What do you do?

[entitled]

With the winter holiday contest almost upon us, and nano coming up quickly, i had this idea to put something down last night and enter it. Just because it would be fun. It would also be fun to depart from the normal monster-ish rape-type stuff and go for something more romantic and mooshy. Not to mention lesbian, just for kicks.

i know where the story's heading. i know how to get there. i know what words need to be put down where - the whole thing is written out in my head, and playing like a movie clip looping around. The problem is that every time i try to put the words on paper (or through the keyboard, or whatever) it hits how long it's been since doing anything similar. The thought process comes to a complete standstill. The mental brick wall rises.

How do you get past this?

 

[cloudy]

That's something we've all gone through at one time or another.

Writer's Block

Looking for help

Best way of dealing with...

Writer's Block or self-indulgent laziness?

how do you get over a block?

Writer's Block

(there's gobs of thread on it, those are just the ones with the most replies)

 

[entitled]

That's something we've all gone through at one time or another.

(there's gobs of thread on it, those are just the ones with the most replies)

i knew i liked you for a reason.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I wrote a romantic/nostalgic story for the holiday contest last year. It fought me every step of the way, because it was so unlike anything I normally write. Like you, I had it in my head exactly the way it should be. I forced it out onto the page and then I got a good editor to help me beat it into submission. It won. So, don't give up, just chain yourself to the keyboard and make the words come out even if you don't think they're flowing the way they should. This is where the work part of writing comes in.... I think we've all had this problem at one time or another. Good luck!

 

[TxRad]

A good hammer works... apply liberally to the back of your head..... It knocks them stuck words right on out of there....

Yeap.... Now's where being a writer is work... going out of your normal box is scary but it help growth, believe me.... Just keep on pounding them keys and like Carson said find a good editor and together y'all can get it done...

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I think editing and revising are easier than writing in the first place, and I think it's better to write crap than to write nothing, sitting around waiting for it to work itself out in your head, which it will never do.

Write your story out in all its crappy glory and then go back and rip it up and revise and repair until it's closer to what you want. Sometimes you don't even know what the problems are until you get it down on paper. Sometimes you don't even know what the story's really about until you see it in print.

If I can help, let me know.

--Zoot

 

[impressive]

Write your story out in all its crappy glory and then go back and rip it up and revise and repair until it's closer to what you want.

I will be trying this approach for the first time with NaNo.

Until now, I've always just shelved a blocked story ... and resumed when/if the inspiration resurfaced.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I will be trying this approach for the first time with NaNo.

Until now, I've always just shelved a blocked story ... and resumed when/if the inspiration resurfaced.

It works, it's very difficult to let go of the control and perfectionism of making it perfect the first time around, but it really does force you to grow as a writer.

 

[impressive]

It works, it's very difficult to let go of the control and perfectionism of making it perfect the first time around, but it really does force you to grow as a writer.

Well ... I don't claim it's perfect even when I do it the old way. *grin* Still, I understand and hope I experience the growth you mention.

 

[entitled]

Right.

Handcuff self to keyboard.

Ignore outside world until it's all down.

Find an editor, revise, send to editor, revise as needed.

Something tells me this could take a while.

 

[matriarch]

Right.

Handcuff self to keyboard.

Ignore outside world until it's all down.

Find an editor, revise, send to editor, revise as needed.

Something tells me this could take a while.

Which is exactly why my block has currently extended to around 8 months.

*sigh*.

 

[entitled]

Which is exactly why my block has currently extended to around 8 months.

*sigh*.

i'll beat the block out of you if you beat the block out of me.

 

[matriarch]

i'll beat the block out of you if you beat the block out of me.

Sweetheart, you're welcome to try.
I currently have one story almost finished......and another 8 or 9 in various stages of 'completion'.

In my defence, I will say, that my life has been such a turmoil of change and readjustment over the last 18 months, that I'm surprised I managed to write anything at all in that time. I guess I've just been made to make some space for myself to settle into a new life. I'm hoping that very soon, the creative urge will raise its head again, and I'll be pounding the keyboard to good effect.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I read about this writer who every morning gets out his gun, points it at his head and says out loud: "Well, sonny - are you gonna get typing, or what?"

 

[mack_the_knife]

... and I think it's better to write crap than to write nothing, sitting around waiting for it to work itself out in your head, which it will never do ...

I'll be sure to post something when I get done doing this.

 

[Belegon]

I'm able to do the forced writing thing on my sportswriting because I have a deadline...I'm looking to NaNo to try this with fiction, like Imp is...

but I did note that someone is now handcuffed to their keyboard...an image that could spark something if I think about it the right way

 

[entitled]

I'm able to do the forced writing thing on my sportswriting because I have a deadline...I'm looking to NaNo to try this with fiction, like Imp is...

but I did note that someone is now handcuffed to their keyboard...an image that could spark something if I think about it the right way

Keep thinking. i'm still here.

 

[entitled]

Sweetheart, you're welcome to try.
I currently have one story almost finished......and another 8 or 9 in various stages of 'completion'.

In my defence, I will say, that my life has been such a turmoil of change and readjustment over the last 18 months, that I'm surprised I managed to write anything at all in that time. I guess I've just been made to make some space for myself to settle into a new life. I'm hoping that very soon, the creative urge will raise its head again, and I'll be pounding the keyboard to good effect.

hmm... If we send each other a partial story, could the other possibly provide the next sentence, as a jumping off point? It's been known to work in the past.

 

[elsol]

Change the process you use to write...

I do very similar archetypes and storylines. If I were going to change that up, I'd change the process from the ground up.

Write at different times
Do complete outlines
etc.

Basically shake myself up along with the writing.

Sincerely,
ElSol