The challenge every writer has is what to write.
When the muse is cooperative, the words flow easily. When she's not feeling friendly, the sky is shut and the drought settles in.
So how do you cope with the dry spells?
Here are some ways I've found useful to get my words flowing once again.
Look around you. If necessary, go outside. Observe in detail what's happening about you. Listen to the air moving past your ears. Feel the textures of the walls, the floor, your fingertips. Notice the specific.
Think about your characters, if you're writing fiction. Imagine one of them is in the room with you. What would you talk about? What questions might you ask? What answers do you expect you'd get in return?
Log into your favorite social network site. See what's happening in the world of that particular environment. Don't get too drawn in, though. You're only there to see if something has happened that might spur your creativity.
Put on some music. You may listen to music as you write. Try to find some music that's different from what you were listening to earlier. For instance, if you were listening to symphonic, find some folk music. If you were listening to hard rock 'n roll, find some Celtic music. Break the routine and listen to something perpendicular to what you normally hear.
Sit in your writer's chair, get a pad and pencil, and write out the sentence "I don't want to write today" line after line. See if you find yourself disagreeing with that statement.
Finally, if you have multiple projects underway, close what was causing you to hit the wall, and open another unfinished work. Maybe you just need a change of scenery.
I started this post with no idea where I was going to go. Not writer's block exactly, but still, a blank page. Are any of these ideas helpful? Do you have other techniques that work for you? Add a comment, and let's share.
I make myself clean the house. I dislike it so much, it motivates me to think of something to write.
ReplyDeleteAhh... Doing something so repulsive that the urge to procrastinate is overcome because it's less painful than doing the other. Very good. Any other comments or ideas to overcome "The Block?"
ReplyDeleteI play video games. While cards are going red on black, or I'm killing the monster du jour, my mind is always writing. Sounds like an excuse to play games. Not really. The trick is to know when to get back to work, but it helps to loosen my mental constipation. I remember a call I had with my agent on day while trying to unclog the creative juices. I was playing Red Dead Redemption, killing wolves right and left. She was horrified that I wasn't in front of the computer, slaving away on my book. She didn't understand when I told her I was writing. So on those days the words won't flow, any of the games in the Assassin's Creed series is a sure thing.
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