i've always loved to write and now i have writers block haven't got a clue what to write about have u got any suggestions
i've always loved to write and now i have writers block haven't got a clue what to write about have u got any suggestions
Well, writer's block is generally inevitable for most, from time to time.
It's hard to gauge whether what works for one writer will work for another, but for me, a couple of things usually help. For one thing, if I'm trying to write in a specific mood but can't, some fitting music generally helps me get into the right mindset (Another One Bites the Dust for something morbid, the themes to Hook or Raiders of the Lost Ark for adventure, Highway to the Danger Zone or the like for action, etc.).
For another, if I'm having trouble getting inspired, sometimes I'll take a break from writing and do some editing, either on the same piece or on something totally different. It usually helps me regain a feel for my voice, and gets some editing done besides.
If nothing else, stepping away from the keyboard/typewriter/desk for a few hours, or perhaps even a few days, tends to do the trick.
Keep in mind, though, that I prefer to write fiction, and while these may work, you'll probably have to tweak them to fit whatever you're trying to write. Best of luck, and hope these helped,
Robin
Por una cabeza
Si ella me olvida
Qué importa perderme
Mil veces la vida
Para qué vivir
One thing I do, and like Robin, I write fiction, is to stop writing, take a notebook and just write down ideas for a story. I was trying to break a writer's block myself recently, and that worked well for me. Over a dozen short stories came out of those scrawled notes and outlines. Then also, like most writers, you probably have a slush pile, work that you did that didn't turn out like you wanted, but can't bear to throw away. Review and revise them. Who knows? It might be the next bestseller! I'm currently revising a slush pile myself at the moment. Maybe one of them will sell, who can say?
I've had poems go from slush pile to publication so carpe diem!
Some of us laugh
Some of us cry
Some of us smoke
Some of us lie
But it's all just the way
that we cope with our lives...
Personally, I never force myself to write. I only write when I'm feeling 'inspired' (i.e. I let it come to me) because usually when I force myself to write I just end up being very frustrated and grumpy and the material is crap.
So I would advise just taking it easy, don’t think about writing, try to do something you really enjoy such as taking a walk maybe, or get a cup of coffee at a nice café or something.
So that would be my advice, hope I've been of some help.
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Plato
I agree with Jerousrirai. Don't ever force yourself to write, you may end up writing meanigless piece as a result. Write only when you feel inspired to meaningful subject.
For me, when I can't write but really want to, I start reading a book (preferably of the same type/genre that I am writting). However, you run the risk of stealing ideas, so try to avoid that.
Also (but this may just be for me) when I am stuck - not so much for an idea but rather the right words or image - I listen to Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.... that always inspires me.
I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...
Something else--completely contradictory to what Jesourirai and Goodfella suggested--is to keep writing. I've found most of my writer's blocks are caused when I have more than one scene in mind, the one I'm working on and one (or more) that I'm wanting to hurry up and get to. The words start falling apart where I'm working, and I get disheartened and pull the plug on it.
In those cases, the best thing to do (IMO, at least) is to just skim over what you're working on at that moment and get on to where you're mind is taking you. You can always go back and reword things, or change parts to something better.
Of course, if you're getting "creative" block, where you just can't think of where to go next, that's an entirely different story. If you're writing fiction, my suggestion would be to step back and take a look at your characters, where you want them to go, how you want them to get there, and how any of it may pertain to your plot. Then start asking yourself lots of "what-ifs": What if she said this to him? What if they went this way instead of that way? What if...? When you're able to answer yourself with something that makes sense, ask it again. Before too long you should be on your way.
Also, you may just be getting burnt out too. If that's the case, like someone else said, take a day or two off and forget about it. Go for a walk, play video games, listen to music, get into a bar fight, whatever it is you do for fun other than writing. You may even walk right into that next, perfect scene that'll put the story back in motion. If you don't, then at least you had a good time and you'll be ready to go before too long.
Just my $0.02; good luck.
i'm more or less the same way. i can write when i'm not up to it, but i wind up junking that stuff anyway. i can force it, true, (like when i'm in school) but i'm not very satisfied with it, knowing i could write way better than that if only i was feeling inspired.Originally Posted by Jesourirai
that's the problem, i guess. as artists we have to wait till the words come and pay us a visit. it's pretty hard to squeeze the stuff out.
just relax, take it easy. it'll all be with you again soon.
...don't need therapy to rehabilitate my smile...
http://profiles.friendster.com/6239700
Whenever I absolutely force myself to write...the writing sounds forced...forced and unimaginative and uninspired...
Sometimes I just have to get away from writing...read an old favorite book, analyze what makes it great; or maybe read something new...and see if I like the writing or not...and why.
After I done this for an hour or more, I get back to the computer and see what happens. And usually, I find I can write without having to force it.
At least that's what works for me...
Something that helps me somtimes is to write out ideas in, say, a notebook, or some such non-computer recording device. That is, writing, not only the ideas, but a sort of example of exactly your idea of what you might want in the finished product. This way, when you are stuck, you can default to typing your notes, during which you might, as a result of exposure to your projected tone, mood, etc., feel more "up to" the task of continuing the work. Also, I think Hemingway said he always rewrote the last paragraph when sitting down (or, in his case, standing up) to write, and James claimed to always know, if nothing else, at least "the next sentence" when he was walking about and not writing (this being about equal in length to a paragraph by Hemingway). Another thing is simple discipline. If your circumstances are such that you can arrange for any sort of "me-time" on a regular basis, then it is helpful to schedule time when you allow yourself to think about nothing but your work. This way, you might eventually just get so sick of sitting there doing nothing, knowing it will not end until your "me-time" is over, that you have to write. This is probably not very helpful when it becomes a punishment, though.
I agree with Jamesian about writing out ideas. I try and have either two notebooks (I write freehand first most of the time and then transfer it to computer) or two sections of the same notebook, one for the prose I'm writing and another for ideas or notes. This keeps the prose flowing fairly well without having a break in the middle for some random thought, as well as allowing me some place to keep track of different things I come up with or want to double check later. That way, I can also turn to my "ideas book" at some other point in time and add to it without screwing with the story.
Probably not quite the point that was attempted, but that's something that works for me.
Although I agree that everyone needs a break, and that's probably more often the cause of writer's block than a lot of things, I still contend that brute-forcing your way through the block can do more good than harm. I highly doubt anyone reading this forum is chiseling stone tables for their stories. You don't have to show anyone anything you write; there's no need to worry about something sounding "unimaginative and uninspired." Just get the ideas out, in whatever way works best for you. Later you can go back and delete it, or scribble it out if you're using pen and paper. That's the great thing about civilization having discovered paper--a few squiggly marks and you can get on with the story. If you're using a computer--even Notepad (or whatever equivalent on your operating system)--it's much easier, just drag the mouse over what you don't like and hit the delete button.
I've only been seriously trying to write for a few weeks now, as I've said in a handful of posts. In that time I've written quite a bit that I'm quite proud of, whether it'd ever make it into print or not, and almost half of every paragraph I've written has stemmed from a sentence or two of immediate inspiration and a little note of where I wanted to go next--"blah blah blah (then they open the door to the car and it smells funny). Blah blah blah (the road is too wet for how much he drank)." It sounds like utter garbage at that moment--about as forced and unispired as you can get--and I'd never even submit it as avante garde material. But an hour or two later, the road is "slick with a midnight rain that blurred his inebriated vision further," and the car "reeks of sweat and rotten eggs." Maybe the next day I'll come up with a whole paragraph detailing the smell of the car and how it affected them, or maybe I'll decide to completely change it. But I wouldn't have been able to fix it, improve it, or change it if I hadn't gotten it out in the first place, no matter how stupid it may have sounded.
There's an interesting recent book having a lot to do with the process of writing, with being an artist, how to un-block, un-resistance. It's well worth the price -- "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. He covers a lot of territory. It may open a lot of doors for your writing flow.
I figured I'd add another suggestion here, something I've been doing lately when I'm out of ideas (for a story or scene or whatever.) It works fairly decently for me for coming up with a sketch for something to write. I have yet to take it further than that--I now have about 15-20 handwritten pages of plot lines and scene descriptions, with no prose to show for it. But still, if your block is at the "I want to write but don't know what to write about" stage, it might help. I'm sure this probably won't be news to many people here, but...
What I do is I take a random thought, a situation as my starting point. Two guys are sitting in a car, or a couple is standing in front of a house. Then I turn into an annoying little five year old and ask myself every possible question I can think of: Why are they in the car? Do they know each other? Where are they going? Each question I come up with, I force myself to answer, and then I ask myself more questions based on those answers.
A decent twist on this is to ask yourself questions that have parts of an assumed situation in them--that probably doesn't make sense, so I'll explain. Instead of just asking "Who's house is the couple in front of?" ask "Why are they thinking of breaking into the priest's house?"
Now instead of just coming up with "It's Bob's house. Okay, who's Bob and why are they in front of his house?", you set up an implied situation that gives you a bit more to work with for your story idea. You now have a priest and a couple who's planning on committing a crime against the priest. You might end up there anyways by just asking yourself straight, non-loaded questions, but this way's more fun IMO.
I've been doing this more as an exercise in coming up with ideas than actually trying to get new ideas, and the second method is great for getting a quick sketch up and running--instead of just having one question to answer, then another, etc., I set myself up an implied plot line that I get to flesh out.
Even if I don't actually write out answers with the questions, just having the list of the questions gives me something I can work with (and subsequent questions generally answer each question): "Why are they planning on breaking into the priest's house? Why did the priest steal the cane from the man in the first place? When they get out of the house with the cane, why does the old man across the street follow them?" Just random, half-stupid ideas that can be glued together to make for a good short story. Or novel, if you feel like writing a couple hundred questions out.
Hope this makes sense to someone here... Good luck, whatever method you choose to get past the writer's block.
That is the way it's.
I don't have anything to add. These two persons have finished talk.
The source of any bad writing is the desire to be something more than a person of sense--the straining to be thought a genius. If people would say what they have to say in plain terms, how much eloquent they would be.
-S.T COLERIDGE
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