Young Writers Society

I went to a creative writing workshop the other day with the author Beth Webb, and I asked her how she goes about preventing Writer's Block.

She said that the best thing to do is sit in a room and eat chocolate and blow bubbles, but not think about what you are doing. Instead, just let your mind wander, and you might pick up some more ideas that that you would have had if you had sat there thinking about them.

Mostly, your mind gives you ideas when you least expect them.

Does anyone else find that this technique works, or do you have to force yourself to think?

RR*

It works for me. If I am trying to hard to come up with an idea, I get nothing.

Then, while I'm complaining to a writer friend about how I cannot come up with what to do for this part, I actually come up with a good, possible solution. When I'm thinking about my problems from a distance (complaining and listing them, rather than thinking about them) the solutions come to me.

It works for me. If I am trying to hard to come up with an idea, I get nothing.

Exactly the same for me. I tend to let my mind wander quite a bit anyways . Now I know its a technique, woo!

Essentially, this is what I do as well. I don't sit in a room and eat chocolate and blow bubbles (though it sounds like its worth a shot), but I do things to take my mind off the fact that I need an idea. Basically, I try to get out of the house, and experience something that might spawn an idea without me looking for it. I've always believed that you don't find inspiration; inspiration finds you.

I think it works well, actually.

However, if you use her technique and you get writers block often you will also become large and develop the hiccups. Haha.

I think that technique works some of the time, you just need to be careful that it doesn't become an excuse for not writing. If you really plan to get anything done, you can't always sit around and wait for your muse to strike (although the chocolate part sounds good-- maybe I could eat chocolate while I'm writing? ). But yeah, once in a while it can be a good thing.

It works well for me... not the chocolate the the blowing bubbles, because chocolate just makes me want more chocolate and bubbles... well, I guess I've never tried that.

But going and doing something else, works wonders. Lately, I've either turned on a Stargate: Atlantis episode, or gone and done some dishes. It works well for me.

I prefer to do doodles or look through old pieces of work that will never ever get finished, this way I put myself in their shoes thinking, "How would I feel if I was neglected for such a long time?" and then I twist the things I've written.

Other times I eat chocolate or popadoms (lovely stuff!) and think about all the weird and scary dreams I've had, they help me to write even if I'm afraid to remember.

I have tried it and it sometimes makes you feel a bit stupid, sitting in your room and blowing bubbles and talking to yourself...Although my mom does go a bit mad when she finds the washing up liquid all over my floor and walls!

RR*

I think up ideas all the time, and then i cant write them down, never tried that methord though, might do, TIP: always carry notebnook & pen with you when out!

I have to daydream... otherwise, nothing gets written. It's quite sad!

But yeah. Writing takes time, and believe it or not, it's not just sitting at the keyboard typing. It involves being active and stuff. And that's good -- otherwise, writing would get VERY boring!

The above method is the only thing that works for me. If i think about what I want to write, and usually end up writing notbhing at all. But as Shafter said:

Shafter wrote:I think that technique works some of the time, you just need to be careful that it doesn't become an excuse for not writing. If you really plan to get anything done, you can't always sit around and wait for your muse to strike (...) But yeah, once in a while it can be a good thing.

Eeeh... -But I can't live without my head in the clouds. It really is too true that its 'an excuse for not writing'. I mean, it happens to me all the time: I have a great idea, but instead of writing about it, I go farther into it in my mind, and in like 10 mins, I totaly forget about it. I know, I should write them down... -But even if I do, for the most part I don't DO anything at all with them... They are just there, written in a notebook...

So watch out, 'cause you'll end like me. I haven;t written anything in like two months, but have a thousand ideas. Though I suppose that me being lazy is a big factor here...

I found just taking a nap would help me when I was stuck in writing for Script Frenzy. Just sit in your living room, turn on the TV and sleep, or lie on the couch, staring at the ceiling and let your mind go blank. Sooner or later, an idea comes to you.

Snoink wrote:I have to daydream... otherwise, nothing gets written. It's quite sad!

Same for me. Daydreaming, listening to music, thinking about thinks I've read, or said, or fun times with friends.

One time when I was hit with inspiration, I was on vacation. We were up in the mountains, and while everyone else was inside the cabin packing, I was outside at nine a.m., walking in circle, listening to music, and staring up at the blue sky where the moon still hung. And then, BAM! A chunk of inspiration hit me upside the head.

Another great thing to do for ideas: swing! Many of my stories (and my lone poem) have resulted from me swinging.

As a result, however, three of my favorite bits of writing are centered around someone swinging. XD