete babble, cheesy clichés, or whatever comes out. Skip entire scenes if you are really stuck, leaving a note to come back later. Just get to the end of your story. The second part is the re-write. You now know your story way better than before. You are a better writer than before, and you can actually write better sentences, your characters come out more believable, and your plot is more defined.
I've been having that problem too. Nothing I jot down seems to convey what I want it to and so I start all over again after a few sentences. But eventually the idea explodes out of me and everything goes smooth. Then I look back a week later and it all looks like future chop-work. As for "writer's block"... That's a myth. I've met what people call "writer's block" and wasn't impressed. I just moved to a scrap piece of paper and jotted down ideas with a few sketches and within a few minutes or so I was back to the story. It's as much of a block to writers as a speed bump is to cars.
I don't really believe in writer's block. Personally, it seems like an excuse that authors can give to their publishing agents. But, if you really feel like there is a brick wall in your brain preventing the flow of ideas, I suggest you take a walk. Get away from what you're working on, and absorb everything around you. When you sit back down it might seem a little easier to write.
Try to sit down and just type out the plot-or whatever you have of it so far. Characters, major details and read it over. A beginning may appear.
I'm not talking about coming up with something and dismissing it as stupid, but a complete void. I've got writing ideas, just don't feel like messing with them right now. I've also got sewing ideas, and I do need to get on those before I'm stuck with wearing something ugly for the sake of modesty. What I don't have is drawing ideas. I can write about something and describe it as much as I like, but it engages a different understanding than the type needed to draw it. So what do I do about the lack of anything to draw?
Wouldn't that be wonderful? Excellent advice, I do that too and it is really helpful for sorting my thoughts out and resolve any problems in the writing process.
Personally, I've never had to worry much about writer's block. But that's probably because I write bits and pieces of my stories randomly - I never (or hardly) sit down for a long period of time and write. It doesn't work with me (I'm easily distracted ) My friend, however, had a problem the other day; she gets LOTS of ideas and stuff, and she knew where her story was going, but she was literally stuck on one scene. I looked it over, gave her a couple of sentences to continue, a few phrases to use and reactions, and she finished that chapter within an hour. So, maybe get someone to look over it for you if you're having trouble continuing or something. Or (this has worked for me) write a random short story to get your mind off whatever it is you're stuck on. It might unblock your mind..
I have seen a lot of comments on here stating, "I don't believe in writer's block." So, perhaps, it's easier to say I am not blocked, per say, I just have no... See, I can't even word this properly. I am beginning to wonder if novels are the right kind of writing for me. I write in my blog almost every day, not here obviously, and I have at least 100 documents of text files with random stuff, but no storyline idea. Wait, I do have those, but none that appeal. It's as if I have 10, 000 thoughts in my head, but I'm to frustrated to elaborate on any of them. This didn't solve my problem, but I think I feel better...
I'm a bit stumped, what's the best way to describe a chubby guy? He's not too big, just a little wider than most people. That should throw me back in, if I'm lucky!
This is a great idea. I've been writing for a long time, coming on seven years now. The biggest mistake I think I've ever made when writing is to stop when I get stuck. There is nothing worse than coming back to your piece 2 days later and not remembering what you were thinking about. I'll have to try that little minor break and see how it goes. Thanks!
