Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related How do you cure/get over writer's block?

When I get writer's block, I normally just let it pass until inspiration strikes, but I kind of have a deadline right now and I don't have that luxury. Help?

I have a few suggestions. None are guaranteed to help you get past a block, but I've used all of these on various occasions.

1. Just write. Don't worry if it's not exactly what you want it to say. Or even if it's just random thoughts - or in point form. And don't be surprised or worried if you end up deleting the whole section. But sometimes when you start writing, after a couple of pages, you realize what you really want to say and how to say it and can go from there.

2. If you're blocked on one section, jump over it and start writing a later scene in the story. Work on that for a while. Worry about how to link the two later. It might help you get past your block.

3. Going for a drive often helps me get past a block in a story. As I drive, I puzzle through the problem in my mind and often come back with an idea of what I'm going to write next.

Hope one of those idea helps.

ML

Oh, wait. All of those ideas assume that you get the block while in the middle of a story. If what you're asking is how to get an idea for a story, there are a number of ideas.

1. Check the challenge section of the message boards to see if you get an idea there.

2. Listen to music and see if that inspires any ideas. Often, there is a story behind the story in most songs just begging to be told.

ML

Don't wait for inspiration! That particular ice cream truck doesn't show up just because you're waiting for it. ML is right. Write!

A famous novelist (whose name I am too lazy to look up this late at night) once said something like the following.

Writing is an art, just like painting. But just as a painter can (and should) learn all she can to better communicate with her viewing public, a writer should learn all she can about the craft of writing so that pesky little things like deadlines and writer's block don't completely derail you. Everything ML suggested is both valid and useful, but I would add to it that you read books on writing. Writer's Digest Books (available through this website ) would be a good place to start. If you don't want to spend a lot of money, you could check out your local library for books on writing techniques. Or you could get in touch with a local writer's group. They might even be willing to loan you a book or two on writing, and they'll be thrilled to help you move forward in your skills. (At least, the majority of writer's groups are like that.)

When I was stuck on something, I'd do something completely mundane - like go soak in the bath or wash the dishes. I often found that a bored mind begins to wander and often, once I wasn't consciously trying to force it to arrive, it would wander in precisely the direction I wanted it to and I'd be reciting dialogue in my head by the time I was done and dashing to the computer to write up my scene shortly thereafter!

LabRat

Thanks for pointing out that web site, Terry.

Does anyone here have any specific books they particularly recommend?

Thanks,
Lynn

I just thought of one other idea I've used. It may sound odd, but get off the computer. Get a pen and paper and jot down random thoughts about your story, maybe quick, point form sections of dialogue or scenes that come to you. Don't try to put things in any particular order. Just jump from idea to idea. I find doing this often leads to more ideas and soon I'm past the block and rushing back to the computer to start writing.

ML

Hey, take a nap.

Write something else - preferably something completely unrelated to the first thing. I originally started writing fanfic because I was blocked on games design (which actually helps pay the bills) and my markets for some other types of writing had dried up.

All really good ideas, everyone. Jumping scenes is something I do often. Then I link them later. The shower is one area where I get great ideas. Why, I don't know. Like soaking in tub I guess.

Here's another one: I ride along while Hubby drives, looking at scenery. It doesn't work if you have to drive because you have to pay attention to that. Interestingly, I can still have a conversation with Hubby about what we are seeing while I am plotting. Multi-tasking, I guess.

For those in urban areas, taking a train ride to nowhere and back would maybe work too.

If I'm at home, I do like LabRat and do laundry or something mundane and bingo! Ideas come.

Good luck.
Artemis

Find some other, more urgent deadline, and then procrastinate on that by writing

PJ

If it's writer's block about starting a new story with a new idea...can't help you there. I've gone more than a year without writing a single story. If you've already started a story, here's my advice...

Delete the last chapter or two that you've written and rewrite them. Sometimes you'll find that you've written yourself into a corner that your mind won't let you out of, and if you try it again from a new perspective, things might work better.

Brainstorm with other people for ideas. Go on irc to #loisclark or #lanekent and find someone willing to listen and comment. Use a beta reader to bounce ideas off of.

If that doesn't work, then try to remember what got you excited enough to write the story in the first place. Even if it was a school paper or article, what made you choose this topic over something else?

Remember the theme...what are you trying to say through the story?

Just some random thoughts...hope they help.

Hey, more great ideas! I plan to steal - er, use some of them myself.

Shayne, I don't think any author should completely delete anything he or she has written. Not ever. Rewrite, yes! Completely rework, yes! Rip out of one's current story, yes! But if you've ever put something down on paper (physical or virtual), you can keep it as a reserve of story or scene ideas. Maybe a certain scene just absolutely stinks - except for a piece of dialogue or a certain character's thoughts about what's going on. There's almost always something you can mine later for something more current.

As for specific writing books, there are far too many to list without missing some really good ones. Let me toss out a few which have helped me.

Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight - The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King - How to Edit Yourself Into Print.

Revision by David Michael Kaplan - A Creative Approach to Writing and Rewriting Fiction.

Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card. (*)

Plot by Ansen Dibell. (*)

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell.

The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature edited by Philip Martin - How to Write Fantasy Stories of Lasting Value.

Writing Mysteries edited by Sue Grafton.

Writing and Selling Science Fiction by The Science Fiction Writers of America.

Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott (out of print, sadly - check your local used bookstore or library).

(*) Elements of Fiction Writing series

Many of these have writing exercises designed for a classroom or study group session, but nothing's stopping you from doing them on your own.

You'd think that writing a mystery as opposed to writing a fantasy story or science fiction would all be totally different, but they aren't. All good writing shares certain characteristics and techniques, and good writing is good writing irrespective of the genre.

By no means is this an exhaustive list. I plan to get more titles in the Elements of Fiction Writing series to work on. And there aren't any limits to what you can or should study. No one knows everything, so there is always more to learn!

Let me throw out a word of caution. I was told at a writer's workshop some years ago that the more I learned about writing, the harder it would be for me to read simply for pleasure without analyzing what I was reading. I didn't believe it at the time, but I do now. You have been warned!

Okay, why are you still here? Go write something!

Hi Terry,

Thank you for those suggestions. A trip to the library is in my very near future, as is some activity on BookSwap.com...

Joy,
Lynn

I've found it's a lot easier to avoid writer's block if I plan my whole story out from the beginning. I brainstorm and outline, until I know exactly where I plan to end up by part 37, even if I'm only on part 1. Do I need to stick to this outline? No. But it's helpful to have a roadmap. That way if I veer off course for some reason, I can always look and see which intersection to take to get back if I need it, and it helps me avoid writing myself into a hole.

If I get stuck despite an outline, I tend to take frequent breaks and do other unrelated but relaxing things. Often, just standing in the shower and letting my mind go will bring some awesome idea that I can't wait to put down on paper.

If all that fails, one thing I like to do is go to a crowded place and people watch. Listen to the conversations, and write down the interesting ones. You won't have all the details or the context, so some things may sound incredibly peculiar. Write a new story to explain them, or figure out how to work them in as passersby in your current story. I find that adding bystanders unrelated to the current plot can often add a bit of atmosphere to a setting that may have otherwise seemed flat.

Well, I don't recommend having a baby if you want to cure writer's block. I largely used writing as a means of coping with infertility -- and then I got hooked. Wrote a bunch of stories, won some Kerths, and then got pregnant, and haven't written anything except a quick nfic vignette for a birthday present since September 2008. My son just turned one, so I am trying to jump back on the horse and get moving, but things keep getting in the way.

That being said, when I am suffering from regular old writer's block, I like to turn on an ep or two that I like -- not as research for a fic, but just to watch and enjoy with no pressure. Watching Lois and Clark interact and hearing their dialogue gets them speaking to me in my head again, and then I (usually) can write.

I also have found it helpful to make a list of the scenes I want to work on in the immediate future and then I have those in my mind to think about. I get some of my best plotting done while driving.

I have a great way that I get past writer's block...I just never use it! :p It's called disabling my internet connection, lol...I've found that if I'm trying to write while I'm online, it's almost guaranteed that I'll get distracted (case in point: this forum!) or be otherwise blocked, but if I'm on a computer without internet access, then writing is basically the only thing left to do at the computer, and it seems to get done almost by magic! (Yet somehow I can never seem to make myself do that anymore...)