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As I sit in front of my PC, fingers busily creating on the keyboard, and then that moment arrives, you know, that moment when there simply is nothing there.
I often get them these days, probably my age, but it is common amongst those of us who try to create something for others to read. Yes, I'm talking about those BLOCK moments, when one's brain just can't seem to get the steam train of continuity going again to leave the station.
My method of dealing with it is to get up and go do something different - walk the dogs, cook something, some gardening, or even read something that someone else has written. The best method is walking the dogs (their legs are 4 inches shorter now) for while ambling across the fields, my mind disappears into some different universe as I try to think up a new story or some way of continuing the old one.
Usually I am successful in creating a new story-line; so rush back and go like a steam train for ten, eleven pages before running out of steam.
Fortunately I always manage to have a magic moment and come back to the original story that caused the block in the first place. Sometimes it is months later, so I have to read the whole thing from the start (just to find out what the hell it was about and who was in it) and then almost rewrite the whole lot a better way.
I'd be interested what works for you.
So, here's the question,............. HOW TO YOU BEAT THE BLOCK?
Tanya
(having a moment in the station taking on water)
Comments
I don't really...
I usually just abandon any story line that I get "blocked" on and move on. I only get blocked if the characters stop talking to me, and if they're not talking to me, there's really no reason for me to try to write their story.
EDIT: If they start talking to me again at a later time, I have picked stories back up. I always save what I've already written and hang onto it, in case this happens.
I also always have lots of characters in my head vying for attention, so if a few that are involved together in one story stop talking to me, I can easily just go play with some of my other friends.
Abigail Drew.
The Block
The Block usually takes two forms with me. One is like you describe. I reach that certain spot and I don't know what happens next. The other is when I know what is going to happen but the correct words simply isn't there. In that case I try and put down what I can, and like you said leave it for awhile.
The difference is that I go and pick up another story and work on it for a bit. That's why I tend to finish a slew of four or five stories at once as I jump from one to another. Sometimes my muse will let me concentrate on just tale like it did on Once the Hero, but that doesn't happen often.
The important thing is to not let yourself get frustrated. Being creative is not something you can force. Instead you have to make an environment it can flourish in. Truthfully, my hardest problem is keeping up with all my ideas. By the time I've finished one story, my muse has thoughts for three more. Getting any of them done with that greatly sought after 'The End' is a great challenge.
hugs
Grover
How do you beat the block? Some thoughts and ramblings.
Me, I have so many stories that I am working on that I can usually find one to work on.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
I know the feeling
Some stories fall off the pen (keyboard - my handwriting is c**p) and some take an age to come to where I'm not embarrased to run them by an editor.
My serial (multi-part story, not breakfast) has only taken several years to reach 320 pages. Stuck in a station? This one ended up on an unused branch line in the middle of nowhere for months on end.
Your idea of exercising the canines seems a good one. Firstly it keeps them fit and, secondly, all that fresh air is good for the muse.
My muse is good for muesli most of the time, but I occasionally have 'Eureka' moments, either in the middle of the night or, more embarrassingly, over coffee or lunch with a friend.
Old family motto; "If at first you don't succeed, give up."
The "try again" approach is usually frustrating and often unproductive and, I agree, walk away and wait for inspiration to strike again. If the story is a good one, the ideas will flow naturally. If not, file it in the virtual pending tray.
S.
The more frustrating block is
when you know exactly where you want to go but can't seem to get the words in place. Almost a confidence issue - not sure I can do the story line and characters justice. Don't have advice on how to beat it beside just keep trying.
Fortunately doesn't happen to me
or hasn't so far, but then I don't write that much these days.
Angharad
Angharad
I'm working with that problem now
Except in my case, I have the story, I just don't like it! I need a better ending, and I'm having problems finding it.
When I hit the wall in a normal block, I have used the old "just write anything" method, and it sometimes works for me.
Sometimes I just have to walk (or in my case, roll) away for awhile. I'll come back to it later (on my novel, I've been doing both of these for a good 7 years).
I hope you're not stuck too bad-I was recently led to your website, and I love your work!
I'm looking forward to more!
Wren
Doing anything else that
Doing anything else that doesn't involve too much brain activity has worked to a degree in relaxing the brain when the ideas seem to become unstuck. Where its more of a technique issue (i.e. I know what I want to write but the words come out all wrong on paper) I either try to write it out by starting on something else to the point where the words start flowing again or try re-reading others stories and try and learn from how they have done things.
"Just once I want my life to be like an 80's movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life."
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Working on more than one story at a time...
...helps me beat the block. Being sure not to go more than one day without writing something helps, too. I usually try to write 1000 to 2000 words a day but will settle for 500 if it's a busy day.
Reading helps me beat the block too, though a good book can sometimes lead to procrastination.
Giving myself deadlines helps me beat the block.
I have sometimes left stories for months or years before coming back to finish them.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Another cause
Here's another cause for writer's block. I've got a prequel that I've been working on since I posted a story over on FM, the original was posted back in 2006. Within about two years I had most of the prequel written. I came to a point where, even though I knew what I wanted and approximately what was needed in the way of dialogue, I couldn't write another word. That lasted until earlier this year when I figured out what the problem was.
Turns out I didn't need what I was planning on writing. My muse knew it, but I was so set on the idea of a unique set of wedding vows for my characters that I missed the fact that it was completely superfluous to the story.
So I guess sometimes writer's block is your muse's way of saying stop and reconsider what you are planning, because it may not be necessary to the story or it might even detract from it.
So if I've solved my problem why isn't the story posted here? Well, I was hoping to have Gabi edit both my stories. She edited the first one but never even got to look at the second one before she passed away. She did such an excellent job I know my stories will suffer because she won't be editing the second one. Somehow it just doesn't feel right to turn the job over to someone else.
Wanted: One British editor who's as good as Gabi was. Willing to take on a big editing project 350-400 pages.
Arwen
Blighter's rock
It seems that I'm like you as far as writing is concerned, in that I too find I'm hitting that void far more often - although unlike you, I refuse to believe it's my age, but the car accident I had six months ago.
Sometimes, the blockage is down to a storyline simply fizzling out into nothing. More often than not though, it's because I find holes in the plot; things that just wouldn't or probably couldn't happen and would certainly be picked up by the discerning readers who are kind enough to read my prose.
New stories kind of hit me out of the blue and as long as I keep on plugging away, I know that sooner or later, something I can work with will pop up out of nowhere and off we go again.
Nowadays, I find myself going back over old stories - some of which have been posted, but I feel could probably be improved upon. One in particular that hasn't been posted yet, has been under the microscope this week. It's one I feel could be an absolute belter - perhaps even that elusive bestseller every aspiring author wants to produce.
Today I began reprocessing 'The Sight', getting rid of some of the issues that were raised in the comments and adding a few other bits as I go along. It's hoped it will be republished as complete piece, probably with a different ending, just to keep you punters interested, but as of this moment, I have no idea how that will go as all I've done so far is merge the chapters together and tweak the very beginning.
I'll let you know how it goes ...
I don't just look it, I'm totally captivated by writing
My best way to get through "The Block."
Is to read the comments I get. I'll skim my story but often even long after the story and comments are up I'll go back and read. It never fails to inspire me to get back into the storyline but it also helps me get back on track sometimes of see a place in the plot I can go in a different direction.
Faraway's been a huge help with Vampyre and other things in my Evanescence stories. Fans/Commenters are a huge help. Talking to other writers is great too. Maggie_Finson's sparked so many cool ideas for me just talking. (Thanks so much both of you!)
Another thing is I write mostly series stories and My Honey (Hey Jonelle!) got me to pick a bunch of them and write a bit for each and something did click, you really got to only get a paragraph in and you'll know.
But sometimes writing something you'd normally not write will stretch your mental stuff. I liken it to lifting really heavy things things you normally don't and then going back to the regular stuff is easier, lighter in effort.
That's it for me.
*Big Hugs All.*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
I take a bath
seems like my best ideas happen when I'm in the tub.
Dorothycolleen
Taking a long drive
With desert, mountains and ocean so near, I've no lack of beautiful scenery to massage the cramp out of my psyche. Even cityscapes can work.
I have to be sure to take my laptop along though, the muse strikes without mercy sometimes. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
For me writer's block is a
For me writer's block is a symptom of another problem. I find when I'm experiencing writer's block it's because I need to rethink where I've taken the story and rework it in order to move on.
Which is why I won't write serials. I am often going back and fixing things.
Have delightfully devious day,
I Have Days Where Something Just Flows
Beating the block?
Tanya
I can't. If it comes from within then why fight with myself?
However... Sometimes it can be fooled. Staring at a screen is awful so when it hits I pick up a pen, pencil (and occasionally some coloured crayons) and start drawing mind maps on a big sheet of A3. That way it ceases to be a word problem and (sometimes) becomes a visual solution.
Persephone
Persephone
Non sum qualis eram
Blocks?
I can't say I've ever PERSONALLY experienced a block in my own writing. (been interrupted WAY to many times, but not blocked). I've helped others work THROUGH a block before... generally it's by asking leading questions about what comes next... Sometimes asking questions about some background material, etc. Basically getting the author to think about the story in a way they've not done it before. Not easy, mind you.
What do I do - myself? I plan my stories - way beyond where I'm writing... Does it help? I dunno, to be honest. But, I've never been blocked from writing by not knowing what to say. (Been interupted? YES. Even had another story grab my attention and "demand" to be written. But not sat there stairing at the screen.
Good luck,
Anne
The Block...
When I tend to get hit with writers block, I'll either bounce off to a different story (I usually have three open at any given time, working on any one of the three...) or I will just close the writing program and go do something else for a bit.
Right now, I have a cold induced block that feels like it's just about killed me... and with me starting school next week, i'm not sure thatI will have much time to work on pleasure writing... I am still picking away at the rewrite of Pinks, as well as Mistake and Emma's Story.
Interesting thing to note: Mistake sat for close to two years with just the line: "I looked at my sister who was looking at me..." in it. I wrote that line, but didn't know what I wanted to do with it...
Others, I either get to busy (Which is more often the case, although, Chris Baty from NaNoWriMo said that the best time to try to write a novel is when you don't think that you have time to do so... I happen to agree with that statement.)
Now, I'm going to see if I can break the block on one of the three stories and get some writing done as sleep doesn't seem to be happening at the moment...
Samantha