Writer's Block

[Gigalith]

Most of you have probably faced writing block before (and hopefully overcome it). You know you just stare at the screen but the words don't appear, but for some people it can be quite a challenge to get rid of.

So go ahead and post any method you are aware of to get rid of writers block to help those who have trouble with it.


If there is a thread like this already I wasn't aware

[Misheard Whisper]

Every time this discussion comes up, the eventual consensus is always the same. The only true, tried and tested method for getting rid of so-called 'writer's block' is to sit down and force yourself to write. Make the words come, and the story will follow.

Of course, I decided a while ago that there's no such thing as writer's block. There's only writers' subconsciouses making excuses for them. If I want to write, I write. If I don't want to write . . . I still write. Usually.

[Mizan de la Plume Kuro]

Of course, I decided a while ago that there's no such thing as writer's block. There's only writers' subconsciouses making excuses for them. If I want to write, I write. If I don't want to write . . . I still write. Usually.

This, pretty much. My personal belief is that Writer's Block is a posh phrase we writers use when we're not feeling motivated enough to write or think of any ideas. Many a time have I abandoned writing to pursue other frivolous things on the vast plane of distraction that is the accursed internet. *shake-fist*

But seriously, if it weren't for the internet distracting me, I'd be whizzing away on the keyboard. It's happened before, and it was amazing.

[katiekitten]

xD I found a neat little writing community that tossed up prompts for drabbles with word limits between 100-400 words kicked me into gear again after a year. I wasn't really blocked, though, just lazy and easily distracted. xD Well, I was at first, and then I lost all of my free time, haha.

So basically: I forced myself to write. x3 Same consensus as the above, generally. :3

[Misheard Whisper]

Originally Posted by Mizan de la Plume Kuro

But seriously, if it weren't for the internet distracting me, I'd be whizzing away on the keyboard. It's happened before, and it was amazing.

This, a thousand times this. The internet is the biggest killer of productivity since sex books. I've been effectively internet-less for three days, and I have written two full chapters and then some, which is more than I wrote in the last two months beforehand. If you need to get something done, unplug your router.

[Bay Alexison]

Pretty much I forced myself to write too. Sometimes a little push can go a long way, haha.

And oh boy, total agreement over the internet being distracted. Last year when my internet wasn't working a few times, I would write a whole lot. I'm actually suppose to be writing now since a chaptered fic I'm working on has a deadline of sorts, but right now I'm distracted. D:

[Astinus]

Well, this is going to make me sound insane.

I talk to my muse. I find that sitting down with the muse and talking about the characters and the plot gets the mind going, and sudden inspiration strikes for whatever story is being talked about. I've come up with the plots for two stories and planned out four chapters one time.

Other than that, I take walks or sit outside on my swing set listening to music. And periodically while doing both, I talk to the muse.

For me, forcing myself to write only makes me hate the entire project and I never want to look at it again.

The internet is a giant time-waster. I could be writing now. Instead I'm doing so many things on the Internet my computer is lagging.

[IanDonyer]

Now personally, I just sit there and let it happen.

*shrug* Probably not the best of methods, but when I do eventually sit down and start writing, I am quite capable of sitting down for hour full hours and writing a chapter without more than a bathroom break.

[Tarranium]

I don't know if this helps anyone but I have gotten over some writers blocks while playing with my friends and discussing about current affairs or when we goof around the games.

[Putin]

In addition to the above, a preposterous, possibly toxic, amount of caffeine has aided me immensely in the past.

When I write, it is not typically fanfiction. I think a large part of "writer's block" is self-limitation, which comes from only writing about a certain subject or in a certain story or too long at a stretch; Eventually you run out of ideas that you can easily connect without mental fatigue, which is why from my early writing career I have a lot of brilliant would-be novels that halted somewhere between one-fifty and three hundred pages (12p Times Roman single-spaced standard formatting). What I found combats this is always having something else handy that you can work on. That's really the only trick. If you stop writing you grow complacent; There was a time three months ago when I was writing ten [quality] pages a night whilst still maintaining my daily schedule and fooling about online, then if I eschewed sleep I could get up to about twenty pages in a night... Then because of real-life issues I couldn't find inspiration anymore, all but stopped, and now I'm having trouble regaining my momentum. The trick, then, I surmise, is to never actually stop writing, even if it means starting/adding to another piece.

Also coffee. And insomnia, natural insomnia helps the coffee do its job.

[miley810]

I usually work/start something else. It gets rid of my writers block, but two downfalls. I want to write on the new story more than the old one so it doesn't get worked on, and two I start writing toooooo many stories. I've had writers block for one of my stories pretty much all year. But I think I'm gonna watch some pokemon and try at it again today. And I also read other peoples fan fics (usually for the show/book that the story I have writers block towards) and that works sometimes. And if its a tv/movie I may watch it, or if its a book I may read it.

[Iqid Loopz]

Well I am currently in a 2 year writers block. But since my fan fic (BTW I havent even released it yet) is a action/comedy/scifi/ I have to take good amount of time making stuff for each character such as jokes, epic solo moments, pop culture and media references, lines, plot, and if Writers blocks hits me there, I input things that happened to me in real life. Yes i have a interesting life.

Also it depends on the situation that I am in, I just write the most randomes thing.

[Harpalyce]

The solution of "do something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT" works pretty well for me.

Something still in a creative vein, of course, but completely different. A different genre, different setting, different fandom, different media, whatever. Just as long as I'm making something and being creative. Sometimes I have to force myself to just sit there and do it, even if I'm making silly doodles instead of writing proper fanfic. But, eventually, it helps.

And if not that, then peach schnapps.

[lx_theo]

Usually ignoring writing helps calm my block. I usually use that time to brainstorm here and and write down any good ideas. The big downside here is that i tend to get distracted from the writing and can easily get disinterested in it. Only real problem other than it doesn't always work.

If it doesn't disappear, the absolute best method for me is TO WRITE. Don't write anything to serious. Try to keep and eye and be ready to change everything. This method really has really little to do with writing your story at all. The point is to push you enough into simply writing that you'll hopefully start to get things clicking again soon enough. This doesn't mean you try to write something good, it just means to write. It almost always works for me if doing something different doesn't help.

[Dagzar]

Write.

Yup, that's it. Just write.

If not that, plan what you're about to write in clear details. Then punt your writer's block to the curb and write.

[Alley Cat]

I like writing... but I just don't have the motivation to actually sit down and write. When I do... I lack creativity, I lack... the drive to write. This saddens me... =/. I can write when it comes to something political... but I can't tickle my fiction cravings for writing... Any help as to get motivation or a muse or to somehow... be inspired to write? I just... ugh. :L /frustrated.

[bobandbill]

Sounds like writer's block, and as we already have a thread from within the month about it, I'll merge your thread with it as the topics basically overlap. That way people can offer more advice to what is already given in previous posts.

Basically you, well, just have to block out all distractions (be that the internet, etc) and write. Doesn't have to be amazing. It can even be just a rough draft or plot outline to begin with, but if you don't start from somewhere then you can't continue on and sometimes you just have to rough it out. If you mean you have trouble thinking about what to right there's a post about brainstorm in the first post of the Plot Bunny thread sticky that may be of some help to you.