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Writing Block advice



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Thu May 03, 2012 5:05 pm
EmmaBrim says...



Okay, so I'm writing this book to one day publish but I have writer's block... any advice?
  





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Thu May 03, 2012 9:03 pm
Rosendorn says...



1- Know that your first draft is going to be bad. Write through the bad, wince at every scene, whatever. You write multiple drafts for a reason. ("I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter." -James Michener)

2- Take a break. Wait until inspiration strikes, and strikes hard enough you don't sleep at night. Sometimes stories don't want to be pound it out. Do something else and don't think about writing.

3- Sit your butt on the chair, place fingers on keys (or, pen/pencil to paper), and write x number of words every day regardless of writers block.

Hope this helps.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Wed May 09, 2012 2:06 am
Paracosm says...



Everything Rosey has already said! She is exactly right.

One thing I find helps me generate ideas is to go for a walk, listen to music, or maybe go see a movie. That'll get your creative juices flowing, and give you a break from your book. Also, realize that writing a book will take a long time. Some people can do the whole "Novel in a Month" thing, but personally, it just doesn't ever work out. Some of us just have to take our time.
Review unto others as you would have others review unto you.

Don't panic!

Also, Shino!
  





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Wed May 09, 2012 3:38 pm
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Tenyo says...



We get writers block for all different reasons, so first thing you've got to do is figure out why you have it.



# The Perfection Complex.

" This is going to get published one day so it has to be perfect, otherwise what's the point in writing? "
I find free writing helps to bust this one. Just sit down for ten minutes and write as much as you can. It's all about the word count, not about the words. Write about your desk, your day, the day you wish you'd had, people around you, things you didn't know you thought. You'll write complete rubbish, but when you're done you'll feel better about that rubbish than you did about the blank page you had ten minutes ago. It's about putting the inner critic aside and remembering why mistakes are fun.



# The Dead Muse

" My muse is gone. I just can't write anymore. I don't know what happens next. "
This is the most depressing cause of writers block, because as a writer creativity is how we thrive, and without it we feel dead too. Remember though, creativity is a muscle you have to work, and the muse is a fickle creature you have to feed and play with. The best way I find to get over this is to write lists. Start with simple things like 'types of sweet' or 'urban locations.' Set a minimum, like at least fifteen items. When you get better you can advance to 'twenty uses for a paperclip,' and then eventually 'ten things that would make my character jeapardise his own goal.' It's fun once you get into it, you'll find ideas you never knew you had, and it will break the habit of subconciously rejecting ideas before we know we have them (which most people don't even realise they do.)



# The Literary constipation

" Why can't I get it right? The words just aren't coming to me. "
This is when you try and try and no matter how hard you push yourself you still end up with poop. Often this is the result of sitting at the computer staring at the screen for too long. It comes from filling your brain with too much junk and struggling to flush out the stale ideas. Go read a book, play sport, watch something at the cinema. Fill your head with lots of variety and exciting stuff, and when you come back to sit at your computer you'll be full of energy and ready to push the story onward.
We were born to be amazing.
  





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Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:11 am
TheAceofAll says...



First things first, you need a story. Think about your audience and who you want to write to before you begin so you can write decently. For example, if your target audience is kids 6-10, you might want to limit the use of the f bomb. Second and most important, let the idea grow before you put it on paper. I cannot stress this enough. if an idea just pops into your head and you start writing, you will never finish and it will suck. My buddy had an idea for a month in her head and she tried to turn it into a book and only made it to the third chapter. Develop the characters and plot FULLY. Each character (especially main characters) should have complex personalities and back round stories to explain why they are the way they are. Even if you never use the back round stories, you need them in your mind. Also, make sure your story has a fully developed plot span and an ending. I've started stories that didn't have an ending and essentially wasted my time. I recommend maybe going out for a walk or like me a bike ride. This lets you be free of distractions and focus on the ideas buzzing in your head. If you have done ALL that and you just seem to not be able to start, then maybe skip to the climax or a personal favorite part and write that. Also, walking away from it for a while and doing something else to take your mind off it. Inspiration will eventually come and when it dose be ready with your computer, a phone, or a pen and paper.
“ You can't control life, [in writing] at least you can control your version.”
―Chuck Palahniuk, Stranger Than Fiction

When life gives you lemons, make grape juice, then sit back and let the world wonder how you did it. – Unknown
  





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Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:59 pm
WritingWolf says...



Just get yourself a notebook you can carry around, and wright in it little tid-bits you hear and see. Like a little boy asking if he can have a lizard, or or a dog digging at the base of a tree. If you do that then when you get writing block just look though the list and one of these tid-bits just might spark a idea on how to move on with your story.

Or some people like to find songs that remind them of there story, and when they get writing block they listen to all of those songs.
~You can only grasp what you reach for~
  





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Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:05 pm
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icebender28 says...



I find the best way to get over writer's block is to be as creative as possible. That sounds kind of stupid like a no-duh, but just listen.
There are a lot of ways to stay creative, so here are a few.
1)sing in the shower. Yes, I am serious. It helps.
2) Talk to yourself as characters in your mirror. That's where I've gotten some of my best ideas.
3) Watch a lot of mystery and fantasy shows on TV.
4) Read a lot of mystery and fantasy books, maybe even sci fi.
5) Laugh a lot.
6) Carry a notebook everywhere.
7) Go somewhere new, like on a hike or something.
8) Read a page of the dictionary.
9) Try sitting down and just starting to write something, anything that comes to mind.
10) Go to Google images and look up random words, like creepy, Skeleton, crow, wings, ice, fire, weapons, and different colors.
11) Draw, doodle, and create.
12) Do origami. You can look up all sorts of different things online.
13) Jump on the trampoline.
14) Stare into shadows under trees at night and wonder what's lurking.
15) Even if you have just a spark, write it. Characters and plot will develop later on. Let it surprise you as if you were just watching it take place!
16) Sing to yourself random tunes that you really can't remember.
17) Got to youtube and watch the first and second "Animator vs. Animation".
18) Climb a tree.
19) Watch forign and old films that you probably don't understand, and try to guess what's going on.
20) Take risks.
21) Surround yourself with creative people, if you can.
22) Listen to a lot of music while you write. Things by Skillet, Nickleback, and Josh Groban are really good for me.
23) Go to an old folks home and listen to some of them talk about where they've been and what they've done. Usually it's pretty interesting.
24) Try to do a cartwheel.
And 25) Use crazy smilies. :elephant: :smt064 :smt075 :smt117

I hope this helps! Some of them seem stupid, but they really work! They have for me hundreds of times in the past. :D Keep writing! :smt024
Life is to be lived, not survived.
  





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Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:08 am
ImHero says...



I always thought that writers block was due to lack of perspective. That the best way to start writing again is to do something out of the ordinary and make conclusions in your head. I mean you can't say anything if you have nothing to say. I think writing things down just supports my point of making conclusions because what are you writing about or the design are you writing in..? It helps redefine points that you might have forgotten.
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