Justin Call
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[There are many kinds of writer's block, and I'm susceptible to most of them. One that I am particularly immune to, though, is the kind when you're can't come up with what to write next.
My most common problem is that I come up with too many potential solutions for what comes next, and the need to choose between only one of those solutions can be paralyzing. With time, I usually sort through it all and figure out what is best or most needed . . . but sometimes I have to follow that plot thread for a long while before I know for certain that it's viable. Even then, I prefer to follow the other plot threads, too, just to be certain I'm taking the best path. I try to get most of that out of the way during my plotting/outlining phase, though.
So I prevent half my writer's block by outlining extensively and well ahead of my drafting phase. The other half of my writer's block comes from a lack of motivation to write that day, either because I'm distracted by some other task that "absolutely requires my attention" or because I don't feel excited by a particular scene I am about to draft (which is usually a sign that my outline for the scene needs more work). All of these things can lead to intense procrastination, though, so I've got five bullet-proof ways to get writing:
If I am outlining and working through a story problem:
(1) Take a shower.
(2) Take a long drive.
(3) Exercise on a treadmill or an elliptical.
The monotony of my body having to do the same repetitive thing usually frees my mind to work out those knots more easily than sitting at my computer and staring at a blinking cursor.
If I'm supposed to be drafting and I don't feel excited about the scene I'm about to write then I'll:
(4) Listen to an episode of the Writing Excuses podcast.
(5) Play around with my outline in Scrivener (which is what I use for outlining and drafting). (hide spoiler)]
My most common problem is that I come up with too many potential solutions for what comes next, and the need to choose between only one of those solutions can be paralyzing. With time, I usually sort through it all and figure out what is best or most needed . . . but sometimes I have to follow that plot thread for a long while before I know for certain that it's viable. Even then, I prefer to follow the other plot threads, too, just to be certain I'm taking the best path. I try to get most of that out of the way during my plotting/outlining phase, though.
So I prevent half my writer's block by outlining extensively and well ahead of my drafting phase. The other half of my writer's block comes from a lack of motivation to write that day, either because I'm distracted by some other task that "absolutely requires my attention" or because I don't feel excited by a particular scene I am about to draft (which is usually a sign that my outline for the scene needs more work). All of these things can lead to intense procrastination, though, so I've got five bullet-proof ways to get writing:
If I am outlining and working through a story problem:
(1) Take a shower.
(2) Take a long drive.
(3) Exercise on a treadmill or an elliptical.
The monotony of my body having to do the same repetitive thing usually frees my mind to work out those knots more easily than sitting at my computer and staring at a blinking cursor.
If I'm supposed to be drafting and I don't feel excited about the scene I'm about to write then I'll:
(4) Listen to an episode of the Writing Excuses podcast.
(5) Play around with my outline in Scrivener (which is what I use for outlining and drafting). (hide spoiler)]
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