Writer Help Wednesdays: Writer's Block - Quelling the Beast
So this week we'll be talking about Writer's Block.
The kinds of writer's block
Nothing. You finally get in the mood and sit down at your desk/computer. As soon as you open the page, you've got nothing.
The Block. You're on a roll! You manage to finish that chapter before bed and the next morning when you reopen your notebook/Word doc you have no idea what's going on or where to go.
Everything. After days and nights spent in the wonderland, you open the doc/notebook and you're mauled by all your ideas. Each one has a good basis but none seem to stick out over the others.
Sticking to the beaten path. You've been writing according to your outline has been going pretty well. Even though you've set up that outline, you have no idea how to get over this to the next point.
That Outline Just Won't Do! You've got an outline all set up but your latest development just doesn't work with it. You ditch the outline and keep going only to find out a few chapters later that you're lost with out it.
The Dead End. You took an unexpected turn down Self Conscious Boulevard a few chapters back. Now you're at a dead end and how the hell do you go from here?
Characters. God these characters are so boring. Seriously, they just won't listen to you.
Fear. "Those dreams you've been having about being a super famous doppelganger of Rowling? Yeah, let me just change that..." - Brain
The Paragraph Hump. In this one paragraph you want to say this but it comes out like that. And you just can't get the words out right.
Mind's Eye. That idea that you've bounced around for a while was really cool in your head! Maybe not so cool on paper...
The Revision Hump. You're in the revision stage and that one passage? How can you get over that?
How to get over it?
Now, everyone deals with writers' block differently. This blog (which also helped with the different types) also shows you how to get over them individually but some examples of how people get over their block are below.
Reread. If you wake up in the morning following a really intense writing session, reread. It can get you out of your morning funk and get you going. It also works for long stretches of writing funk. Like you put your work on hold for a while to work on something else. Coming back, you might have a bit of a problem. Not to worry! Reread the chapter.
Plow through it. Another idea is to plow through it by writing even more even if it's crap. I mean that's what the editing phase is for right? Going over all the crap work and beating it until it shines. Besides, that crap can really get your creative juices flowing and you'll like where it's gotten you!
Time-off. Some, like myself, step away and do something else. When I hit that block, I get stressed and, in some situations, angry; I take a step back and work on something else, it just takes the weight off my shoulders and I can channel my energy elsewhere... like knitting. Seriously. I've made a crap ton of hats, scarves, mittens and, now recently socks. Working on something else I can brainstorm and come up with something that can takeover my block.
Again, everyone deals with things differently and, if those don't work for you, click the link above (tagged as 'this blog') and experiment with their examples. If you get stressed, don't give up writing. Seriously. Everyone has those problems when writing and you'll get your inspiration back. Keep writing.
Always,
Ali
The kinds of writer's block
Nothing. You finally get in the mood and sit down at your desk/computer. As soon as you open the page, you've got nothing.
The Block. You're on a roll! You manage to finish that chapter before bed and the next morning when you reopen your notebook/Word doc you have no idea what's going on or where to go.
Everything. After days and nights spent in the wonderland, you open the doc/notebook and you're mauled by all your ideas. Each one has a good basis but none seem to stick out over the others.
Sticking to the beaten path. You've been writing according to your outline has been going pretty well. Even though you've set up that outline, you have no idea how to get over this to the next point.
That Outline Just Won't Do! You've got an outline all set up but your latest development just doesn't work with it. You ditch the outline and keep going only to find out a few chapters later that you're lost with out it.
The Dead End. You took an unexpected turn down Self Conscious Boulevard a few chapters back. Now you're at a dead end and how the hell do you go from here?
Characters. God these characters are so boring. Seriously, they just won't listen to you.
Fear. "Those dreams you've been having about being a super famous doppelganger of Rowling? Yeah, let me just change that..." - Brain
The Paragraph Hump. In this one paragraph you want to say this but it comes out like that. And you just can't get the words out right.
Mind's Eye. That idea that you've bounced around for a while was really cool in your head! Maybe not so cool on paper...
The Revision Hump. You're in the revision stage and that one passage? How can you get over that?
How to get over it?
Now, everyone deals with writers' block differently. This blog (which also helped with the different types) also shows you how to get over them individually but some examples of how people get over their block are below.
Reread. If you wake up in the morning following a really intense writing session, reread. It can get you out of your morning funk and get you going. It also works for long stretches of writing funk. Like you put your work on hold for a while to work on something else. Coming back, you might have a bit of a problem. Not to worry! Reread the chapter.
Plow through it. Another idea is to plow through it by writing even more even if it's crap. I mean that's what the editing phase is for right? Going over all the crap work and beating it until it shines. Besides, that crap can really get your creative juices flowing and you'll like where it's gotten you!
Time-off. Some, like myself, step away and do something else. When I hit that block, I get stressed and, in some situations, angry; I take a step back and work on something else, it just takes the weight off my shoulders and I can channel my energy elsewhere... like knitting. Seriously. I've made a crap ton of hats, scarves, mittens and, now recently socks. Working on something else I can brainstorm and come up with something that can takeover my block.
Again, everyone deals with things differently and, if those don't work for you, click the link above (tagged as 'this blog') and experiment with their examples. If you get stressed, don't give up writing. Seriously. Everyone has those problems when writing and you'll get your inspiration back. Keep writing.
Always,
Ali
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