literature

Cures for writer's block

Deviation Actions

SnoodleDoodle's avatar
Published:
2K Views

Literature Text

So you've woken up with the conviction you're going to write something amazing. The ideas are there, so too is the ambition, but your page remains blank and you're probably now on face-book for the tenth time without good reason.
We all do it.
All you want to do is write but for some reason it's an impossible task to start, let alone make  a few  vague sentences.
What you're experiencing is the tender embrace of writer's block, now let us show you how to kill the bastard so you can breath again.

Setting the scene: Believe it or not, where you are whilst you write can be important. Find a comfortable place where you can be given time to think  without a telly blearing, children wrestling or even prying eyes of overly curious family. I've been hearing 'well lit' rooms are also a given, but feel free to sit in a dark cave somewhere, just as long as you're comfortable(and have checked for bears first).
-Having music that fits with the part you want from your story might be an unexpected boost for   creativity too.
-I don't know about you, but I always need a cup of something warm by my side before I start writing. Be it tea, coffee or even a dose of pure heroin to the veins- what ever helps you get into the mood have it with you before you start.
-Don't let yourself near distractions, sometimes you have to disconnect from the internet or turn off the telly to fully immerse yourself in your writing.


Now that we're sitting comfortably, why don't we try and address some of the deeper causes of writer's block.

-I don't know what I'll write- A common one, sometimes we get stuck because somewhere along the line we haven't listened to our character's voices and we might have accidentally put them into a situation they would never have done on their own free will. Other times we really have no idea because we're just starting out. Just go for it, if you need to make a plan or do some writing exercises, we'll get to them later.
-It's not good enough- I get this one many a time. But the fact remains that if you don't write anything then you can't have anything to improve. Don't worry about standards of writing until you've done enough to be able to look back and review.
-Got no ideas: Well, don't I have a treat for you? Just wait till the next section...


As you can see, most of these problems are common but fixable.

Exercises: This might have to come in two sections. The first ones I'll address are the more general kind just to get you loosened up.
-Make yourself a list of themes, they need only be a word as long as they stir something within you. Here, I'll even give you some to start off 'valley of ashes','lost gift','Dwindling Obsession'. Then when you're done pick one at random and write a short story based loosely on it, doesn't need to make sense, just as long as you get struck with an idea to write about. You can also find random title generators which do the work for you.
-Having a journal can help you get in the habit of writing, might even help sort out your thoughts. A journal of dreams too can also be a great source of future ideas.
-Start describing something, could be your room, the view outside the window or a place from a story you're working on. Tell me how it smells, what you can hear, what you can see, how it makes you feel. Let it flow.
-Are you really still here? Go write already!


Okay, I said I'd put up some character building exercises too.
Characters are amazing things really, they can change the whole direction of your story just by how they act. So it's important that you get to know them even better than they know themselves. When your character's about to unwittingly be caught in the middle of a fight are they A. Going to break it up, B. Going to attempt to run away screaming, or C. beat both sides up because they can?
As you can tell, all three options greatly change the plot, so you can imagine a character's every move is important.

-Around the clock- Why not write an hourly log of the average day for your character hour by hour?  Are they early risers? Do they get woken up, do they spend an hour every day doing yoga or committing crimes? I'll give you an example;
"5:00am: whilst the sun has not yet risen, Thain already has hauled himself out of bed. His long hands are cupped around his drink for warmth as he stands in-front of the window."
Thain is an early riser, he spends every morning enjoying his few hours of quiet before his companion wakes and at nights he's eager to sneak away into the bedroom with a good book (no, not that kind of book.)

-Meet thy maker: If you really want to get in there, why not meet them yourself, well, write about you meeting them. You could be seeing them for a spot of tea, you could be the boss of a company they'd die to be part of or if you're feeling a little nasty- a hardened police man who's interrogating your character. What ever makes more sense for the character situation.

-What if?...: This is a fun one! Make a list of questions like, ''What if_ and _ were locked in a room together?'' and draw characters/people out from a hat or something of the like. It's a great one for when you're running out of things to write since ANYTHING could happen, There's a great difference between say, picking out Thain and Aisling and picking out Thain and a wolf.
Oh god, I bet you all think I've gone mad with all these tutorials/tips.
It's just that I'm dumping all the stuff I've written on here so I'll always have backups. xD
If you have any questions or anything to add, just say so. :'D

Edit: Why do I only realize my grammatical, spelling errors only after posting?
Ah well.

Anyways! Got some useful links for what if and title generators.
[link]
[link]
© 2010 - 2024 SnoodleDoodle
Comments28
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Windklang's avatar
I suggested this to the group :iconbeat-the-block:
Maybe you should check it out :D

Good job :D