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Young Writers Society


The Uber Writer's Block Thread



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Sat Oct 29, 2011 3:01 am
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Fizz says...



I had writer's block for around a year and a half until someone brought up something I wrote in high school, and out came my short story 'After I left, but before I became the sun'. Then I posted it here, and since I joined a couple of days ago I've been churning out the short stories like a machine! So in a way, joining this community cured my writer's block (well, that and some recent life events).
  





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Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:46 pm
MoonlightMayhem says...



As I write my story I have this huge idea in mind for my writing style but I'm not fully tapping into the character or the plot that I had previously set up for myself. The style is too boring and not detailed. I just hate the way I write!
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Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:51 pm
artsy says...



@MoonlightMayhem

I have gone through a stage when I didn't like my writing style. The trick is to try different ones and see if you like them. If you're having trouble with this,look at some of your favorite books and pay attention to how that specific author writes. What's your favorite and least favorite part about their writing style? Try copying it nd see what works for you. Edit the style to make it something you can agree with. You said yours isn't detailed. Work on showing detail of the story by working it in with character opinion to make it flow better.

Hope this helped. :]
"You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes - you can steer yourself in any direction you choose!" - Dr. Seuss
~
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Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:55 pm
MoonlightMayhem says...



Thankyou, artsy. That was helpful. I did add some character opinion into my new novel, so that did at a bit more detail.
Music <3

Death Cab for Cutie - Funeral For A Friend - A Day To Remember - Taking Back Sunday - Safetysuit - There For Tomorrow - OneRepublic - All American Rejects - Yellowcard - Motion City Soundtrack
  





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Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:24 pm
Paracosm says...



When I have writers block, I try self-hypnosis or meditation. It gives you some time to stop thinking about anything, and just relax. Then when you come back to your story, you can look at it in another light.

I was having trouble with one of my characters because I didn't know what spurred him on to try and kill himself. He is horribly depressed, and pretty much just hates the world and all who inhabit it, but he isn't suicidal. After a session of hypnosis, I thought to myself, "What if he didn't try to kill himself, what if it was MURDER?" It was perfect, because one of his maxims is, "It's never suicide." Now I'm ready to set in on his first short story!

So maybe a bit of self-hypnosis would be helpful! You can find some instructional videos on Vancouver Hypnotherapy's website.
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Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:51 pm
SPAuthor says...



Ugh. I've had a writer's block for two days! It's terrible. It took me, like, five minutes to write this! My writer's brain's gone numb... :x
Unbeing dead isn't being alive.-- e.e. cummings

My fake plants died because I forgot to pretend to water them-- Mitch Hedberg
  





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Tue Mar 20, 2012 12:55 am
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RoyalHighness says...



I just started this novel I'm really excited about, but it's really complicated and I can't seem to find the right (write?) character through which to tell the story. I've only written about four or five pages, but I'm still really excited about it. I just can't get it to flow like I thought I could.

For you guys having trouble with your characters, I like to find a song that describes them and then listen to it over and over, imagining them singing it. It's a little weird but I find that it helps. Also, if you can find one thing in your characters that relates to someone close to you, you'll find yourself falling in love with them. Hope this helps!
  





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Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:13 am
Rosendorn says...



SP- I'd just take a rest. Every writer get tired periodically, which can cause writer's block esque feelings.

HalfBlood- It took me years to dial in on my MC's voice, and I know she's the right character. It can take a very long time to discover how a character behaves, so just be patient. :)
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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Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:54 am
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TheSunChildren says...



Hi,

With writing such a long and detailed novel i hit writers blocks almost every week. there's some crucial information i want to add but just don't quite know how to plot it in. what i do is sit down and draw a plan, or even sometimes a picture illustrating where my characters or scene is at.

if i plan i will write short notes about what i want to see and then slot them into a timeline,if i draw a picture i'll make it simple at first and then keep adding details so i know what i'm writing about.

Also i could never write without listening to music, i find that if you listen to something which reflects the atmopshere of the scene or characters then my writing flows with it and i have written some rather pleasing script whilst doing so. i also find that sometimes a change of surroundings helps. I often find that since i began writing at school the quality far exceeds what i write at home and sometimes the other way round.

if anyone hits another block then i would suggest atleast trying some of these techniques as they may help!

thanks,
Ash :D
Not many remember how life there began, in the lands amidst surrounding walls of stone and pools of deep darkness, but whilst they forget the secrets of the past, they begin to riddle the future with their growing lust for knowledge, greatness and power.
  





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Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:35 am
tgirly says...



I'm not really having writer's block, but revising-block. I read it over, which was painful because it was really bad, struggled to make a minimul amount of progress for awhile, and now I haven't touched it for two weeks. Uggle-uggh.
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
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Tue May 22, 2012 4:08 pm
psudiname says...



music broke my last writer's block. call me cliche, but the emotion in many of adele's songs really inspired me to creativity. with all the anger, sadness, greif and hope, all I had to do was fill in the blanks. also, eminem helped for the climax. "lose yourself" is crazy dramatic.
if anyone wants a review, post on my profile and I'll get to it in a couple days.
  





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Wed May 30, 2012 7:46 pm
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wordsandwishes says...



My advice would be to sleep. It's scientifically proven that your subconscious will think about it for you while you're sleeping.

Or you could read stuff by other people to give you ideas.

Or listen to music, that works too.

Or draw some random scenes.

Or go onto this advice page.

Or do E all of the above.
  





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Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:43 pm
ColleenTremain says...



If at anytime I get a writers block I do something that my novel's about. Like watch a movie about the topic you chose or you could act out the characters parts you know make a miniature play by yourself or just in your mind. But you've noticed that the writers block is getting worse you could try writing the story a different way or style like: Instead of a computer you could try pen and paper, my sister told me that some writers still have to use old fashioned type writers.
Last edited by ColleenTremain on Thu Jul 19, 2012 2:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
  





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Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:54 pm
ThatPsycho says...



I have a bit of an idea for a story, but I can't decide what type of main character to use. Maybe it could be a loud, out-going, popular character who acts tough to make herself feel better and because she doesn't want to be hurt after things that have happened to her. Or maybe a quiet, weird, shy character with a big imagination and who worries a lot. Hmm. I'm not good at creating characters, but I'm leaning towards the idea of the loud character.
  





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Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:23 pm
barefootrunner says...



ThatPsycho, go with the one that you are the most like. That way you can better envision her responses and actions. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, try an old male character, something you have never done before at all.

To help you create characters, spend some time in an old-age home for elders, or if you want a small child, at a creche or play park. Shadow people who might become characters. Go people-watching at a mall or café. (Just don't let that big man realise that you are trying to copy his walk!)

The more realistic your characters, the more people will enjoy reading about them.

Don't give in to the blank-page monster!
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts" - Einstein
  








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