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A Few Tips: Overcoming Writer's Block



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Thu Dec 10, 2015 10:56 pm
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A Few Tips: Overcoming Writer's Block

The holidays are here! Christmas break is the best time to write. Wanting to write, but having trouble figuring out what? We all have writer's block from time to time. I know that I've been struggling with it a lot lately, so here are some tips you might find useful to you!

I. Segmenting

This works especially well for poetry and/or song lyrics. In an episode of VH1 Storytellers with Ed Sheeran (who is, in my opinion, a magnificent songwriter), Ed said that the main method he uses to construct his lyrics is to write seemingly random sentence fragments over time. A group of words here, a verse or stanza there. They come mostly in times when he's emotional or spontaneous.

Write a single line or a group thereof, where and when you think of it. Don't wait. Keep a journal at your bedside. Not only will it get the creative juices circulating, but overtime you may find that weeding through the accumulation of these lines could build into a great piece. I know that personally, I've found that even the ideas and connections that a single line or pair of lines can imply sometimes lead me to other places; often something entirely different from whatever I started with.

II. A Blind Write

"This technique will not work for me." At least that's what I ensured myself before I recently clicked on this link: http://blindwrite.herokuapp.com/ This was actually suggested to me by my friend (@Percybeth). Like I said, at first I didn't think that a blind write would help me overcome the struggle of writer's block. But as it turns out, I was wrong.

Allot yourself a certain amount of time to write, and then type anything that comes to your head. Don't correct your mistakes, or look at what you've previously written. This gives you an opportunity to get down anything and everything that might be floating around in your head, and then to edit later.

The results of this made me quite happy, in the end. Even if it looks like it isn't for you, try it! You might be surprised.

III. Parenting Your Characters

This works predominantly for novels, novellas, and short stories. Get to know your characters more. Start listing their attributes, their strange quirks, their relationships with other characters. Anything that comes to mind. Get involved in their lives, in their private business. When writing a novel, take on the role of the overprotective parent; you need to know everything about everything and everyone you're writing about. The more you know, the more you'll feel the obligation to do more for your characters, as a parent would. I've found that this works well.

The same goes for setting and plot description. Over-describe and over-explain; take advantage of everything that comes to your mind. The more you pull those details like threads from a spool, the more they'll unwind. Even if you load up on metaphors and fluff, you can always omit them from your work after you've moved onto editing.

IV. Going Left

The good old plot twist. Probably well-known in the writer's world, but I figured I would include it. If you're at a particularly tough spot in the creating of your novel, make it go in an entirely different direction. Usually, if you're stuck, it means you're forcing the plot to travel along a specific route. Remove the side rails. Let the storyline stray away from whatever you'd initially intended.

Your characters and your plot don't always want to stay on the beaten path. And that's okay. Uncharted territory can be interesting to explore. There are times when going left at the fork in the road could actually put you on something of the right track.

V. Goal-Seeking & Thinking Long-Term

Of course, there's always the option of taking a walk or clearing your head, or even putting in your earbuds and listening to the newest hits. But other than that, the big one that I would suggest, especially for someone who lacks motivation, is thinking long-term about their writing. Set a deadline for yourself. Foreshadowing the places where your novel might end up in a month or two could really cause your time spent working to skyrocket. Go as big as you want; challenge yourself.

Find contests online, like this one: https://algren.submittable.com/submit Commit to submit. They might forge new paths for your stories, or even give you the opportunity to explore other realms for which you've never written. Everyone needs a break from their work for a while; contests and other writing competitions might lead you away from your novel just long enough for you to miss your characters and their adventures. When you come back to it, you might find you have a renewed sense of perseverance and excitement for the possibilities your story could aspire to.

~*~

Well, I'm afraid that's all. If none of these tips work for you, then you may want to check out this other link: http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/writersblock/

If you have any more tips for motivating oneself or ridding oneself of writer's block, and don't feel like creating another thread, feel free to post them here.

Have a wonderful day, and good luck with your endeavors!
"We accept the love we think we deserve." -Stephen Chbosky's Perks of Being a Wallflower
  








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