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Hello, furballs, and welcome to this part of my little writer's assistance guide! Here, I'm going to elaborate on a little-known fact of writing; writer's block. Little-known. Yes, I said that. Yes, I mean that. The truth about writer's block is a little more simple than a lot of writers are willing to consider.
First, a reiteration of some core facts about this guide. I am NOT a trained writer. I've done no courses, no workshops. I don't attend any writers groups, and I don't claim to have professional knowledge. I HAVE been writing for over ten years, and I HAVE sought out the knowledge that I can to improve my skills. However, this little guide is going to have little to nothing to do with technical writing, if I have my way. Rather, this guide is being provided as a way to motivate and inspire other writers here on this site. I'm not going to tell you what to write, or how to write. I only hope to provide you with some mental ‘tools' that will allow you to craft your words to their greatest potential. That said, let us begin!
Writer's block. Just thinking about it conjures to mind long hours staring at a blank piece of paper, or an empty Word document. Shit, you just started that chapter... now where are you going to go with it? Uh-oh; your mind's blanked. You need to continue that story series you've started, but you've got no inspiration to continue it. You're suffering writer's block: bane of the artist's existence. No. You're not. Stop procrastinating. You're not suffering from writer's block. Why, I hear you impotently cry.
The lesson here is this: Writer's Block does not exist.
Yeah, you heard me. You're not suffering from any great problem that plagues all writers. You're not inhibited by your muse running off on you. Writer's block is a misconception, and little more. It's a misconception that results in more writers pulling their fur out (or someone else's fur, if you don't have any) than any other, and it frustrates me no end. There's plenty more things that could get done if we refocused the worry we have about our writer's block to... I dunno... writing.
The thing about writing is that it's hard. Writing's really hard work if you want to devote a lot of your time to it. Crafting believable characters, a deep and meaningful world for them, and then weaving interesting stories for those beings? It's HARD. It's painful even, sometimes. Procrastination is what's behind the false idea of writer's block. The thought that all that work that you're doing could be spent elsewhere. You could have more fun playing that game, or heading out to the shops with your mates.
I'm going to take a moment to be very harsh, and I challenge you to get angry at me if you're offended and then prove me wrong. If you feel like I've just said, then you need to stop. Really. Writing is NOT hard. Writing well, and writing with a professional level of technicality takes time. But writing, simply writing for the pleasure of the art, is NOT. The first lesson was to love what you do. If you can follow that first lesson, then you shouldn't even need to read this one. But for those that still have trouble with writer's block, this is going to hopefully help you out.
What happens when you find yourself blocked? You can't bring yourself to start or continue writing, you find you can't focus, you find you have no creative juices flowing and can't start a new idea, or any combination of those. There's more to it, but really when you're suffering from writer's block, it comes down to those. The reasons behind them can be varied as all hell, and anything from work trouble to emotional unrest to physical unwellness. I'm going to go through and explain now how you can get through those basic blocks and continue to write. Pay attention, children!
First: if you just can't start or continue a project. This isn't writer's block in the first place. Starting something new is always a little harder than continuing on with something you know. I'm writing a novel right now that uses neither of my established universes (my Sol setting and my Renthani setting, for those who follow my work). It is, in fact, non-furry. It's been hard to start, but that's because you have little if nothing to build on. What you need to do, if you feel like this, is to just push on. Just hammer out a few rough pages anyway. You're probably not going to like the results, but that's what editing is for later on.
If you're finding it hard to continue a project, that's closer to the mark. That's not writer's block; that's a wandering mind, and it most often strikes if you take on several projects at once. I can't keep myself focused on ANYTHING for very long. However, the want to simply move onto a new project is what's usually behind that aspect of writer's block. You might have grown bored with what you're working on, or you might have discovered something new and interesting you want to start. Don't stop! Don't break with what you're doing! If anything, outline your idea so it doesn't go anywhere, but then use that enthusiasm to continue the project you've stalled on. If you need to, just sit down for fifteen minutes and force yourself to continue that project. Whenever I do that, I find that the next time I look at the clock is about two hours later.
A warning on what I've just said. If you're writing specifically to present your work to a discriminating audience or you intend for your work to be published (not that I'm in a position to speak on publication, unfortunately), and you find that you're having a hard time writing that story, then read over it. Read everything you've written so far. You might be picking up on some thread of story or some character arc that doesn't work, and your creative mind is telling you to figure out what's wrong first before you continue. Definitely try that if you're not on a deadline, either enforced by yourself or by someone else.
Second: if you just can't focus. *slap* You're procrastinating. Stop it. You might be sick, or suffering from insomnia, or have just gone through an emotional period. Yes, each of those can inhibit your focus and your writing as a whole, but you're letting them affect you negatively. No matter what's going on in your life, if you want to write then you're GOING to write. If you want to write, then take the things that are happening around you, and use them. Anger is the emotion most useful for this because it's good at narrowing your view and focus, but it's also the hardest to tap. When I'm furious, I launch into writing with abandon. Most of what I write when mad never sees the light of day. It's cathartic though, and good for a writer to use. It's the hardest to tap because it's generally not as plentiful as most other emotions, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use the others. Any feeling you experience can be translated to the page. Let your emotions temper your mind and direct you to the page.
Thirdly: if your creative juices just aren't flowing. This one isn't writer's block either. This is your mind telling you to take a little break from whatever you've been working on. It might not even be your writing that's forced your mind to this, but whatever's taking that toll on you needs to be dropped for a day or two. Writing, especially on a schedule or for someone else, can be stressful. My muse is me at five years of age, and he gets pissy with me if I don't let myself have fun outside writing. You need to keep your muse happy if you want your creativity to flow, and I'll go into detail about how to do that in a future installment of this guide. For now, if your juices just aren't flowing, then put the pen down. Go off, have a little fun. Enjoy yourself. Then come back, refreshed and eager, and get started. You'll be surprised what a little diversion can do for your desire to write, and who knows? You might be hit by inspiration from an errant word your friend says.
Finally. The worst kinds of blocks are the ones that aren't any one of the above, but are instead combinations of them. They are, however, just as simple to bypass as the individual blocks. Just go back, and have a look at what you need to do to beat them. You can get through it! It's not that hard!
Really, it isn't. Writing's not hard. You're meant to be having fun doing it, guys. If you're not, you have no business writing in the first place. I don't care if you're writing with typos everywhere and you have seventeen commas in a one-sentence paragraph. Writing is fun, or we wouldn't be doing it. When you're suffering "writer's block", what you're doing is letting your mind get away from you. You don't suffer ‘videogame block' do you? Do you sit down with that hot guy across the room, and suddenly suffer ‘sex block', where you just can't be arsed to entice them back to your place? Hell no. So why do you let it happen to your writing?
Writing is easy, and yet it's still so hard sometimes. It requires an investment of effort and time, and sometimes the reward for it is simply that we've created a story that we want to see. Sometimes we're lucky enough to write something that other people also want to see, and they validate us. But we're not writing for them. We're writing for us, because we enjoy the art. And if you're enjoying the art, then there's no reason why you should be blocked at all. Besides, if you get that writing done, then you can focus your time on enticing that hot guy back to your place.
So, recap time, in handy point format! Write this down, guys!
- WRITER'S BLOCK DOESN'T EXIST. I can't say this enough. Really.
- If you sit back and think that writing's just to hard, you should stop and save yourself the trouble. And if you're pissed at me, please, prove me wrong. Show me.
- Writing is EASY. Writing is FUN.
- If you can't start a project, don't worry! Spend a bit of time planning, then just go for it!
- If you can't continue, stop worrying! Don't be distracted by other things, and stick it out. You'll be glad you did in the end!
- If you can't focus, get your head out of your arse. You can focus. You're just procrastinating. Stop it, and start writing!
- Use your feelings and experiences when they slow you down. Integrate them into your work.
- If the world's getting stressful, back away from everything for a while. Rejuvenate yourself. Enjoy life. Then don't hesitate to pick up your pen again!
- Simply write for fun. Don't write for someone else; enjoy your work, and write it for you. You'd be surprised how good you can feel doing that.
And that's it; that's this guide to writing done! Writer's block is a big issue for a lot of people, and they don't seem to understand that it's all in their head. It's easy to bypass if you understand it, and hopefully this has brought a little understanding your way.
Stay turned, furballs! Next time, we're going to look at motivation! Not suffering writer's block, but just don't feel like writing? Sitting down, but not really in the mood to write? Worry no more! My secrets to keeping yourself interested in your own work will be revealed! Until then, take care!
Faora
First, a reiteration of some core facts about this guide. I am NOT a trained writer. I've done no courses, no workshops. I don't attend any writers groups, and I don't claim to have professional knowledge. I HAVE been writing for over ten years, and I HAVE sought out the knowledge that I can to improve my skills. However, this little guide is going to have little to nothing to do with technical writing, if I have my way. Rather, this guide is being provided as a way to motivate and inspire other writers here on this site. I'm not going to tell you what to write, or how to write. I only hope to provide you with some mental ‘tools' that will allow you to craft your words to their greatest potential. That said, let us begin!
Writer's block. Just thinking about it conjures to mind long hours staring at a blank piece of paper, or an empty Word document. Shit, you just started that chapter... now where are you going to go with it? Uh-oh; your mind's blanked. You need to continue that story series you've started, but you've got no inspiration to continue it. You're suffering writer's block: bane of the artist's existence. No. You're not. Stop procrastinating. You're not suffering from writer's block. Why, I hear you impotently cry.
The lesson here is this: Writer's Block does not exist.
Yeah, you heard me. You're not suffering from any great problem that plagues all writers. You're not inhibited by your muse running off on you. Writer's block is a misconception, and little more. It's a misconception that results in more writers pulling their fur out (or someone else's fur, if you don't have any) than any other, and it frustrates me no end. There's plenty more things that could get done if we refocused the worry we have about our writer's block to... I dunno... writing.
The thing about writing is that it's hard. Writing's really hard work if you want to devote a lot of your time to it. Crafting believable characters, a deep and meaningful world for them, and then weaving interesting stories for those beings? It's HARD. It's painful even, sometimes. Procrastination is what's behind the false idea of writer's block. The thought that all that work that you're doing could be spent elsewhere. You could have more fun playing that game, or heading out to the shops with your mates.
I'm going to take a moment to be very harsh, and I challenge you to get angry at me if you're offended and then prove me wrong. If you feel like I've just said, then you need to stop. Really. Writing is NOT hard. Writing well, and writing with a professional level of technicality takes time. But writing, simply writing for the pleasure of the art, is NOT. The first lesson was to love what you do. If you can follow that first lesson, then you shouldn't even need to read this one. But for those that still have trouble with writer's block, this is going to hopefully help you out.
What happens when you find yourself blocked? You can't bring yourself to start or continue writing, you find you can't focus, you find you have no creative juices flowing and can't start a new idea, or any combination of those. There's more to it, but really when you're suffering from writer's block, it comes down to those. The reasons behind them can be varied as all hell, and anything from work trouble to emotional unrest to physical unwellness. I'm going to go through and explain now how you can get through those basic blocks and continue to write. Pay attention, children!
First: if you just can't start or continue a project. This isn't writer's block in the first place. Starting something new is always a little harder than continuing on with something you know. I'm writing a novel right now that uses neither of my established universes (my Sol setting and my Renthani setting, for those who follow my work). It is, in fact, non-furry. It's been hard to start, but that's because you have little if nothing to build on. What you need to do, if you feel like this, is to just push on. Just hammer out a few rough pages anyway. You're probably not going to like the results, but that's what editing is for later on.
If you're finding it hard to continue a project, that's closer to the mark. That's not writer's block; that's a wandering mind, and it most often strikes if you take on several projects at once. I can't keep myself focused on ANYTHING for very long. However, the want to simply move onto a new project is what's usually behind that aspect of writer's block. You might have grown bored with what you're working on, or you might have discovered something new and interesting you want to start. Don't stop! Don't break with what you're doing! If anything, outline your idea so it doesn't go anywhere, but then use that enthusiasm to continue the project you've stalled on. If you need to, just sit down for fifteen minutes and force yourself to continue that project. Whenever I do that, I find that the next time I look at the clock is about two hours later.
A warning on what I've just said. If you're writing specifically to present your work to a discriminating audience or you intend for your work to be published (not that I'm in a position to speak on publication, unfortunately), and you find that you're having a hard time writing that story, then read over it. Read everything you've written so far. You might be picking up on some thread of story or some character arc that doesn't work, and your creative mind is telling you to figure out what's wrong first before you continue. Definitely try that if you're not on a deadline, either enforced by yourself or by someone else.
Second: if you just can't focus. *slap* You're procrastinating. Stop it. You might be sick, or suffering from insomnia, or have just gone through an emotional period. Yes, each of those can inhibit your focus and your writing as a whole, but you're letting them affect you negatively. No matter what's going on in your life, if you want to write then you're GOING to write. If you want to write, then take the things that are happening around you, and use them. Anger is the emotion most useful for this because it's good at narrowing your view and focus, but it's also the hardest to tap. When I'm furious, I launch into writing with abandon. Most of what I write when mad never sees the light of day. It's cathartic though, and good for a writer to use. It's the hardest to tap because it's generally not as plentiful as most other emotions, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use the others. Any feeling you experience can be translated to the page. Let your emotions temper your mind and direct you to the page.
Thirdly: if your creative juices just aren't flowing. This one isn't writer's block either. This is your mind telling you to take a little break from whatever you've been working on. It might not even be your writing that's forced your mind to this, but whatever's taking that toll on you needs to be dropped for a day or two. Writing, especially on a schedule or for someone else, can be stressful. My muse is me at five years of age, and he gets pissy with me if I don't let myself have fun outside writing. You need to keep your muse happy if you want your creativity to flow, and I'll go into detail about how to do that in a future installment of this guide. For now, if your juices just aren't flowing, then put the pen down. Go off, have a little fun. Enjoy yourself. Then come back, refreshed and eager, and get started. You'll be surprised what a little diversion can do for your desire to write, and who knows? You might be hit by inspiration from an errant word your friend says.
Finally. The worst kinds of blocks are the ones that aren't any one of the above, but are instead combinations of them. They are, however, just as simple to bypass as the individual blocks. Just go back, and have a look at what you need to do to beat them. You can get through it! It's not that hard!
Really, it isn't. Writing's not hard. You're meant to be having fun doing it, guys. If you're not, you have no business writing in the first place. I don't care if you're writing with typos everywhere and you have seventeen commas in a one-sentence paragraph. Writing is fun, or we wouldn't be doing it. When you're suffering "writer's block", what you're doing is letting your mind get away from you. You don't suffer ‘videogame block' do you? Do you sit down with that hot guy across the room, and suddenly suffer ‘sex block', where you just can't be arsed to entice them back to your place? Hell no. So why do you let it happen to your writing?
Writing is easy, and yet it's still so hard sometimes. It requires an investment of effort and time, and sometimes the reward for it is simply that we've created a story that we want to see. Sometimes we're lucky enough to write something that other people also want to see, and they validate us. But we're not writing for them. We're writing for us, because we enjoy the art. And if you're enjoying the art, then there's no reason why you should be blocked at all. Besides, if you get that writing done, then you can focus your time on enticing that hot guy back to your place.
So, recap time, in handy point format! Write this down, guys!
- WRITER'S BLOCK DOESN'T EXIST. I can't say this enough. Really.
- If you sit back and think that writing's just to hard, you should stop and save yourself the trouble. And if you're pissed at me, please, prove me wrong. Show me.
- Writing is EASY. Writing is FUN.
- If you can't start a project, don't worry! Spend a bit of time planning, then just go for it!
- If you can't continue, stop worrying! Don't be distracted by other things, and stick it out. You'll be glad you did in the end!
- If you can't focus, get your head out of your arse. You can focus. You're just procrastinating. Stop it, and start writing!
- Use your feelings and experiences when they slow you down. Integrate them into your work.
- If the world's getting stressful, back away from everything for a while. Rejuvenate yourself. Enjoy life. Then don't hesitate to pick up your pen again!
- Simply write for fun. Don't write for someone else; enjoy your work, and write it for you. You'd be surprised how good you can feel doing that.
And that's it; that's this guide to writing done! Writer's block is a big issue for a lot of people, and they don't seem to understand that it's all in their head. It's easy to bypass if you understand it, and hopefully this has brought a little understanding your way.
Stay turned, furballs! Next time, we're going to look at motivation! Not suffering writer's block, but just don't feel like writing? Sitting down, but not really in the mood to write? Worry no more! My secrets to keeping yourself interested in your own work will be revealed! Until then, take care!
Faora
Category Story / Tutorials
Species Western Dragon
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 177.4 kB
*Nod nod*
I have to agree. I'm about to graduate as a game designer, and we face all kinds of creative processes, including writing. I've been doing nothing but 'creating' for the past week (like, seriously, not a single break to play something) and now that I've one more assignment to get done with... it just.. won't... work XD
A couple of hours from now I need to turn in an entire level's planning, including a series of puzzles.. and... I just wanted to take an hour to play something... But ah well, pressure's part of the business, I suppose ^^
I have to agree. I'm about to graduate as a game designer, and we face all kinds of creative processes, including writing. I've been doing nothing but 'creating' for the past week (like, seriously, not a single break to play something) and now that I've one more assignment to get done with... it just.. won't... work XD
A couple of hours from now I need to turn in an entire level's planning, including a series of puzzles.. and... I just wanted to take an hour to play something... But ah well, pressure's part of the business, I suppose ^^
If there was no pressure, there'd be no challenge. If there was no challenge, it would be too easy. If it were too easy, there'd be no joy in doing it! *chuckles* Personally, I look at those tough moments as a challenge to overcome. I'm competitive, and I enjoy matching my drive to write against my procrastination!
Good luck on the assignment, and congrats on the near-graduation! Hope this guide has helped you out!
Good luck on the assignment, and congrats on the near-graduation! Hope this guide has helped you out!
I agree that writer's block is just a buzz word in the writing community that we tend to use when we've stalled on a project and just don't feel it anymore, or feel stale and unoriginal, or don't like where the story is taking us...really, it's an umbrella excuse that hides a lot of problems we'd rather not admit.
However, I really have to disagree with something: that writing is easy.
No. Just no. I hear enough of that from non-writers as it is. They think we're lazy for committing ourselves to something that anyone can do. Just because anyone can put pen to paper or type in a word document does not make writing easy.
Writing is hard. We're meant to struggle with it. Putting a message, putting the way we see things, putting our lives (or bits of our lives) through the funnel of the English language and into a story that people can relate to is difficult. We're telling life-altering messages here. I'd be a little afraid if it were just that easy. Why the fascination with telling an enthralling life story (or a section of it, or our perspective of it) if it's just that easy to communicate?
I have English professors who still struggle with the same problems I do. Even after publishing a novel, they still struggle with the writing demons. They keep plowing forward, but they would not call writing easy.
Just because one enjoys something does not make it easy. Easy things are, frankly, boring. I enjoy the challenges in life, as I imagine most humans do. It's built into us. So yes, I can find writing to be difficult, painful, and mind-warping, but I can still enjoy it at the same time.
If you're talking about just spilling words onto the page, then yes, writing is easy, because indeed, anyone can do it. If you're talking about creating a polished piece, or a cohesive novel that people will read cover to cover, or a brilliant, punchy short story, then no, I would not say that it's easy.
However, I really have to disagree with something: that writing is easy.
No. Just no. I hear enough of that from non-writers as it is. They think we're lazy for committing ourselves to something that anyone can do. Just because anyone can put pen to paper or type in a word document does not make writing easy.
Writing is hard. We're meant to struggle with it. Putting a message, putting the way we see things, putting our lives (or bits of our lives) through the funnel of the English language and into a story that people can relate to is difficult. We're telling life-altering messages here. I'd be a little afraid if it were just that easy. Why the fascination with telling an enthralling life story (or a section of it, or our perspective of it) if it's just that easy to communicate?
I have English professors who still struggle with the same problems I do. Even after publishing a novel, they still struggle with the writing demons. They keep plowing forward, but they would not call writing easy.
Just because one enjoys something does not make it easy. Easy things are, frankly, boring. I enjoy the challenges in life, as I imagine most humans do. It's built into us. So yes, I can find writing to be difficult, painful, and mind-warping, but I can still enjoy it at the same time.
If you're talking about just spilling words onto the page, then yes, writing is easy, because indeed, anyone can do it. If you're talking about creating a polished piece, or a cohesive novel that people will read cover to cover, or a brilliant, punchy short story, then no, I would not say that it's easy.
The great thing, for me, about putting all these guides up here for other writers to view is the feedback I'm getting on them. Really shows how much I could miss my intended mark, when someone considers something in a new light. I'm going to have to work on that!
I would put forward that writing is easy, but that proper refinement of the craft is something that can take a lifetime or more to master. Learning the intricacies of the written word, all the appropriate uses for those words, and how to string them together not only coherently but interestingly, that is difficult. But simply writing -- just sitting down and putting pen to paper and giving it a shot -- is not.
I did note in the article that writing at any sort of professional level is something that takes time, and in that we are in agreement. Personally, I love that I struggle with my writing from time to time. It forces me to stop, to sit and think, and plot and plan, and evaluate what I'm trying to do. My writing, personally, grows from my stalls, and it seems like you're the same way. I'd be worried if it was as simple as a conversation, to write out an epic novel.
I agree that enjoyment of something does not make it easy, and I agree that easy things are boring. However, it was not my point to express the opinion that all writing is easy. My point that simply writing something, is easy. In doing that, one can see that they have no block at all, and should continue on the work that they enjoy and love so. At least, the work that I HOPE they enjoy and love so!
Thank you very much for your thoughts on the subject, and I hope my response has shed a little more light on the intent I tried to convey within my self-imposed article length limitation!
Faora
I would put forward that writing is easy, but that proper refinement of the craft is something that can take a lifetime or more to master. Learning the intricacies of the written word, all the appropriate uses for those words, and how to string them together not only coherently but interestingly, that is difficult. But simply writing -- just sitting down and putting pen to paper and giving it a shot -- is not.
I did note in the article that writing at any sort of professional level is something that takes time, and in that we are in agreement. Personally, I love that I struggle with my writing from time to time. It forces me to stop, to sit and think, and plot and plan, and evaluate what I'm trying to do. My writing, personally, grows from my stalls, and it seems like you're the same way. I'd be worried if it was as simple as a conversation, to write out an epic novel.
I agree that enjoyment of something does not make it easy, and I agree that easy things are boring. However, it was not my point to express the opinion that all writing is easy. My point that simply writing something, is easy. In doing that, one can see that they have no block at all, and should continue on the work that they enjoy and love so. At least, the work that I HOPE they enjoy and love so!
Thank you very much for your thoughts on the subject, and I hope my response has shed a little more light on the intent I tried to convey within my self-imposed article length limitation!
Faora 
I'm glad you put this up, I learned some things from it ^.=.^ We can call it just writer's block, it's just procrastination...which is, in my opinion, the same thing.
I don't want to sound like a dick or anything but if I'm having one of these "block" moments...I'm still gonna refer to it as "block". I might as well right? If anything, it easier than saying "Procrastination", especially for the extremely lazy.
But seriously, I really agree with this, Thank you for posting this.
I don't want to sound like a dick or anything but if I'm having one of these "block" moments...I'm still gonna refer to it as "block". I might as well right? If anything, it easier than saying "Procrastination", especially for the extremely lazy.
But seriously, I really agree with this, Thank you for posting this.
*laughs* It wouldn't make you a dick for still calling it writer's block. The point to the guide wasn't to say that it doesn't exist, but rather to provide understanding of the different facets that make up a block. And, with that knowledge, a writer is more capable of fighting it off in honourable, bloody, hand-to-hand combat.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the guide, and I'm very glad to hear I was able to help you! Hope you enjoy the other guides, as well!
Faora
Glad to hear you enjoyed the guide, and I'm very glad to hear I was able to help you! Hope you enjoy the other guides, as well!
Faora 
I would say that I couldn't have said it better myself, but that would undermine the entire point of my guides! *laughs* Hope you found something useful in it!
Faora
Faora 
Spot on. Absolutely spot on. I can't recall the amount of times I just sit around with a doc file open or notebook page sitting in front of me and I just go "Meh..." and go play video games or waste time on wikis out of sheer lack of effort. Though rampant ADD probably doesn't help things. But yes, "writer's block" is simply a euphamism for insufficient effort.
I personally find that the term "Writer's Block" has power beyond what the issues it comprises actually do. It's easy to say that you suffer from writer's block, and just call it then and there. Feeling like you suffer from it evokes feelings of dread, and can stall out a lot of writers just at the thought of it. Hopefully, in breaking it down to the core issues that writer's block is made of, people can handle it a bit differently. Hopefully it can help them put pen to paper again! And hopefully you found something of worth in the guide; thank you for reading!
Faora
Faora 
I certainly hope so! Thanks for checking it out, and I hope you can take something positive from this guide, and the others!
Faora
Faora 
*rubs her paws*
Okay; ouch. You just rapped me on the knuckles there. And thank you for it!
I have to admit that over the past 24 years in which I have been writing, I have suffered from many of the blocks you described up there. Mind-wandering and procrastination being the worst of them; if I would have a nickel for every time... well, you get the idea. And now, with the internet, it's even getting so much worse; I can even find myself getting 'research block', haha! Do I need certain specifications for a specific model of car from a specific construction year? Do I need detailed specifications of how a certain enterprise works? Oh, it's so unbelievably easy to find exactly all that what you are looking for online! Unfortunately, it's also way too easy to get distracted with all the rest of the stuff you can just as easily find when you are looking for something online!
So yes, I definitely know of myself that some of the writer's blocks I sometimes suffer from are just my wavering attention to what I was actually doing. *rubs her paws again* Thanks for that rap on the knuckles =~.^=
However. There is one kind of block that I did not see you describe up there, or at least not exactly, and which is one that unfortunately, I find myself facing a lot of times too, and it's one that I dread the most. So here I am, and I have worked on a story project, fleshing it out, creating the characters, the setting, perhaps even a plot point (although that's doubtful because plot is the one thing I find I almost am unable to create), and I have started out writing the story that I have in mind. And then, for any reason whatsoever; bam, there is that writer's block. It's not my attention being drawn away by something else. It's not mere procrastination. It's not that I can't get any new ideas, or grow bored with what I was doing. It's not exactly that I have too many different ideas for too many different projects (a problem that I do have because I tend to take on several different projects at a time). It's, in fact, the problem that I have the severe disability to create a connection between my mind and my pen. The ideas for the story I am working on are right there. I just have to close my eyes, and I can see the scene that is coming up in my story or chapter playing out in my mind in vivid detail in Technicolor and Dolby Surround. I look at my paper, or my screen, and right there is the lead-up to that scene in my mind, waiting patiently for me to get the scene in my mind down onto the paper or into the computer.
And I can't do it.
I just... can't... do... it.
It's frustrating as hell. I stare myself blind on the paper or at the screen. I close my eyes and see the scene that needs to be written. I see the words forming, the sentences stringing together harmoniously. I know exactly what I want to write and how to write it, how to describe everything. I open my eyes and lift my fingers over the keyboard, my pen on the paper. And... nothing. I just can't get the words down physically. Why? I wish I knew.
I've talked about this oftentimes with my mate, who also is a good writer. She asks me every time what the trouble is, why I can't get the words down. And oh, the times I've yelled out in frustration; "If I knew what the problem was, I could do something about it! But I don't know!"
So I take breaks. Long breaks. I get frustrated with myself, up to the point that I don't even find enjoyment in distractions like video games or reading anymore. I disappoint my mate in taking breaks from even our very frequent roleplaying which we do to write scenes for our stories (which, by the way, I find is an excellent way to write stories!). And I call it writer's block. I curse my muse for leaving me high and dry. I threaten my muse with chaining her to a chair and whipping her before firing her. I fact; I have. I've fired my muse, and I have appointed my darling new character Celeste as my new muse, because she gives me so much inspiration.
I am SO weird
But hey! I'm a writer! We're allowed to be weird! It's called an artist eccentricity =~.^=
Still. I do believe that with this guide at hand, I can overcome even those frustrating blocks that I just now described, so I would like to thank you for your insightful article! And I also want to thank you again for calling me on the other blocks of just losing concentration and letting my attention wander elsewhere; I needed that rap on the knuckles. *rubs her paws again* Did you have to do it that hard, though? =~.^=
Okay; ouch. You just rapped me on the knuckles there. And thank you for it!
I have to admit that over the past 24 years in which I have been writing, I have suffered from many of the blocks you described up there. Mind-wandering and procrastination being the worst of them; if I would have a nickel for every time... well, you get the idea. And now, with the internet, it's even getting so much worse; I can even find myself getting 'research block', haha! Do I need certain specifications for a specific model of car from a specific construction year? Do I need detailed specifications of how a certain enterprise works? Oh, it's so unbelievably easy to find exactly all that what you are looking for online! Unfortunately, it's also way too easy to get distracted with all the rest of the stuff you can just as easily find when you are looking for something online!
So yes, I definitely know of myself that some of the writer's blocks I sometimes suffer from are just my wavering attention to what I was actually doing. *rubs her paws again* Thanks for that rap on the knuckles =~.^=
However. There is one kind of block that I did not see you describe up there, or at least not exactly, and which is one that unfortunately, I find myself facing a lot of times too, and it's one that I dread the most. So here I am, and I have worked on a story project, fleshing it out, creating the characters, the setting, perhaps even a plot point (although that's doubtful because plot is the one thing I find I almost am unable to create), and I have started out writing the story that I have in mind. And then, for any reason whatsoever; bam, there is that writer's block. It's not my attention being drawn away by something else. It's not mere procrastination. It's not that I can't get any new ideas, or grow bored with what I was doing. It's not exactly that I have too many different ideas for too many different projects (a problem that I do have because I tend to take on several different projects at a time). It's, in fact, the problem that I have the severe disability to create a connection between my mind and my pen. The ideas for the story I am working on are right there. I just have to close my eyes, and I can see the scene that is coming up in my story or chapter playing out in my mind in vivid detail in Technicolor and Dolby Surround. I look at my paper, or my screen, and right there is the lead-up to that scene in my mind, waiting patiently for me to get the scene in my mind down onto the paper or into the computer.
And I can't do it.
I just... can't... do... it.
It's frustrating as hell. I stare myself blind on the paper or at the screen. I close my eyes and see the scene that needs to be written. I see the words forming, the sentences stringing together harmoniously. I know exactly what I want to write and how to write it, how to describe everything. I open my eyes and lift my fingers over the keyboard, my pen on the paper. And... nothing. I just can't get the words down physically. Why? I wish I knew.
I've talked about this oftentimes with my mate, who also is a good writer. She asks me every time what the trouble is, why I can't get the words down. And oh, the times I've yelled out in frustration; "If I knew what the problem was, I could do something about it! But I don't know!"
So I take breaks. Long breaks. I get frustrated with myself, up to the point that I don't even find enjoyment in distractions like video games or reading anymore. I disappoint my mate in taking breaks from even our very frequent roleplaying which we do to write scenes for our stories (which, by the way, I find is an excellent way to write stories!). And I call it writer's block. I curse my muse for leaving me high and dry. I threaten my muse with chaining her to a chair and whipping her before firing her. I fact; I have. I've fired my muse, and I have appointed my darling new character Celeste as my new muse, because she gives me so much inspiration.
I am SO weird
But hey! I'm a writer! We're allowed to be weird! It's called an artist eccentricity =~.^=
Still. I do believe that with this guide at hand, I can overcome even those frustrating blocks that I just now described, so I would like to thank you for your insightful article! And I also want to thank you again for calling me on the other blocks of just losing concentration and letting my attention wander elsewhere; I needed that rap on the knuckles. *rubs her paws again* Did you have to do it that hard, though? =~.^=
Hey,pain's a good teacher! If the lesson hurts, you remember it better! *chuckles* I was a little antsy when I wrote this. I'm sick of writer's block being used as an excuse for writers to be lazy. We're better than that!
Your form of writer's block is a more complicated form that I left out for space reasons; back when I wrote this, I was still trying to keep guides short. As a matter of fact, this is something that I still suffer from to this day. I call it, 'Creative Overload.' What happens is that you spend so much time fleshing out a world, a series of characters and a story, that when the time comes to actually write the story you don't have anything left in the tank. You want to write, but you look down at your notes and... well, it's all THERE. It evokes a groan response at the thought of putting inked quill to parchment to actually write the story itself. This is why, in my Settings guide, I suggested not spending all one's time focused on the creation aspect of the world, and instead let the world grow in part through the writing process.
Ultimately, the solution I've found (which works for me; I can't promise anything for you, unfortunately!) is to not let myself take breaks. I don't let myself stop. I push forward with the writing, and I fight through that block. And then, a moment will come when I reach a point in my story where, on a whim, something not in my notes will happen. I'll add something that I never planned to add before, and that element of uncertainty will be back. It's a thrill of excitement, and it spurs me on. Last year, I wrote a fantasy novel. At the start of the third chapter, a random male and female are walking down a garden path together, and nastiness ensues. Originally, they were just random people. However, as I wrote it, one of them became related to the main character. Suddenly, EVERYTHING that came after that scene was different. Everything had changed. And I was suddenly PUMPED.
Don't let the block win! Push yourself, and work your way through it. Writer's block, in any form, doesn't just go away. It preys on our nature to wait and procrastinate, and keeps us from getting anything done. Meet your block with fire and steel, and slay it before it can strike again!
Hopefully this helped! *offers some bandaids for your paws*
Your form of writer's block is a more complicated form that I left out for space reasons; back when I wrote this, I was still trying to keep guides short. As a matter of fact, this is something that I still suffer from to this day. I call it, 'Creative Overload.' What happens is that you spend so much time fleshing out a world, a series of characters and a story, that when the time comes to actually write the story you don't have anything left in the tank. You want to write, but you look down at your notes and... well, it's all THERE. It evokes a groan response at the thought of putting inked quill to parchment to actually write the story itself. This is why, in my Settings guide, I suggested not spending all one's time focused on the creation aspect of the world, and instead let the world grow in part through the writing process.
Ultimately, the solution I've found (which works for me; I can't promise anything for you, unfortunately!) is to not let myself take breaks. I don't let myself stop. I push forward with the writing, and I fight through that block. And then, a moment will come when I reach a point in my story where, on a whim, something not in my notes will happen. I'll add something that I never planned to add before, and that element of uncertainty will be back. It's a thrill of excitement, and it spurs me on. Last year, I wrote a fantasy novel. At the start of the third chapter, a random male and female are walking down a garden path together, and nastiness ensues. Originally, they were just random people. However, as I wrote it, one of them became related to the main character. Suddenly, EVERYTHING that came after that scene was different. Everything had changed. And I was suddenly PUMPED.
Don't let the block win! Push yourself, and work your way through it. Writer's block, in any form, doesn't just go away. It preys on our nature to wait and procrastinate, and keeps us from getting anything done. Meet your block with fire and steel, and slay it before it can strike again!
Hopefully this helped! *offers some bandaids for your paws*
Ohhh, yes... exactly! I unfortunately know all too well what you mean on how this kind of block happens, for it has struck me too many times to be funny anymore. It has left me with several projects which are collecting virtual dust in my text files folder because I never found the energy anymore to return to work on them after I had gotten so frustrated with them because of such a block. Still, I am also very hesitant to scrap them, because the things that I did already write are just too good to throw away... Similarly, I have bunches of unfinished stories and loose scenes that just sit there and of which I know they will never grow into good stories, but I keep them around and sometimes re-read them, and find something in them that I can use in other stories that I am working on.
The thing I usually did when I had a certain scene so vividly in my mind was just write it. I have several stories in progress, even my main largest project, which consist of one or more chapters already in the 'finished' stage, and then a bunch of loose scenes with blank pages in between them. Some stories even consist of nothing but loose scenes with no beginning and no ending, just sitting there waiting to be linked together with the rest of the writing that is supposed to come in between. I found doing that did help in getting those vivid scenes out of my head, because while they are in my head, they can remain there in that clear form for days, weeks, months... but as soon as I have written them actually down, they're gone from my head, which leaves room for new ideas and new scenes.
I am definitely going to try your advice! Maybe it will help, maybe it will not, but I can't know that if I don't try it, right? And who knows, perhaps it might help me in ways I would have never thought of! I know, in any way, how something so initially irrelevant can turn into something very important; I have seen that happening in some of my stories.
(An example; once I was writing on a random scene in a story of mine, and I had the album "Live in London" by John Denver playing in the background. At one point there was the song "Spirit", which has the chorus starting with "Apollo taught me to rhyme, Orpheus taught me to play". Without me even noticing it, I suddenly had a character named Orpehus popping up in that scene I was writing on, and he evolved into a very important character with a lot of influence on the rest of the story! And the impact Orpheus had on the story changed so much of my initial plans for future scenes that it gave me a whole new boost to write more and a lot of new plans!)
So yes, even if it might turn out not to work for me like it did for you, I will definitely take your advice to heart and try it out! *giggles* And you're right, a lesson learned harshly and with a bit of pain is one you're much less likely to forget than a gentle rebuke. So once again, thank you for tapping me on the paws on it =~.^=
The thing I usually did when I had a certain scene so vividly in my mind was just write it. I have several stories in progress, even my main largest project, which consist of one or more chapters already in the 'finished' stage, and then a bunch of loose scenes with blank pages in between them. Some stories even consist of nothing but loose scenes with no beginning and no ending, just sitting there waiting to be linked together with the rest of the writing that is supposed to come in between. I found doing that did help in getting those vivid scenes out of my head, because while they are in my head, they can remain there in that clear form for days, weeks, months... but as soon as I have written them actually down, they're gone from my head, which leaves room for new ideas and new scenes.
I am definitely going to try your advice! Maybe it will help, maybe it will not, but I can't know that if I don't try it, right? And who knows, perhaps it might help me in ways I would have never thought of! I know, in any way, how something so initially irrelevant can turn into something very important; I have seen that happening in some of my stories.
(An example; once I was writing on a random scene in a story of mine, and I had the album "Live in London" by John Denver playing in the background. At one point there was the song "Spirit", which has the chorus starting with "Apollo taught me to rhyme, Orpheus taught me to play". Without me even noticing it, I suddenly had a character named Orpehus popping up in that scene I was writing on, and he evolved into a very important character with a lot of influence on the rest of the story! And the impact Orpheus had on the story changed so much of my initial plans for future scenes that it gave me a whole new boost to write more and a lot of new plans!)
So yes, even if it might turn out not to work for me like it did for you, I will definitely take your advice to heart and try it out! *giggles* And you're right, a lesson learned harshly and with a bit of pain is one you're much less likely to forget than a gentle rebuke. So once again, thank you for tapping me on the paws on it =~.^=
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