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Writer's Block, how to get past it?

S

some colour no doubt

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Okay, i'll make this to the point.
I have reached chapter 10 of my fic, and my mind has gone completely blank. For almost the last week or so, my normal mind full of ideas has completely dried up.
So my question to you is this.
Is there a way to get over or get past writer's block?
Any hints, ideas, plans etc would be greatly appreciated.


Cheers
Colour
 
I think there was something in the Block about writer's block actually.

I think it may have been in the article that The Noob posted - or was it GIROG? (Did GIROG post an article?)

Anyway, what helps me is to stop trying to force myself and think about something else for a bit instead. Watch plenty of tv shows and read - inspiration will hit you eventually.

What you need to beware of though is the dreaded shelf. When you shelve a project, it rarely makes it way back off the shelf within the next few months. Be sure to pick up your story again before too much time goes by.
 
Read a good book. That always helps me. I have been suffering from writer's block as of late as well, my 3-4 part short story Charred is dead right now. I can't figure out how to end it :/ Anyway, I was also suffering from writer's block on another project (In Name and Blood), but I started another book (East of Eden) and even though the stories have nothing in common, just getting some literature in me has helped greatly. Also, listening to music seems to help. In Name And Blood is influenced greatly on an album of the same name, so I listened to that a bit and it inspired me enough to start writing again.
Hope I helped :/
 
Gastly's Mama said:
I think there was something in the Block about writer's block actually.

I think it may have been in the article that The Noob posted - or was it GIROG? (Did GIROG post an article?)

Anyway, what helps me is to stop trying to force myself and think about something else for a bit instead. Watch plenty of tv shows and read - inspiration will hit you eventually.

What you need to beware of though is the dreaded shelf. When you shelve a project, it rarely makes it way back off the shelf within the next few months. Be sure to pick up your story again before too much time goes by.
Click to expand...

All of this, basically. I find that distraction helps.
 
Gastly's Mama said:
I think it may have been in the article that The Noob posted - or was it GIROG? (Did GIROG post an article?)
Click to expand...

That was me. Here's the URL:
http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/showthread.php?t=77629


Writer's block comes and goes. If you're really up against the wall with ideas, play around with some minor characters, put your characters in out-of-story situations (gone to rodeo, ushers for a wedding, in a Mexican standoff, et cetera) to get some ideas. As people have already posted, distraction and reading help a hell of a lot.

Thanks to my SuperSaiyan powered ADD, I get writer's block almost every week. I know how godawful it is, but sometimes the best way to get through it is to just plow through whatever section is giving you beef. You probably have some later scenes ready, so you could just segue into those with a placeholder chapter. When you think you're up to replacing the placeholder, go at it again. It'll be much easier.
 
Set something on fire. Look at what characters you have, and make one of them do something unexpected. Those two usually help me get past my writers block; I'll write those senarios until inspiration hits, and get rid of (usually) the unneeded parts and work with what I came up with.
 
LightningTopaz said:
Put some music on and imagine what could be happening as the music plays (or which of your characters is singing it, if it has vocals)--I've had whole chapters inspired by songs
Click to expand...

Just wondering: Are you me?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Strap yourself down and write. That's what I do. I ussually have to go back and edit to make it seem less forced, but my writer's block goes away for a while.
 
Wait a few weeks, plan, and generally recover from writing. In no time at all you'll be writing again.
 
I suggest taking a break from writing or working on other ideas you have.
 
Really, Rakeri, you need to strap yourself down? :)gets slapped for stupidity:)
I don't need to do this. I just use the stickynote method where you write down your thoughts (cough and random things) and if you don't like the idea, you can crush the note up and burn it with a flame thrower or slam it in the trash can
 
When I have writer's block, I put down my pen and begin to watch films, TV shows, anime or read. I'll soon find something that inspires me to pick the pen up again. You'll either think of how to expand your current work, or a new one. Heck, I thought of a new original work while in the shower this morning.
 
It depends on what works for you - some people just need to be inspired, and some people need to force themselves to write. Personally, I'd suggest trying to stick to some sort of schedule - one chapter a week, maybe - if you're the second kind.

However, I personally seem to fall somewhere in between, so trying a mixture works well at times.
 
Weed works well. Lots and lots of weed. And LSD.

I take some time off from a story to try and get something together. That or I try to write another part of the story to get inspired.
 
Honestly, the best way for me is to read. Read a book, read the newspaper, read poetry, read anything. I think seeing written words that aren't my own helps me kind of break the monotony in my brain.
 
And then there's the problem with RL induced writer blocks. Sometimes you know what you want to write and how but you don't just have the damn time to do it. Stupid school, putting me on hiatus again.
 
some colour no doubt said:
Okay, i'll make this to the point.
I have reached chapter 10 of my fic, and my mind has gone completely blank. For almost the last week or so, my normal mind full of ideas has completely dried up.
So my question to you is this.
Is there a way to get over or get past writer's block?
Any hints, ideas, plans etc would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Well first off, writer's block is not necessarily the result of a lack of ideas, but rather, the inability of an author to put those ideas to "paper." Keep that in mind.

I don't know how many times during the course of writing my novel that I just had to step back from my desk because a scene I was writing just wasn't working the way I had hoped it would. It was just so frustrating.

So just how did I get past the writer's block? By stepping back from the story and taking a nice long walk (I highly recommend you bring a pen and paper with you if you do this). More often than not, during your walks, the way past the writer's block suddenly becomes clear.
 
I invented another way to get past writer's block, one which will be best described using metaphors.

---

Imagine writer's block as an average block. Your fingers, which you write with, are the hammers which will break away these blocks. The tips of your fingers are the heads of these hammers, and the knuckles are the hammer handles. You need to know how to use these hammers, or else you'll just be smashing at the areas around the blocks, so you'll just get nowhere.

You should also always wear safety gear- gloves, so you don't get blisters, and you should usually take breaks every now and then to keep your muscles from fatiguing. Eye protection is also very important. If a block breaks and shatters, and the shards get into your eyes, you won't be able to break any more blocks because you'll be blind.

Lastly, your keyboard is fragile. Your hands, now being hammers, will destroy the keyboard if you smash too hard. If your hammers turn back into normal fingers, then you won't have to worry about this. Be especially careful if you use a laptop. You can buy new keyboards for a desktop rather cheaply, but a replacement keyboard for a laptop will cost a great deal more. Not to mention, you'll need to send it in for repairs. Just buying a new laptop might cost less, so if you like your laptop, you should really make sure your fingers are no longer hammers.

With that bit of advice, writer's block will be gone within seconds. Good luck!
 
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