'Writer's Block'.

Sunseal

Sunseal

Katrina
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
26
Hi guys,

I am just wondering what you all think about 'writer's block'. Also, any words of advice for those who seem to have hit the dreaded brick wall?
 
Relax and stop pressuring yourself. Let the ideas come naturally.

Have a look at our writing challenges too. Many of us have developed our 75 and 300 word stories into larger works (300-->8000 in my case, and I sold it)
 
I rarely get it, but if time is tight - I sneaked a look at your other thread - like Alc says try to take pressure off yourself. Concentrate on short stuff that you can come and go to, maybe?
 
I get this in the musical sense.


I just take a step back, and never force myself. Thats the key. Sometimes I need to take months off before I can get back into the swing of it again.

Relax, dont pressure yourself. Its in there, your just over thinking.
 
Nanowrimo* is coming up soon -- that's one of the things that worked for me!


*Wherein one attempts to write 50,000 words during the month of November -- emphasis on quantity, not quality. December is for editing.
 
For me it helps to take a break for a while. When I try to force the ideas to come they usually don't. A lot of the time it just hits me when I'm not even thinking about it.
 
springs said:
Just November? :p i keep thinking I should do Nano one year, actually.
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Wow, imagine what you could potentially produce. It might be madness or it might be genius!

I have this approach sometimes with musical writing. Sometimes I whip out a beat a day, 20 days in a row its tosh. Then I produce a whopper and thats me sorted for the month.
 
No, springs, I'm sorry, there is a footnote on the NaNo site that specifically excludes you. People who regularly write 50,000 words in one week are required to crank out at least 250,000 words in November, so as to provide a minimal stretch.

And, well, I think they actually do it almost every month now, but I only recognize November as the official thing, myself. :)
 
I've been suffering various forms of writer's block for the past few years - only able to do a few hundred words a week. So I'm taking a bit of a holiday. I'm still jotting down notes here and there (I can't just stop having ideas) and will return to the actual story next week, to see what I can do properly.

I've also been letting my imagination run on other projects - While Space Captain Flight is on hiatus I've been tossing around a few bits of Greyspace and getting some interesting developments. For a start, the spacey wacey weapons have become more practical and realistic and the hero/sidekick relationship has developed a bit better so they actually argue more.

So even when I'm not being productive, I'm being productive. In a way.
 
My muse is a very fickle mistress - sometimes she sings so sweetly it's impossible to get the ideas down fast enough. Other times she won't croak a word, which is damn annoying, because it means I have to do it myself. And so often I'm a procrastinator. The best advice I ever had, and it works really well for me is this: when you hit the wall, you've got to kick-start your mind, so it sees a way to climb over it. It won't do that if you stare at the wall (your work-in-progress) trying to force it, so start writing something else, something totally unimportant, just something you're writing for FUN. It'll never see the light of day and it could be porn, it could be horror, it could be Anne of Green Gables meets Frankenstein. You don't edit, you don't rewrite, you just let the words come out of you and you laugh at your own ridiculousness, and enjoy yourself.

I think it's akin to an engine that is barely ticking over, and then it catches, the revs rise a bit, but smoke pours out the exhaust (muffler to you) and you coax it along, and it gathers speed. Getting it going was what was needed, no matter how, and now the wind rushes in your face (I see it as a motorcycle, myself) and you start to really enjoy it. Your brain has been encouraged back to its optimum state, and now you switch vehicles and go back to your wip. Do this as many times as you need to...

One of my writersblock works has turned into another wip, which I still go to when I have brain lag...
 
Sunseal said:
Hi guys,

I am just wondering what you all think about 'writer's block'. Also, any words of advice for those who seem to have hit the dreaded brick wall?
Click to expand...

Writer's block happens. There's no doubt about that because we all suffer from days when you don't want to get out from the bed. So in those days, don't push it, just chill as sooner than later if you're dedicated to this you'll find words coming back into your mind.
 
Whilst I agree with all the advice given, I am also a believer that there are days when it's just a grind and tiring and things aren't entirely flowing. I've had two days of that this week, where no scene inspires and nothing new occurs. But, I've gone ahead and put my head down and ground out something both days (mostly editing of the comma moving variety). Today my enthusiasm is returning and I'm looking forward to doing a bit of shaping later, which is great. But I think it's important, sometimes, to keep going, too, and get past the grinding bit.
 
For the slow days I'm like Springs, I do a little editing and it also helps keep the story fresh in my mind. Also try and have a habit of making so much time for writing each week, it doesn't have to be very strict, but trying to write (editing or creating) on a regular basis works for me, I get a flow of sorts going. I assume your doing this for fun, so don't sweat it and don't put undue pressure on yourself, let the crestive process flow as much as possible.

I hope I've helped even just a little.
 
Thanks guys. I've really struggled as of late. I can remember a time not that long ago that I could just write and write with this endless stamina that seemed to erupt from my soul seamlessly. But it seems like I had my son, got into this whole new way of life/routine with him and 2 years on I feel like there's this huge boulder sitting on my chest, stopping that feeling of inspiration from getting out. I know it's in there, I'm sure it doesn't just disappear.
I've tried putting my head down and just grinding through it, writing even though I was positive that what I was writing wasn't any good. Then when I re-read it, I would think "Yeah, actually this is fantastic", which would give me a high for half hour or so and then it would fade back to nothing.
I've tried giving myself a break, but the longer I kept myself away, the more that special feeling that used to help me write dried up.
Now I think I've just totally overthought the situation and made it 100% worse.
What I haven't tried so far is writing something different. I've been planning/writing and intensively editing my novel for a long time, but that's all I've been working on. The same characters, the same scenes... after a while even your own storyline (which you thought was the most amazing thing ever) seems to become dull.
I shall try writing something new :)
 
Those first years with kids are hellish. You're knackered, you're in demand all the time, to find time for something as focused and tiring as writing, too, is hard.

The only silver lining I can offer is it gets easier. They get friends and ipads and music and you become less important to them. For now, write for fun? You have a big enough job to be going on with, and one you'll never get again?

Lauren - my kids look for me in my office before anywhere else and have been hopelessly neglected in favour of my writing. They assure me they don't feel abandoned in any way by it.
 
Arghh.. I have the opposite problem! :(Where all I ever want to do is write and everything else seems to get in the way! To the extent where my characters consume all my thoughts (not helpful while trying to hold down a 8-5pm job). I've even resorted to sticking on films to entertain my 4 year old daughter so I can dash upstairs and continue writing that scene - I feel like the worst mum ever!

For me writing is a self indulgent addiction I really can't afford! When you have a full on schedule like I do, this has a knock on effect and I know my job, partner, daughter, and animals suffer as a consequence. Am I alone in feeling like this? Is there some 'I'm addicted to writing' rehab I can join? :confused:

Ok I'm going off to do some writing now - I have at least 1.5 hours before bed!
 
lauren$77 said:
I know my job, partner, daughter, and animals suffer as a consequence. Am I alone in feeling like this? Is there some 'I'm addicted to writing' rehab I can join?
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I guess this place is the rehab, or the writing crack den, I'm not sure which.

I've no kids, but the wee woman does complain every so often. But as I tell her, I could have worse addictions, crack for one, booze etc. So yes, it's difficult to make time for writing, but it could be a lot worse. I can write in the living room with the TV on so at least I'm in the room (my head is in the stars playing with RAY GUNS), I suspect not everyone can do that. But hiding in the office is also common.
 
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