Writer's Block

[Diego Varen]

This Thread is about that horrible problem that most writer's get while writing. Writer's Block. I'm having Writer's Block at the moment, writing my Fic, Unsatisfied Hunger and it is making my Fic worse and I agree with those that say how badly rushed it is. Thing is, does anybody have any advice that can help us writers get over Writer's Block and stop us from not writing our Fics to the best of their potential? If you have advice, post here.

 

Edit: Merry Christmas and I hope you're having a good Boxing Day.

 

 

This will be the thread for people to ask for techniques to deal with writer's block or express their woes- JM12

[JediAthos]

Sometimes when I get writers block I simply have to stop writing for a day or two. I will sit back and reread what I've already written, do some editing etc... That usually helps me redirect my thoughts. If that doesn't work, then sometimes I have to do something else, maybe work on another fic, or just stop writing all together for a bit.

[Grey Master]

Take your time, and use your inspirations on your fics.

[RC-1162]

i agree with Reader & JA. when i get Writers block, i just stop writing altogether and go do a little minor research on events or characters that i believe would do good for my story, or which are already in my story. then i wait for the mood to strike and BAM! new chappie!

 

anyway, i'd like to share what my little friend Calvin had to say about writer's block :

http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h127/RC1162/ch950303.gif

[Kas'!m]

What I usually do is starting reading another book (mainly Shatterpoint or Labyrinth of Evil) until I get some ideas (i dont think that's plagarism) or go back and edit from the beginning because that tells me what I wanted to go anyway.

[CSI]

What I usually do is starting reading another book (mainly Shatterpoint or Labyrinth of Evil) until I get some ideas (i dont think that's plagarism) or go back and edit from the beginning because that tells me what I wanted to go anyway.

 

For me, I play some K1, K2, CS, and some other games, then read books about SW, and Watch some CSI...It will help me to overcome the writer's block...But frankly, I never had Writer's Block.

[Kas'!m]

I get is sometimes when I'm writing lightsaber duels because I dont want to write the scene over and over again.

[igyman]

My advice: never start writing a story unless you have a basic, a very basic idea of the story's beginning, its plot along with one or two main events and it's end. It has been my five fic long experience that you won't have a writer's block for more than half an hour when you write some of your chapters. As for the rest of the chapters, you won't suffer from writer's block at all.

[RaV™]

Bah, You see how I am going about my work. Though I guess a 15 year old has more to worry bout then a fanfic? Plus one problem for me is the motivation, since I guess my fanfic sorta fell off the map from what I've seen with the 06 choice awards, maybe it can make it's toll in the 07 awards since it's apart of a trilogy.

[Jae Onasi]

If I'm stuck, I just go on to the next thing and write that, even if I won't be posting it for awhile. Sometimes knowing what the end of a chapter or section is going to be helps solve the block on an earlier chapter. I found most of my block happened when I didn't know what I was going to do next. Once I got the overall brief outline down, it made the writing a lot easier.

 

It's kind of like driving someplace new--if you don't have a map, you can sort of meander around and find your destination, but you might hit some dead-ends and it might take you longer to get there. If you do have a map, it's much easier to get to the end efficiently. Once I got about 10 chapters into AoJB, I realized I needed an outline to guide it because it turned out to be a much bigger story than I anticipated. I actually started outlining from the end back instead of forward from where I was. Once I had the end scenes (the big fight with the Sith Lord and the space battle), I could think 'now, I need subplots a, b, and c to get to the end. How am I going to get to subplot a? I'll need them to find who the Sith Lord is. And to b? They have to go to Telos to get info on the ship registry for Dycen'a. For c? Rescue De'layn to find out about Norelden and links to the Sith Lord. Working backwards from subplot c, for instance--to rescue De'layn, they had to find who/where she was taken and why--she had to disappear for a reason, which was being associated with Jolee and crew. How did she get associated with them? She was seen meeting with them in a cantina and she was followed. Why did she have to meet with Jolee and what was it about? She found information about the ship registry, which is part of sub-plotline b.

 

That's sort of how the whole thing went. Once I had these brief ideas set down, it was much easier to flesh them out into characters and scenes, and any blocks I had after that were really short and usually only involved how to word some conversation or stage a battle scene.

[JediMaster12]

All ideas are good. I find often that when I get writer's block, I go wallowing in a hot shower since I write a lot at night. Something about the hot water allows my thoughts to mull over and focus. I often use that time to RP the scenes I am mulling through. In my case, I RP a totally different story like my archaeological story.

What also helps is that you do something else. Read a book, watch a movie or play KOTOR or whatever computer game or console game that hits your fancy. You'd be surprised at what you can come up with when you relax.

[Cygnus Q'ol]

Some writers, when they get the block go even further and do something totally unrealated to their writing like go see a movie or finish a chore or converse with someone about something totally different. It might even be something as simple as watching the news for a while.

 

The idea is to totally disconnect with your current thought process. To take your mind off of it, if you will. It's better to do this before getting too upset. This can be hard to do, especially if you have deadlines. One of the reasons is the fear of not being able to finish or pick up where you left off. Sometimes the pressure of trying to get it done hinders the creative process. Have no worries, it's a normal occurance and it happens to the best writers on the planet.

 

If you have the basic structure in place before you begin, meaning the four parts of a story(character introduction, conflict, climax, and resolution), then you'll be able to re-engage refreshed and look at the plot-line from other angles and points of view thus increasing your chances of finding a bridge between the parts of your story and allowing you to continue to put your creativity to work and fill in the story gaps.

[Emperor Devon]

I've yet to encounter writer's block, but other than several rough chapters, I've never really written a Star Wars fic.

 

Having another person to offer his/her opinions can have an effect. Basic story outlines are simple enough, and two heads can think better than one. They can also point out some of the flaws in the story that might be what's annoying you, though the trade-off is how you'll have to fix them, and they might be entirely unrelated to whether you're having trouble writing or not. Although I don't think she was having any writer's block, I've probably pointed out dozens of little things for Jae to fix in her AoJB revisions. Poor her.

[JediMaster12]

Maybe you should write ED then we can see your style. That is a challenge BTW.

 

Writer's block is something that I deal with on a regular basis because I don't just write stories, I have to write research papers and those can constitute problems too, one I think Jae knows too well

To deal with it, follow the stop, drop, and roll method only it is stop, leave and come back. If you get it, it's not the end of the world. Don't stop writing it because you get frustrated. Sometimes a long break is all you need. To tell the truth it was mach's review of Heart of the Guardian that had me writing it again and even encouraged me to finish Broken Wounds Heal.

[Jae Onasi]

Having another person to offer his/her opinions can have an effect. Basic story outlines are simple enough, and two heads can think better than one. They can also point out some of the flaws in the story that might be what's annoying you, though the trade-off is how you'll have to fix them, and they might be entirely unrelated to whether you're having trouble writing or not. Although I don't think she was having any writer's block, I've probably pointed out dozens of little things for Jae to fix in her AoJB revisions. Poor her.

 

Related to that, sometimes you as the writer may be stuck in a spot and don't know where to take the story next. When someone else reads it, sometimes it's blatantly obvious to them where it should go. That's happened to me once or twice when Jimbo read over one of my chapters. Usually I'd smack my forehead and say "D'oh! That's so obvious--why didn't I see it!" Then I'd go to the computer and start typing furiously. Readers obviously look at things from a very different perspective, and that fresh perspective can make all the difference.

 

Yes, Emperor Devon makes me work my butt off fixing things, but it makes the story better, so I do it.

[Emperor Devon]

Maybe you should write ED then we can see your style. That is a challenge BTW.

 

I'd love to, though I don't have the time.

 

Yes, Emperor Devon makes me work my butt off fixing things, but it makes the story better, so I do it.

 

Mush, I say! Mush!

[JediMaster12]

Oh pooh! I write in between classess even if it is only five minutes. You seem to find plenty of time to correct Jae. I think someone is afraid of writer's block.

[Jae Onasi]

And he's now done with Atlas Unshrugged, so he should have loads of time to do some writing himself.

[Carlo El Sanchez]

What's Writer's block ? anybody mind telling me ?

[Emperor Devon]

Oh pooh! I write in between classess even if it is only five minutes.

 

That I could never do.

 

The duel chapters I wrote in ten or so minutes, but it takes me a lot longer to write high-quality stuff, especially if it's a story. I'm a much faster reader than I am a writer.

 

You seem to find plenty of time to correct Jae. I think someone is afraid of writer's block.

 

Has she shown you some of my beta-readings?

 

And he's now done with Atlas Unshrugged, so he should have loads of time to do some writing himself.

 

That book actually took me a while to read, and I didn't do it at my favorite times. I mainly read it in between classes, and whenever I was on a bus. Not the best of circumstances, considering how fantastic it was - I would rather have read it at a point where I would've had have weeks of spare time, several feet of snow (for the scenery), a large overstuffed chair, and a good deal of wine. (In other words, once I've retired. )

 

Plus I got an even bigger book this Christmas - War and Peace.

 

(Though I've been told that one simply cannot be read when one is busy with life. But I did get another one of Ayn Rand's books.)

 

@Carlo, it's when you can't think of anything to write or are stuck on something.

[CSI]

What's Writer's block ? anybody mind telling me ?

 

Here, take a look, and some tips to overcome it. All from Wikipedia.org.

 

Writer's block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity.

 

Some Tips on Overcoming an Writer's Block:

Some authorities have recommended the following to those suffering from writer's block:

 

1. Setting a time and write whatever comes to mind, without stopping, for that time.

 

2. Using writers' exercises such as "chunking". They use many websites that contain numerous creative writing exercises. Writers read an exercise, and do it.

 

3. Taking a break, meditating, or doing relaxation exercises to relieve any pressure on oneself and on the writing.

 

4. Doing something out of the ordinary. If writer's block comes from a lack of new ideas, attempts to spark creativity by going somewhere new or doing something different can be useful.

 

5. Returning to the writing after a lapse of a day or two.

 

6. Write a basic plot outline of the story, if having problems keeping the story on the rails.

 

7. Write or type out a complete short story by one's favorite author. By the end of ten to twenty pages, the mind is properly engaged to again be creative.

 

8. Brainstorming at the beginning of the writing can help the writer by relating every point to another.

 

Hope it helps.

[Darth Iniquity]

I'm not a writer but i'm pretending to be one. I've had a story floating around in the back of my head for a long time. basically after reading many Star Wars novels when i'm done with the book I put it down and say to myself, "man you know the book I want to read..." So that is how I started. Pages and pages of what I think is a pretty decent story flowed from my fingers in no time at all. This is also surprising to me because I write, and read a bit slow I think.

 

Anyway I've reached a point where everything just stopped. The story is far from over in the back of my head but it just won't continue. I should be starting chapter 8 right now but i'm getting hung up because chapter 4 is nearly blank, and what is there I don't like. I skipped over it thinking I would come back to it, but now I have this need to finish before I move on. Its been over a month since I finished chapter 7 and all i've been able to do is go back and revise and edit what has been written, no new text this whole time.

 

What do others do to break through this?

[Arcesious]

Hmm... I used to get writer's block all the time... But not anymore. Mostly because I had had writer's block so many times before that I decided that certain aspects of stories I want to put in I simply can't put in becuase I'm not good with those parts, so I improvise. (Particularly the fact that I can't put any romance in a story, and can't describe battles very well)

 

If you could tell me what it is about your story that you're having trouble getting finished, then maybe I could lend a few ideas. With writer's block, I've found that whenever I've made a story on my computer and not shown it to anyone to proofread and get C & C from, I get writers block from that. Basically, it helps to have an eager audience encouraging you and waiting for the next chapter.

[Bee Hoon]

Sleep on it

 

Strangely enough, I sometimes find reading other fanfics a good way to get inspiration, but often simply because I don't agree with the way that certain characters and events are portrayed.

 

It helps to have a general idea of where the plot os going, and try to build up a convincing sequence of events. The good thing about having not posted any of it yet is that you'll be able to edit the earlier chapters easily, should you fly off tangent.

 

As Arcesious has said, having someone to bounce ideas off is also helpful. The person doesn't even need to be a Star Wars fan; sometimes a fresh perspective on things will help you more.

 

I hope that helped!

[JCarter426]

If you could tell me what it is about your story that you're having trouble getting finished, then maybe I could lend a few ideas. With writer's block, I've found that whenever I've made a story on my computer and not shown it to anyone to proofread and get C & C from, I get writers block from that. Basically, it helps to have an eager audience encouraging you and waiting for the next chapter.

Good advice.

 

Sleep on it

 

Strangely enough, I sometimes find reading other fanfics a good way to get inspiration, but often simply because I don't agree with the way that certain characters and events are portrayed.

Also good advice (both of them ).

 

And it really depends on what kind of story you're writing. I find that if I go about writing a story with lots of major plot points planned ahead, I wind up going nowhere fast (which is why I have next to nothing out there, and am not satisfied with what is out there ).

 

So don't set out to write a story; set out to write a chapter, and treat each chapter as an individual story. It should have a beginning that draws you in, an end with some action or a big reveal to leave you hanging, and plenty of character development in between. If you have a lot of ideas in mind, put a whole bunch of them in the chapter; you'll think up some more later (but if you need to, save a couple). You'll be better off doing this rather than than trying to spread just those few ideas over a bunch of chapters.

 

Also, if you're writing a KotOR fanfic (just taking a wild guess here ), play the games again. Going back to the source material, as it were.