Sorry for the long silence in the past week or so. Finals. What else can I say? But thankfully, summer is now here, and I finally have time to
Kind of what writer's block feels like, huh? La Brea Tar Pit, courtesy of http://www.justabovesunset.com.
process some of my thoughts more fully.
Only to find… I don’t have many thoughts at all. Maybe my mind is burnt out. I have thinker’s block. Like writer’s block, only for my brain. Which (contradictory enough) brings up a thought: What are some of the most effective ways to escape writer’s block?
The way I see it, there pretty much isn’t one guaranteed way for every writer to pull themselves out of the tar pit. Just like there isn’t “one way” to write that works for every author. Sorry to anyone out there who has written a “The One Way to Writing” type book. But since there are many ways in which to get stuck on your work, there are probably many ways of getting out. Here are a couple that I’ve found to be helpful.
1.) Go back to previous work and start editing. Not much will give you a better perspective on what you want to write than by going back and fixing what comes before it.
2.) Pick a character upon which the following scenes will focus and pull into focus their motivations and goals. Usually, a character will try to bring his/her plans to fruition. Unless (s)he’s a dead fish. Then you might want to fix your character before you try to continue your plot.
3.) Ask for help. This has been of immeasurable value to me to have friends and fellow writers who can fire ideas back to me after reading my work. Sometimes it takes an outsider to really suggest changes or ideas that would make your story come alive again.
4.) Don’t be afraid to cut. Let’s face it; a plot can change as you’re writing it. And if/when that happens, you need to be ready to cut out something that was truly great, but doesn’t fit anymore. Save it for later, perhaps. But if it doesn’t fit with the new direction your story is headed, it needs to be laid to rest. At least for a while. Hopefully it won’t become a zombie if you resurrect it, though.
5.) Work on a different project. Take a step back, reevaluate, leave it be to simmer while you stir another concoction. Take a breath. You’d be surprised what kinds of ideas can bubble to the surface in your absence.
What are some ways that you have pulled yourself out of writer’s block? Any suggestions?
May 18, 2011
writer4G
Musings from a Wardrobe 
4 responses to “Musings on Writer’s Block”
D.A. Bancroft
May 18th, 2011 at 05:31
I have found that your last suggestion is the best medicine for me.
Unfortunately I don’t always remember this so I just end up pounding my head on my desk. When I wake up in the hospital I remember how noneffective that strategy that is.
In a related note, I can’t remember how to perform long division…
writer4G
May 18th, 2011 at 14:47
Haha! Thanks for the comment!
I know what you mean about head-banging. Somehow, I seem to think that it helps. If anything, it makes me think less, and then my head hurts. It probably makes me less intelligent, and so I do it again later.
But more often than not, I probably go with the first one. Sometimes I feel so stuck in what I’ve already written that I can’t move forward, having backed myself into a corner. But if I change the past (technically speaking), then I offer myself and my characters more options as to what the future might hold. But sometimes, such as with some short stories, there isn’t always a lot to go back and edit. What kind of projects do you write?
And long division? Who needs it? I certainly don’t remember at least half of what I learned in high school. Maybe a result of banging my head on my desk. Who knows? And pretty much any geometry I’ve ever taken. That was one of the first things to go.
elkallgren
May 19th, 2011 at 03:53
Thanks for all the helpful tips! I’ve used all of them on various occasions (including head-banging). Editing my previous work and/or choosing to focus on a different project have probably been the most successful ways to cure (well, temporarily alleviate) writer’s block. I also find it helpful to start reading. By immersing myself in someone else’s writing, it inspires me to continue with my work, and can spark new ideas.
writer4G
May 19th, 2011 at 05:34
Absolutely!! I have to be careful with that, because I tend to read stories similar to the ones I write, but sometimes I know that I will get ideas from other authors that would by no means plagiarise them. Sometimes, I try reading works that aren’t similar to mine at all, either in content or style. Surprisingly, this can help a lot. What are your thoughts? Do you tend to read books that are similar to your writing, or completely opposite? Or do you prefer a happy medium? 😉