#writer's block tips

[athena1138]

Writing Doodles for Writer’s Block~

I’mma share this for my writing buddies :3 

If you’re finding yourself having writer’s block but you really wanna get writing, try some of these out. (A lot of them have worked for me before. At least with fiction. Writing essays? Not so much.) I call em writer’s doodles because it’s like warm-up doodles for artists but with writing. (Bite me, I’m cute.) 

Come up with 20 words. It can help if you make it 5 nouns, 5 verbs, 5 adjectives/adverbs, and 5 objects, but it doesn’t have to be. Then, from those 20 words, write as many sentences as you can. 

Go look up some word clouds and write a paragraph (as long as you can manage--the more you write, the better it’ll help,) based on the theme of the cloud. Bonus points if you find words in it that you normally wouldn’t think to use and you pepper those into your paragraph. If you’re wanting to come up with ideas for your story, copy and past a few paragraphs into a word cloud generator and see if any combinations pop out at you for inspiration! Sometimes looking at words in different combinations can help you see new ideas and patterns. (Just google “word cloud generator” and you’ll get like 50 right off the bat. 99% of them should be free.) 

This one is my favorite. Are you ready for this? Write 10 random sentences. Backwards. This will force your brain to think about the pattern in a different light and challenge it to work on a higher processing level. You can go letter to letter or word to word. I.e.:  Word to word or letter to letter go can you. or Drow drow ro rettel ot lettel og nac uoy. (It’s alright if it’s not perfect because you’re still making your brain stop and think about what it’s doing!) 

Just do stream of consciousness writing. Eventually, your sentences should grow and form new, longer patterns the further you go, especially if you’re nervous at first. I.e., My name is Becca. I am sitting in my kitchen. My dog is outside, barking for me to let her in, even though it’s 3am and I literally just let her in 10 minutes ago. It’s just occurred to me that this post probably won’t get a lot of likes but that’s still ok because even though I crave validation, I shouldn’t thrive on it. (It can get a bit embarrassing the deeper you go, but not only can you learn a lot about yourself, it’s busy work for your brain. And after a while, your brain should be like, “ALRIGHT I’M READY TO GO!” Because if words get stopped up, it can take a while for the flow to come back to you. If you can direct your s.o.c. writing towards your story, it’ll be even better because then your brain is associating this good flow with the concepts you want to write, and BAM, inspiration.) 

Try to do sensory writing, like grounding after a panic attack. Just look around you and describe what you see/taste/touch/feel/hear. I’m in my kitchen. My fridge is black and needs to be scrubbed down. Upon my table, there are four blankets, a newspaper, Varric’s box, and a basket of laundry I have to fold. I can hear the hum of the fridge, the fan above my head, and the crickets and tree frogs outside. I can smell my cat’s food because it’s right next to my laptop, but I can also smell the bag of apples on my other side. I feel fine but my butt hurts and I’m tired. (Yknow. Things like that.) 

Try looking up writing prompts and bullshitting some quick 1 paragraph response for them, quick as you can. The key here is not to overthink, to force your brain to tap into itself into its first impression of what it thinks it wants to write. Fuck, time yourself. Give yourself 10 minutes to write as much as you possibly can. It doesn’t have to be good, it doesn’t even have to make sense. It just has to be words (and even that’s arguable.) 

Write poetry. It doesn’t matter if you normally do or not, just write the first shitty poem that comes to mind (or a beautiful poem, it doesn’t matter.) Your imagination not particularly working? Pick out a single object in whatever room you’re in and write a poem about/to it. It can be three words for all it matters, just write it. Or shit, take a look at something you’ve written before that maybe you’re not proud of and break it down into poetry. Remove a few nouns, a few verbs, break up the lines and throw out as much or as little punctuation as you want. Make it big, make it small, make it thin, make it wide, make it a fucking concrete poem, it doesn’t matter. Poetry is a really fun way to make your brain think about the more metaphorical/imaginative aspect of something. 

If you’re very visual-oriented, you could try spider webbing. You remember those word webs you had to write in school before a writing assignment? Try that. For me, I fucking HATE focusing on plots for those. Instead, I focus on things like characters, scenes I see in my head, tones I want to convey. Start out with the big idea in the middle (I.e., “Dancing with Zevran”) and then branch out from there. Here, I did one for this post, took me 5 minutes. Don’t worry about writing full sentences or even explaining, just write the first things that come to your mind about it, if that works for you. The key is to make you think about what it is you’re aiming for, not what exactly you will write. If you can vaguely conceptualize it, you can narrow it down into reality. 

The point of all of these is to get your brain working and to get it to connect to your fingers. Do all of these work all the time? No. Do they work for everyone? No. Am I a good writer because I do any of these? No, not really, I’m just offering this advice into the void for whomever. 

But they’re a good starting point. Try some of them out the next time you’ve got writer’s block and maybe you’ll find something that works for you. If you haven’t, then hey, at least you worked on doing something with words today and that counts as practice :) 

Happy writing, sweeties ❤

[obscurecurse]

Some thoughts on Writer’s Block and workshopping, from an someone who has been writing gay MCR fanfic with supernatural elements for well, at least 5 years -  which will end abruptly in a link to an article.

(Moreover... when can I consider myself a veteran?)

Figuring out what causes your own writers block will be a time-sucking journey, especially if you are a self-taught writer. And, if you are currently stuck in a block, google searches like “Tips for Writer’s Block” will only make you... mad. The only useful tip I found out in the world wide web, scouring other writing blogs, was that sometimes you have to force yourself to write. Sometimes you have to sit there and turn your wifi off and mentally scream “WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. what happens next. WHAT AFTER THAT. AND THEN.” and then thread those pieces together and edit for a thousand years. When I do this, I put on a song I love on repeat, that fits the vibe of my story, for the entire duration of this performance. 

(If I don’t want to torture myself - I will instead just send a writing friend an instagram dm that’s a couple thousand words long, and it reads like crack. But writing crack summaries is sometimes all the plot planning you need to remember where the fuck you were going with your story! Having someone to bounce your ideas off of is worth more than fucking gold.) 

If you’ve tried that, and it isn’t working for you:  If you have never tried filling out a character sheet, I recommend starting there. I avoided them for years and years under the rationale that I am not playing Dungeons and Dragons, I’m writing gay werewolves, gay ghost hunters, gay vampires, etc. On the contrary, they can help you a lot. Sometimes having to explain your character’s values (even just to yourself!) will help you to understand how they might react to the situations you put them in. Character sheets got me through last summer. 

You need to understand that most of the time it isn’t about finding a way to ‘fix’ your writer’s block, it’s more about finding the weak points in your writing and workshopping them. Your writer’s block is generally some deeper subconscious distaste for what you’ve already written so far. Reread your story, and ask yourself, what would strengthen it? The weak points may be different from story to story. 

My #1 source of writer’s block seems to be getting my characters stuck in a spiral of dialogue. I rely too heavily on dialogue alone to convey what my characters are feeling, and to move the story forward. I usually have them say exactly what they’re thinking, instead of the opposite. (The opposite is fun.) This, paired with my constant need for situations (even the most supernatural ones) to be vaguely realistic, sometimes stresses me out to the point that I have to walk away from the story (for sometimes, like, a fucking year) to ponder/meditate and come back when I feel more in-character and certain about what it is I am trying to communicate by progressing the story this way. 

Since I have come to the realization that my dialogue is where I lose steam, I would like to share this article that has really fucking helped me workshop my dialogue in a meaningful way, and the words have been fucking flying out of my fingertips all weekend:  

9 Rules For Writing Dialogue Like a Pro

End scene. 

I love throwing shit like this into the void. Notes from lost writers will trickle in like, 6 months from now... lol. As always, feel free to msg me if you want my help, or more writing advice. 

xoxo h-iiii

[dreamingoffairys]

Ever? Do you have any good tips for writer's block? >~<

The things I do when I have writer’s block:

#1: Take a long, hot shower

#2: Take a walk/long car drive

#3: Drink some tea/relaxing drink

#4: FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE. Sometimes you’re stuck because you have an upset in the plot, but the best thing to do is get away from it. The idea will come to you when you least expect it :)

I hope this helps, Lina-lee~ <3

(Oh, and I’ll answer your review once I finish my essay drafting)

[a-photographers-library-blog]

Writer’s Block

We’ve all been there. That nagging feeling of “what next??”. I’m currently going through a rough patch in my writing. I like what I’ve written so far but I just can’t put anything else into words. As soon as I sit down at my computer to write, my mind goes blank. It’s only me and the little blinking cursor who is willing me to type something, anything. So, hopefully, a blog post will help to clear my mind a bit. I also decided to share some tips that have helped me in the past with writer’s block just in case you’re experiencing the same struggles.

1. Reevaluate. Writer’s block isn’t the flu. It isn’t something that you can just suddenly catch and cure. I think that it’s something that’s always been inside of writers. Something is going on with the writer that the writer needs to figure out. And in order to fix that, sometimes we need to take a step back as a reader and writer and focus: what needs to happen in order for this writing piece to be finished? You need to be honest with yourself. Maybe your ideas for your writing has changed. Sometimes what you want for your writing isn’t what needs to happen in your writing. Maybe you’ve become bored with your storyline/main idea/characters etc. Maybe you just aren’t into this story wholeheartedly. Find out what is causing the writer’s block and you can figure out what to do next.

2. Establish a routine.  A routine can really help you get into the rhythm of writing. Set an alarm and sit down for fifteen minutes every day to write. Even if what you write sucks, at least you’ve written something. Something is better than nothing. Anything is better than staring at a blinking cursor for half an hour. My writing routine is to relax for twenty minutes every day and write. I get comfortable, fix a cup of tea, turn on my favorite writing playlists, and then I write! which brings me to my next point…

3. Find a writing playlist! I have discovered that writing to specific music can help to inspire me. Personally, I think that having a writing playlist helps to create mood or atmosphere in your writing. If you’re attempting to write a mystery novel, put on some eerie music. It might help to ease you into the mindset of writing. (I like classical music the best because it doesn’t interfere with my thoughts. It’s totally up to you though)

4. Take a quick break. Relax, You’ve Got This. Freewrite. Sometimes writing prompts or creative writing can help to inspire you. Take a couple days to work on another project. Maybe your head will be cleared up by then. Often times, I have about a million things going on in my head at once. Sometimes I just need to release those other ideas before I can go back to my original project.

5. Stop being a perfectionist. I struggle with this. A lot. I write and rewrite and edit and rewrite again and then delete. If you’re guilty of this too, then I certainly feel your pain. Honestly, there isn’t an easy way to solve this issue. Stop rereading and editing a million times before you start writing again. Don’t be afraid to screw up. Overthinking your writing can be deadly to the growth and development of your story.

6. Write. You don’t overcome writer’s block by procrastinating. You don’t overcome writer’s block by refusing to write until inspiration strikes. You don’t over come writer’s block by watching TV or reorganizing your bookshelves for the umpteenth time (guilty as charged). You overcome writer’s block by writing. Just type out a few words. It doesn’t have to be perfect. All rough drafts suck, trust me. But you gotta start somewhere, right?

If anyone has anymore suggestions on curing writer’s block, let me know!!

I hope everyone is having a lovely day. xx

[study-princess]

Do you have any tips for getting rid of writer's block?

Check out these posts: X   …   X

The website OneWord is also very helpful. It trains writing without thinking about it. Even if you think your writing sucks, just write.

Louis L'Amour: ‘Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.

[charming-gremlin]

Tamora Pierce's methods of dealing with writer's block

Here are some fixes I use when I get stuck:

Introduce a new character, a strong one with an individual style in speech, dress and behavior--one who will cause the other characters to review their own actions and motives to decide where they stand with regard to the new character. Don't forget that with me, at least, new characters include animals: most characters will react to an animal intrusion of some kind in an interesting way.

Have something dramatic happen. As Raymond Chandler put it, "Have someone come through the door with a gun in his hand." (My husband translates this as "Have a troll come through the door with a spear in his hand.") Machinery or vehicles (cars, wagons, horses, camels) can break down; your characters can be attacked by robbers or pirates; a flood or tornado sweeps through. Stage a war or an elopement or a financial crash. New, hard circumstances force characters to sink or swim, and the way you show how they do either will move things along.

Change the point of view from which you tell the story. If you're doing it from inside one character's head, try switching to another character's point of view. If you're telling the story from an all-seeing, third person ("he/she thought") point of view, try narrowing your focus down to one character telling the story in first person, as Huckleberry Finn and Anne Frank tell their stories. If down the road in the world you've created someone has written a book or encyclopedia about these events, insert a nonfiction-like segment (that doesn't give the important stuff away) as a change of pace. Try telling it as a poem, or a play (you can convert it to story form later).

Put this story aside, and start something else: letters, an article, a poem, a play, an art project. Look at the story in a day, or a week, or a couple of months. It may be fresh for you then; it may spark new ideas.

If you have an intelligent friend who's into the things you're writing about, talk it out with him/her. My husband often supplies wonderful new ideas so I can get past whatever hangs me up, and my family and friends are used to mysterious phone calls asking about things seemingly out of the blue, like what gems would you wear with a scarlet gown, or how tall are pole beans in late June?

Most important of all, know when it's time to quit. Sometimes you take an idea as far as it will go, then run out of steam. This is completely normal. When I began to write, I must have started 25 things for each one I completed. Whether you finish something or not, you'll still have learned as you wrote. The things you learn and ideas you developed, even in a project you don't finish, can be brought to your next project, and the next, and the next. Sooner or later you'll have a story which you can carry to a finish

If you guys don't know Tamora Pierce, you're really missing out. She was one of my favorite authors growing up, and still is. She writes about a lot of BAMF women. And some BAMF guys too, but mostly women.

[themasqueradecrew]

Writing Tips: Writer's Block, A Novelist's Nightmare.

By Charlotte Parr

Don't you just hate that fuzzy feeling you get with writer's block? The feeling like you're scrambling around in your brain for ideas but your fingers touch nothing but soft fluffy nothingness. Me too. There are loads of ways people tell me how to get rid of writer's block. Some of them make sense; others are just stupid. Here are my ways for getting rid of writer's block. Try them and see if they work for you!

To read the tips click here