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I'm on writers Block... Help!!!!
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Caroline
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Jan 05, 2013 10:10AM
I'm on a serious writers block. I have all these small idea but none are coming together. It's all messed up. I want to write but nothing is coming. I've tried everything... Going Outside, painting, drawing, thinking... Help me please!
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How far into it are you, what genre, and what kind of deadline?Honestly, it sounds like you've put too much pressure on yourself.
Try writing for fun. Give yourself permission to write badly and just go for it. Maybe write up a funny thing that happened when you were younger, or a detailed account of going to the grocery store, or make up a story about how the unicorn got its horn, or write about how you can't write--something that's not meant to last through the ages.
Thank you guys.It's next year (when my book is due) and I'm halfway through my dystopian novel, or science fiction.
Write down the "small ideas" and then step away. Let go of it. Don't paint, don't draw, don't think. Don't do anything. Creativity cannot be forced. Find a temporary source of distraction, perhaps watch a movie or listen to some music. Clear your mind and you will clear your block.
Good luck!
I recommend eating some cheese before bedtime, and quickly writing down your dreams when you wake up.
Write anything even if it's bad. Put your characters in a silly situation or try writing a scene that won't happen until much later or one that happened before your story began. Play with it. You don't have to use it in your final. Sometimes this helps to get me back on track.Sometimes, though, this happens to me when I'm trying to force my character to do something she wouldn't. They kind of take on a force of their own, you know? Maybe you need to reassess your scene or your last chapter or two.
For me, writers block is my mind's way of saying STOP! You're going the wrong way!
In any event, good luck. I feel for you.
Caroline, if you've tried walking away from the project (The only was I've found to beat WB), then forget it for an hour. Write something else for a day or two, or don't write a thing. By 'next year' do you mean 2013 or 2014?
All the advice on this page is good: go do something else, walk away from it for a while, don't try anything creative for a while.
Jacqueline - that's usually the cause of my WB as well! I find myself writing slower and slower while it takes my conscious brain to catch up to what my creative brain has already figured out...
Let us know how it goes and what worked for you! And good luck with the book!
Thank you guys! And I mean as in 2014:)
Michael's suggestion was good about writing the dreams down, but I'm wondering what the cheese is for... heheI agree that you seem to be feeling under pressure and that might be the problem. My approach to writer's block might be weird, but I write something else. If I'm too happy to write a sad emotional scene, I write a funny scene about boys complaining about women drivers. If I'm too sad to write a funny scene, I do a sad one about Helena finding out her fiancee died... That's how I have a bunch of lose pieces of stories on my computer.
But maybe if you're stressed, and taking a break doesn't work, write about being stressed and under pressure... Write about your writer's block (I even did that once) :)
And reevaluating whether it's the story or you, like Jacqueline suggested might be something, too.
Good luck, and if you need help or to keep talking, feel free. ;)
Oh, and please don't say 2014 is soon. I have a deadline for march, hehe, and I'm trying to convince myself it's ages away. :) I'm great at denial. ;)
Marília wrote: "Oh, and please don't say 2014 is soon. I have a deadline for march, hehe, and I'm trying to convince myself it's ages away. :) I'm great at denial. ;)"Yeah, and perhaps procrastinating... ;-)
Wow, you got some good advice here. But I agree with most of it. When I have writer's block, I have to completely walk away and don't try to force inspiration by doing another creative activity. I go do housework, I watch some TV shows on Netflix, I go play my silly facebook games. Usually, it is when my mind is completely off of it that the block lifts. Having a bunch of 'little ideas' that don't mesh is pressure you don't need. So write down those little ideas and then walk away. Get it off your mind, but safe and sound where you can come back to it when its time.
Good advice all round. I'd also like to add:Have an 'Uwe Boll' marathon movie session. This is like the ultimate remedy for writers block. It works because after being subjected to hours of his craptastic films, you'll fear for your creative well-being and, out of a sense of urgency, will be subconsciously inclined to get back to writing. Your brain will be in panic mode and screaming at you for the mental torture you put it through. Take advantage of this opportunity and kick it while its down, unleashing its creative potential.
Oh, and beer. Beer helps too. But don't overdo it. Cheers.
M. Reed
I like the idea of a lousy movie fest. Any MST3K fans out there...?
Actually, overdoing the beer sounds good. You might have to toss out everything you've written (along with your cookies) but at least you'll have written something.
Thank you guys so much. I'm really starting to get them put together. Awesome advice. And Mirila, I hope you make your deadline as well;)
Here are some more options: they work for me. Record yourself telling the scene or event you want to write. You'll come to a point you want to write down.
Tell yourself you're going to take a nap, lay down and focus your mind on one of your characters. Describe to yourself what he or she is doing or saying. At some point you'll feel the need to get up and write.
Give yourself permission to write badly or write unnecessary but related stuff to what you are working on. This one has already been said, but I think it is actually the best one. You have put too much stress on yourself.
Do something exciting: zip lining or learn a new skill: waterskiing. You'll come back stress free because you overcame a different stress.
L. Darby Gibbs (Elldee)
Caroline [Unwanted] wrote: "I'm on a serious writers block. I have all these small idea but none are coming together. It's all messed up. I want to write but nothing is coming. I've tried everything... Going Outside, painting..."Put it aside and work on something entirely different. Seriously.
Marília wrote: "Michael's suggestion was good about writing the dreams down, but I'm wondering what the cheese is for... hehe"
Dairy products contain L-tryptophan. It helps you sleep.
Throughout the process of writing my first novel, I listened to ambient-type music. If I'm having issues with writing, I'll listen to that. Not sure what type of music you listen to, but you may want to try someone like Steve Roach or Robert Rich.https://soundcloud.com/trixter88/8-altus
https://soundcloud.com/robertrich
I also watch certain movies that I really enjoy and help me think, like American Beauty and Road to Perdition.
Have you tried changing medium? Use paper and pen if you generally use a laptop, etc. Writing a short fun piece entirely different can help too!
Write something outside your usual genre, just for fun, and see where that leads.
Good idea that is what I'm doing
I used to get stuck a lot. I tried a lot of the things mentioned here, but then I realized that I was using them more as an exercise in procrastination. At some point I realized that the problem was all about my fear -- of failure or of success, but mostly of failure -- and I was putting a truckload of pressure on myself. Why should I have expected to write anything when I'd freeze every single time I picked up pen and paper, opened the computer, or attempted to record myself? In the end, it was about confronting my fears. I learned a trick to find out how my subconscious was sabotaging me: I drew a stick figure with a conversation balloon coming from her mouth, and then I'd let her speak. The things she said were shocking. And of course, it was me, and how I was really feeling about myself and my writing. But once the thoughts were in front of me I could address them--they were such nonsense, it was pretty easy to talk myself out of them. And then the writing flowed. This may seem beside the point to some, but I would go completely brain-dead, and I tried so many different tactics to get myself out of it, that it was a relief to learn this trick.
I may have mentioned this here or in another group. For me, writing block happens when the plot is just not flowing the way I want it to - can't see my way forward. The effective solution to this I've found is to turn to a different project and work on this. I find while doing so the answer to the first project's problems suddenly pops into my mind. Currently, I'm preparing the final text of a novel for publication (after two outside edits and an outside proofreading) while I have three other books in some stage of the first draft. It works for me.
Miles wrote: "Marília wrote: "Oh, and please don't say 2014 is soon. I have a deadline for march, hehe, and I'm trying to convince myself it's ages away. :) I'm great at denial. ;)"Yeah, and perhaps procrastin..."
Yes! I am great at procrastinating!! haha
~Caroline~ wrote: "Thank you guys so much. I'm really starting to get them put together. Awesome advice. And Mirila, I hope you make your deadline as well;)"Probably, if I remember it exists. Add bad memory to the list. ;)
I have a panic mode for the last few days or hours of a deadline. Last time I panicked and deleted everything I hadn't fixed... Got the job done, but I wouldn't suggest doing it. :)
Sharon wrote: "Marília wrote: "Michael's suggestion was good about writing the dreams down, but I'm wondering what the cheese is for... hehe"
Dairy products contain L-tryptophan. It helps you sleep."
Huh... Maybe I'll try that. I have insomnia.
When I have a block, it's usually because I'm ignoring something that needs to come out. Why not try just writing words as they come to you? They will most likely seem random, but for me, they soon take on a thread and then I can pull out a story. It may not be the one I'm trying to write, and it may not be good, but it's usually something I can build on.
I once read a comment by someone - possibly Joe Konrath - that you should determine your main character's greatest goal or desire, and then throw every obstacle you can think of in their path to prevent them from reaching it. If I get somewhat stuck, I'll just look at what my main character is doing and try to think of the biggest physical obstacle or emotional challenge that could befall them, something that will detract from reaching their goal. Make it ten times worse, write, and voila! No more writer's block. :)
Alex wrote: "I once read a comment by someone - possibly Joe Konrath - that you should determine your main character's greatest goal or desire, and then throw every obstacle you can think of in their path to pr..."Yeah, that's the cool adage from one of the guys who wrote hard-boiled detective fiction (Hammett?):
"When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand."
(re message 40) This makes sense as a way to approach writer's block -- but it reminds me of how tired I am of hearing that as general writing advice. Am I the only reader who doesn't necessarily want maximum conflict on every page?Alex wrote: "I once read a comment by someone - possibly Joe Konrath - that you should determine your main character's greatest goal or desire, and then throw every obstacle you can think of in their path to pr..."
Karen, I'm with you, and I'm a writer. Not my approach to writer's block.
