This thread is here to help with the dreaded block!

Do you get it? What do you do if you do? How can you avoid it? And anything else you wish to share on the issue.

I sometimes get writers’ block or completely lack inspiration. The best thing I do to try get back in the swing of writing, is just to write! I know that sounds stupid as that’s the problem, but what I mean is just write absolutely anything.

Free writing is a good way to get rid of the block, so that’s just what I do. Free writing is when you just write the first thing that comes into your head without censoring yourself and without editing the text. Some people suggest covering your screen(if you’re typing rather than handwriting it)so you can’t get distracted by typos and spelling mistakes. Then just read it back afterwards. Though the reading back can be skipped if you like, as it’s more about the writing and expressing rather than crafting a masterpiece.

Sometimes I come up with new ideas through free writing for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Or sometimes it’s just a load of garbled rubbish about how I need to go and buy bread! Anyway maybe have a go if you get blocked.

Video i always watch when i get writers block: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJQVVK03tEc

Ha ha! Thanks for sharing Ivan. (It’s genetic!) I must admit I was a bit terrified of what I was clicking on, but it’s alright people, you can click!

When I get writers’ block I usually either find a prompt and force myself to write whatever nonsense comes to mind or I read for inspiration.
Sometimes though, it just doesn’t seem to be the right time for whatever reason. Changing where I’m working sometimes helps, or just give you mind free reign to just think and make connections as it wishes (a scary thing to do when you have a brain as random as mine)…

I used to do that NaNoWriMo thing. Never won, but it was fun. Whenever I get writer’s block, that’s my cue to stretch around for a while and take a break. It helps. A few minutes of breaking from routine and you’re reading to face whatever it is again with a fresh mind.

I find that getting a pen and paper rather than my laptop sometimes helps to get my brain ticking over again. Not sure why, but I started writing old skool again whilst waiting in the car etc. I tend to just write a random first line and go from there. Ink is inspiring sometimes, instead of a blank screen which can be creativity numbing when the words aren’t coming.

Trying a random prompt is the main thing I do though. Sometimes I try to come up with a character and scribble around a
profile-ish sort of creation and throw them into a situation to see what happens. That often gives me some brain grease to get the cogs going again. That’s often what I do with the oneword prompts here actually, rather than type without thinking as is intended.

I have had writer’s block sooooo many times! Usually when I have it i give myself permission to have some TLC and go on a walk. If you a nature-freak like me, I get inspired by everything. It doesn’t even necessarily have to with nature. It could be trash on the side of the road or a plane flying conspicously overheard.

Another technique I found effective is making lists. Any lists. Like: what do you find interesting, whats your top 10 favorite foods, what could you do with a piece a paper, whta are you blessings in life. Anything! Just make a list out of it. Then pick something on your lists and write about it. If you think its a corny thing then don’t even sweat it. Writer’s block doesn’t last forever.

Yeah, lists is a good idea. Also sometimes I find re-reading something I’ve written previously can help with some ideas. Especially if there were things you liked but took out on editing, it can be good to write something based on the parts you removed.

I love snippets and mind maps! They can be so useful, I always go off on numerous tangents which can actually be quite useful. People-watching can spark something off too.

I think it’s a matter of discipline (with one exception). You just have to sit down and start writing. You can’t wait for inspiration. (Who was the writer that said, I only write when I’m inspired, and I make sure I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning.) You can’t wait until you feel like it. So just write. For me at least, even if I’m not in the mood and ideas are lacking, writing *anything* gets things going and pretty soon I’m back on track.

That one exception? I get a lot of interruptions at home, and that can be deadly. So I do make sure I go someplace where I can work without disruption. I like the public libraries or a couple of favorite coffee shops. (Any one else here from Honolulu? I’m happy to share the names of places I like for writing.)

^ Jack London, my friend. And he was right, inspiration isn’t something that can be measured; it’s an emotive connection you share with something that motivates you– and Lord knows we can’t control our emotions (well, perhaps we can to an extent but it’s probably not healthy).

As for Writer’s Block; I’m not honestly sure it exists. I think it’s a concept that we’ve created to summarise a general lack of enthusiasm or a detachment from the emotion of an idea. I write for TV and film, which is an incredibly difficult medium to retain the emotion in the writing as it is very structured and very limited (e.g. budget limitations, censoring, logical limitations, etc.) and sometimes I can become very apathetic with an idea because I’m focusing so much on getting the technique right, I lose the emotive connection and impetus. In those situations, my writing doesn’t necessarily become worse, it just feels like it does because I’m not emotionally invested.

I think if you lack an idea or are wondering which direction to go in, the one question you’re always going back to: What do I want my audience to feel here? Because it’s for them we’re writing right? At least for me it is; and so long as I don’t lose sight of the emotive reaction I want my audience to have to a scene or even the entire story, I can relate it back to plotting out a journey that will give them the biggest catharsis along the way.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think people believe this thing Writer’s Block exists, whereas I believe it’s a myth and, in fact, believing you’ve got Writer’s Block at any given time is in fact what is blocking you. It’s like a self-induced placebo. If you understand feeling and you understand emotion and you understand the structure of telling any story, I think anyone can overcome Writer’s Block if they inspire anything other than apathy in their daily lives.

Mediation, exercise and the courage and drive of our role models are excellent tonics to achieve just this I find! Now, I apologise for rambling here, I’ll get off my soap box! Happy writing!

Youtube works wonders!

Also, if you go to StumbleUpon.com and stumble on some neat stuff it could inspire you :D