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@gretald, @bluejay, @writefury, @daeus, @hannah-olsen, @mark-kamibaya, @Sarah-H, @kate-flournoy, @emma-flournoy, @dragon-snapper, @michael-stanton
I am suffering from major writer’s block. I’ll start in the morning and find that, at 3:00 I have 300 words (give or take). This has been happening for several days now, and I am getting stressed out. I have thought about leaving the project alone, but I have a deadline for July, and I am in the early stages of editing. Suggestions?
Jackson E. Graham
http://jacksonegraham.wixsite.com/jackson-e-graham@warrioroftherealm NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! *commiserates with you*
Okay, first off, I like your profile pic. Very heroic. And secondly, I’d be sure that you’re reading enough. Also, if you want to get some practice and get up to speed, you can check out the Writing Dares thread here. At least then you can finish something short. I also usually check for plot holes, and if i haven’t planned too far into the future, then I’ll go even further. However, since you have a deadline, you might have already planned. Other than that,I can’t wait to hear what other people say, because I’m having a hard time writing too.☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
@warrioroftherealm Hmm. What type of writer’s block. Like, your brain feels dead and you want to collapse on the ground and gasp? Or do you feel restless and can’t stay in front of the computer? Or do you have great concentration but aren’t feeling satisfied with any ideas? Or something else?
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@Warrioroftherealm *solemn face* This is very serious. Let me think…
Actually it’s a very real possibility that you’re taking yourself too seriously. One of the things that really slows me down with my work is obsessing over tiny, tiny things— like word choice, or the eighteenth layer of subtext. Or even sometimes spending an hour groaning over a scene that just doesn’t feel right and banging my head against the wall and refusing to write a single word that isn’t flowing deep and true from fully stimulated creativity.
Cliche as it sounds— just write. Even if every word makes you feel sick just to look at it. Once you have it down you can get it off your chest and move on, then go back with renewed perspective. Oftentimes it’s looking back on a scene that I find the way to make it really shine.Other potential problems are lack of planning—look who’s talking, but I have seriously, seriously grown to value what an outline, however rough, can do for you— and/or no clue where you want to take the story or what you’re trying to say with it.
Probably a mix of #1 (exhausted) and #3 (not satisfied with ideas). I also heard you have published your book! Congrats!
Thanks for the advice! I find it difficult to not obsess over how something should be written.
Thanks for the advice! Your profile pic looks cool too. 🙂
Jackson E. Graham
http://jacksonegraham.wixsite.com/jackson-e-graham@warrioroftherealm I wrote a blog post on this subject a while back: http://www.theliterarycrusader.com/blog/how-to-cope-with-a-chronic-case-of-writers-block Maybe it would at least encourage you. 🙂
@kate-flournoy I will take that in to mind for the next time I try to write something. Because I care too much. I am a perfectionist.
☀ ☀ ☀ ENFP ☀ ☀ ☀
@warrioroftherealm Plotting may be one of your best helps. It will give you more confidence in writing and will take a lot of the thought work out of writing, which can be exhausting.
Also, if you have any distractions nearby while you’re writing, take those away.
Never edit while you’re writing. Always do it later.
Accountability can help. Try out the writer’s corner. Or give yourself a reward for getting a certain amount written and/or a punishment for not getting it done.
Take a moment to examine what excites you about the book. This may even give you some new plot or character development ideas.
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@warrioroftherealm this was me a few months ago. To be honest I have only one point of advice, and it worked perfectly for me.
Pray. Commit your struggles to God. Ask him to work through you.
(I know it might sound a bit stuck-up Christian to say so, but that’s my tip.) It’ll work, trust me.Writing Heroes ♦ Writing Hope // janemareeauthor.com.au
@warrioroftherealm Oh, dang. I feel for you.
I second what @jane-maree said. I myself am just recovering from a debilitating bout of writers block, and what I ended up having to do was surrender my work to the Lord and let Him do what He wanted. It does amazing things for stress. 🙂INTJ ➸Your friendly neighborhood mastermind. ➸https://thesarcasticelf.wordpress.com/
@warrioroftherealm Sorry to hear you’re dealing with Writer’s Block, because I just came out of a dry spell myself. It definitely isn’t the best feeling in the world. -_-
I feel like there really is no ‘best way’ to deal with the dreaded Writer’s Block, since I’ve found it seems different for every writer. Some ways work better, while others just defeat the purpose. However, one thing I’ve found that helps me immensely is picking up a new book and just reading for a few days. This refreshes/encourages me and gives me the inspiration and extra boost I need. Just taking a break for a good while and being the reader instead of the author can really help. Then, when you come back to your story, re-read it, and you may notice something like, “Oh, I should change this to this,” or “I could’ve added ____ here, and really made the scene perfect.” Then you’ll get on a roll, new thoughts will come and you’ll be back to writing.
I hope this helps you! I know it works for me! Good luck! 🙂
@warrioroftherealm
Talk to me a little more. What exactly is slowing you down or what are you unsatisfied with?A HUGE part of writers block for me is not knowing how to tie everything together (I have a VERY intricate backstory because the story is about uncovering a mystery). For me, I had to figure out a way to tie all of my main character’s backstories together so that they would have motivation to be at odds with one another in the actual story. Once I got a solid, tightly knit backstory together, I was able to hammer forward.
Just wondering what is getting you stuck.
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