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Writer's Block; Help others smash it apart in a billion ways.
Topic Started: Feb 13 2014, 07:56 AM (314 Views)
NewDenverCity
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:writersblock:
This brick is your enemy. It will stop you from finishing homework. It will laugh in your face as it steals your inspiration. It will fling itself at you when you have any sort of deadline.

Help us all. We need to stop this monster. Share your secrets of how you stopped the infamous Writer's Block.
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The Golden Watch
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I find, for me, my writers block comes from my own perfectionist tendencies, and my fear of failure. I don't want to write an ugly sentence, I want to be perfect! Why try when I might fail?

The way I get over this is to just tell myself, you know, maybe it will suck and that's okay. Nobody is gonna die, it's not going to hurt me in any way, and I can always come back and make it better.

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totaldile
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For me, I guess I have to wait it out.
I usually give myself a month or so, then I start thinking about my characters.

For me, I really, really love my characters. They're my babies. I could think about them all day. So, if I do a whole bunch of thinking about them, it's a lot easier for me to write. And you don't always have to imagine what's currently happening! Think of the ending, think of other things too.
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coolkidalex
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I imagine them in a movie or video game, and think of a new update using that!
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Disseur
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Whenever I have writers block I stop writing and get my mind off the subject I'm writing. For me that could be two hours or a month or two! I also like to think of positive things about the work that I'm doing which helps a lot.
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OnlyBlaziken
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I don't know if this is odd or if a lot of people do this. When I have writer's block, I shut myself in a soundproof room and read my story out aloud, sometimes acting out a particularly difficult scene. While it doesn't ever stop the block, it usually goes one of two way. I either go into an editing mood and build on the existing scenes or I get ideas for different ways in which the story can go. I don't know, it just helps me feel like I'm a part of that world again in an environment where there's no need to feel embarrassed.
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OnlyBlaziken
Feb 22 2014, 06:35 PM
I don't know if this is odd or if a lot of people do this. When I have writer's block, I shut myself in a soundproof room and read my story out aloud, sometimes acting out a particularly difficult scene. While it doesn't ever stop the block, it usually goes one of two way. I either go into an editing mood and build on the existing scenes or I get ideas for different ways in which the story can go. I don't know, it just helps me feel like I'm a part of that world again in an environment where there's no need to feel embarrassed.
This is a really good idea and I'd totally try it.. but I have so many siblings, and none of our rooms our soundproof D:
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NewDenverCity
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My siblings are everywheeeeeeeeeerrrre. So it's really hard to focus and do anything. That makes me get... writer's block. Yeah. What I do is turn on my music so everyone can hear it, then they move out of the room and I can focus. if I get writer's block, I try and recall quotes that people have said about wanting to read my work, and that inspires me.
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The Golden Watch
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coolkidalex
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#Stop the :writersblock:
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Pillowcase
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The way I deal with writer's block usually is to have several projects going at once. If I can't find the inspiration to write on one of them, I have two or three others to work on. That way, even when I'm completely stuck on something I can get something else done.

I also find it's very conducive to write different things - like, different genres, different formats, different styles, different topics. It's very rare - I think this is the case for everyone - it's very rare to have a complete writer's block. You may be having trouble with one story, yes, but you still want to write - so pour that desire and drive and energy into something completely different! Maybe you'll end up finishing one of the other projects first, or maybe you'll get to a point where you find the inspiration to go back to the original script, who knows?


Another thing that helps, I think, is to look over what you've written so far. Maybe you have a writer's block because you've written yourself into a corner; if you reconsider what you've done, maybe you won't be in that corner any more? Or maybe what you wrote before can give you some inspiration; you might find a nerve or an impulse that you'd forgotten about, but which was important in getting the story, poem, whatever off the line. Just take a look at everything you've done, maybe rewrite some parts, refresh the language, maybe work with the text on a completely technical basis (grammar, sentence structure, whatever), try to look at things with as open a mind as you can. I promise you, it will help. Maybe it won't end your writer's block but it'll at least put a crack or two in it.
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ThePokeman92
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Writer's block is a tricky one for me. I've found that what works for me is to simply work on something else, even if only for 20-30 minutes. I believe I often get writer's block because I am frustrated that what I am looking for in a particular scene isn't coming to me easily, so oftentimes I go try something else that is also creative, but perhaps a little more straightforward. For example, if I need to do something else for a bit, I often turn to my piano and work on some of the pieces I'm learning, or do some sketching from reference objects - stuff that yes is also difficult, but I clearly know what I need to do and how. I don't know why, but this often helps me. By the time I'm ready to go back to writing and look over what I have again, I find it easier to come up with different ideas.

So if you've got writer's block and need to get out of that mentality, I guess I can suggest doing something else for a half hour, then going back and seeing if you can come up with anything better.

I also sometimes listen to instrumental music in the mood that I want the scene to be, and try and let that guide me through how to write something. (Because I often write Pokemon-related things, I find myself turning to the Pokemon Reorchestrated albums quite often for inspiration.
Edited by ThePokeman92, May 27 2014, 01:44 PM.
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NewDenverCity
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I also sometimes listen to instrumental music in the mood that I want the scene to be, and try and let that guide me through how to write something. (Because I often write Pokemon-related things, I find myself turning to the Pokemon Reorchestrated albums quite often for inspiration.
Thinking of ideas works like this too. Aaaaaaaand that's probably why all of the hidden meanings in my writing is so dark.
ThePokeman92
 
I also sometimes listen to instrumental music in the mood that I want the scene to be, and try and let that guide me through how to write something. (Because I often write Pokemon-related things, I find myself turning to the Pokemon Reorchestrated albums quite often for inspiration.
Thinking of ideas works like this too. Aaaaaaaand that's probably why all of the hidden meanings in my writing is so dark.

Edited by NewDenverCity, May 27 2014, 08:42 PM.
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The Golden Watch
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sophiecognito
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What I do to deal with writer's block? I usually wait it out. Sometimes, forcing it to just stop is too hard and impossible. In the meanwhile I try to get into a new game, book, or fandom maybe, that usually gets ideas forming either for my works or other ideas. That would just make me want to write and one way or another I circle back to my original project I had writer's block on
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Entity
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NewDenverCity
Mar 5 2014, 10:05 PM
If I get writer's block, I try and recall quotes that people have said about wanting to read my work, and that inspires me.
Somehow I didn't see this until now and this is so spot on.

Most of my writing has been pretty much kept to myself, and what few words I did share were just sorta brushed off as "yeah that's nice," and that's discouraging man. But there was this one time, two-ish years ago (and I'll never forget it), I was talking to these three strangers and they heard I liked to write, so they made me show them one of my short stories and they started freaking out because they loved them.

Sure, they aren't literature experts so their opinion shouldn't hold much weight, but it was literally the most encouraging thing in the world, it meant so much to me and I felt like I could write a bestseller (and if I ever do, it will be dedicated to those people).
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totaldile
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Jun 26 2014, 01:43 AM
NewDenverCity
Mar 5 2014, 10:05 PM
If I get writer's block, I try and recall quotes that people have said about wanting to read my work, and that inspires me.
Somehow I didn't see this until now and this is so spot on.

Most of my writing has been pretty much kept to myself, and what few words I did share were just sorta brushed off as "yeah that's nice," and that's discouraging man. But there was this one time, two-ish years ago (and I'll never forget it), I was talking to these three strangers and they heard I liked to write, so they made me show them one of my short stories and they started freaking out because they loved them.

Sure, they aren't literature experts so their opinion shouldn't hold much weight, but it was literally the most encouraging thing in the world, it meant so much to me and I felt like I could write a bestseller (and if I ever do, it will be dedicated to those people).
No, their opinions should hold tons of weight. These are randoms; strangers, people you don't know. If people you don't know enjoy your story, you've succeeded as a writer.

Literature is subjective, and thus if you care about the opinions of others on your story, a random stranger's opinion of your work should matter as much or as little as a 'literary expert'.

Frankly, I think having 'experts' of literature is bullshit, but that's a different story.

On the topic of writer's block, I find posting my stories online, and building a following is a really great way to kill the brick! I always start to feel guilty if I go too long without updating, so even if I'm really busy I'll crank out, at a minimum, 4,000 words a month or so :). It's also motivating to get reviews on your work, and to build a little mini fandom so people squee over your baby characters <3.
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