Post by jeannerené on Jun 2, 2007 18:47:45 GMT -8
www.enursescribe.com/writersbl1.htm
Breaking Out of Writer's Block
by Apryl Duncan
You stare at the blank page. The white of the page embeds itself in your brain, resulting in your mind going blank.
Breaking out of the block doesn't have to be a mind-boggling challenge, though. Explore the causes and the cure and you'll be writing again in no time.
COMMON CAUSES
* Unrealistic Goals *
If you've decided that you're going to write from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every single day - no matter what - then you're probably pushing yourself too hard.
Your writing will become dull and drab. The natural flow you once knew will temporarily escape to Writer's Block Island with the rest of your writing talents.
* Stress! *
We all know how stress can affect your mood. But stress can also affect your writing.
For instance, say all you wanted to do was come home from work and write until bedtime. Your boss makes you stay late. Your supper was a half-cooked hamburger and cold fries from a local fast food restaurant. Your dog wants to go out. And all you want to do is crawl in bed and forget the entire day.
As much as we try to carry a stiff upper lip, we're still human. External factors can affect our mood and ultimately affect our writing. Our focus shifts to all the bad things that happened in our day and writing becomes the last thing we want to do.
* Neglecting Our Writing *
Sometimes Writer's Block comes from not writing! Writing every day is essential to keeping those creative juices flowing. You don't have to make an impossible deal with yourself to write 100 pages of your manuscript in one sitting. Taking as little as 10 minutes a day helps keep you writing and words will flow from your mind much easier.
* Perfectionism *
The perfect paragraph, word after word, is a carefully constructed piece of art. But hanging yourself up on creating that perfect paragraph will win you an all-expense paid trip to Writer's Block Island.
If you run into this problem, give yourself and your writing a cooling off period. After a couple of days, re-visit your work and see where or even if it needs improvement. Your mind will be fresh and clear, giving you a whole new perspective on your own writing.
* Research-Related *
A lot of writers don't realize how research can even be a hangup. Maybe you can't finish your crime novel because you don't know how police would handle a certain situation in reality. Sometimes the answer isn't so obvious and we try to write our way around it. All we really need to do is a little more research.
Now, let's take a look at how you can write your way through Writer's Block.
THE CURE!
After you've beat your fists on the keyboard and taken two aspirin for that migraine, try these cures for writer's block:
* Revisit *
Re-read some of your previous works. Maybe it was a journal entry. Perhaps you wrote a poem once. It doesn't matter if you're working on a novel. You can still gain insight and even inspiration from something else you've written.
* Change of Scenery *
How many times have you heard a song that reminds you of something? Perhaps you heard that song a dozen times a day when you were in college. So that particular song brings back memories. The same goes for scenery in your every day life.
If you're sitting in the same room, day after day, the scenery's going to get old. That scenery starts to remind you that you're not writing. That you're stuck in what seems like a hopeless case of Writer's Block.
The solution is simple. Seek out a change of pace. Go for a walk. Take a drive.
* Rewrite Another's Work *
Check out a newspaper or magazine article. Now rewrite that story from a new angle. Maybe a young girl was kidnapped. Police are still looking for the suspect and the little girl.
Your version of the story might portray the young girl as the daughter of a lawyer. Perhaps one of his clients wasn't happy with the way his own daughter's murder trial was handled. So he kidnapped the defending lawyer's pride and joy.
* Use Real Pictures *
Flip through a magazine. Cut out pictures, headlines, even certain blocks of text. Now write a short story based on your clippings.
For example, you might cut out a picture of a man riding a bicycle on page 14 of your favorite magazine. On page 22 you cut out a quote that says, "Anyone caught doing this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Your story could turn into one man's crusade. Perhaps this man's riding his bicycle across country because he's outraged by automobile pollution levels. His point is to raise people's awareness about the effects of pollution.
Meanwhile, police keep hindering his efforts because the man's riding his bicycle on the freeway, a violation of the law. So you have a man on his bicycle and the police quote, "Anyone caught doing this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
* Doodle *
Yes! You were scolded in elementary school for doodling on your paper. Now you have full permission.
Free your mind while scribbling. No need to think about your character's next move. No plot structures to consider. Just a sense of connecting your pen to paper.
* Object Focus *
Take a look around you. Does something catch your eye? Even something as simple as a stapler. Describe an object in full detail. Start with its size, shape, color.
* Building Blocks *
Romance. Mystery. Thrillers. All genres have their own keywords. Build keywords from your own genre.
If you're a romance writer, you could come up with words like love, marriage, betrayal, lust, happiness. Jot down as many words as you can think of.
* Life Events *
The birth of a child. Holidays. Graduation. Weddings. We all have our favorite life events. Pick one of your own and write down all your thoughts and feelings about that day. Turn it into a story.
* Network *
Many authors beat Writer's Block or avoid it altogether by networking with their fellow writers. Bulletin boards, chats and writer's Web sites all offer you the chance to meet other authors and work your way through the many facets of fiction writing. Think of talking with other writers as your own personal support group.
Writer's Block may attack you at some point in your writing career but always remember:
WB isn't fatal.
Overcoming WB is not impossible.
WB's only temporary.
***************
Apryl Duncan is the founder of FictionAddiction.NET. Visitors can post their work, search for publishers and agents, read articles on the writing craft, contact their favorite authors, subscribe to two newsletters, one for writers and one for readers and so much more. Visit: www.FictionAddiction.NET
Breaking Out of Writer's Block
by Apryl Duncan
You stare at the blank page. The white of the page embeds itself in your brain, resulting in your mind going blank.
Breaking out of the block doesn't have to be a mind-boggling challenge, though. Explore the causes and the cure and you'll be writing again in no time.
COMMON CAUSES
* Unrealistic Goals *
If you've decided that you're going to write from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every single day - no matter what - then you're probably pushing yourself too hard.
Your writing will become dull and drab. The natural flow you once knew will temporarily escape to Writer's Block Island with the rest of your writing talents.
* Stress! *
We all know how stress can affect your mood. But stress can also affect your writing.
For instance, say all you wanted to do was come home from work and write until bedtime. Your boss makes you stay late. Your supper was a half-cooked hamburger and cold fries from a local fast food restaurant. Your dog wants to go out. And all you want to do is crawl in bed and forget the entire day.
As much as we try to carry a stiff upper lip, we're still human. External factors can affect our mood and ultimately affect our writing. Our focus shifts to all the bad things that happened in our day and writing becomes the last thing we want to do.
* Neglecting Our Writing *
Sometimes Writer's Block comes from not writing! Writing every day is essential to keeping those creative juices flowing. You don't have to make an impossible deal with yourself to write 100 pages of your manuscript in one sitting. Taking as little as 10 minutes a day helps keep you writing and words will flow from your mind much easier.
* Perfectionism *
The perfect paragraph, word after word, is a carefully constructed piece of art. But hanging yourself up on creating that perfect paragraph will win you an all-expense paid trip to Writer's Block Island.
If you run into this problem, give yourself and your writing a cooling off period. After a couple of days, re-visit your work and see where or even if it needs improvement. Your mind will be fresh and clear, giving you a whole new perspective on your own writing.
* Research-Related *
A lot of writers don't realize how research can even be a hangup. Maybe you can't finish your crime novel because you don't know how police would handle a certain situation in reality. Sometimes the answer isn't so obvious and we try to write our way around it. All we really need to do is a little more research.
Now, let's take a look at how you can write your way through Writer's Block.
THE CURE!
After you've beat your fists on the keyboard and taken two aspirin for that migraine, try these cures for writer's block:
* Revisit *
Re-read some of your previous works. Maybe it was a journal entry. Perhaps you wrote a poem once. It doesn't matter if you're working on a novel. You can still gain insight and even inspiration from something else you've written.
* Change of Scenery *
How many times have you heard a song that reminds you of something? Perhaps you heard that song a dozen times a day when you were in college. So that particular song brings back memories. The same goes for scenery in your every day life.
If you're sitting in the same room, day after day, the scenery's going to get old. That scenery starts to remind you that you're not writing. That you're stuck in what seems like a hopeless case of Writer's Block.
The solution is simple. Seek out a change of pace. Go for a walk. Take a drive.
* Rewrite Another's Work *
Check out a newspaper or magazine article. Now rewrite that story from a new angle. Maybe a young girl was kidnapped. Police are still looking for the suspect and the little girl.
Your version of the story might portray the young girl as the daughter of a lawyer. Perhaps one of his clients wasn't happy with the way his own daughter's murder trial was handled. So he kidnapped the defending lawyer's pride and joy.
* Use Real Pictures *
Flip through a magazine. Cut out pictures, headlines, even certain blocks of text. Now write a short story based on your clippings.
For example, you might cut out a picture of a man riding a bicycle on page 14 of your favorite magazine. On page 22 you cut out a quote that says, "Anyone caught doing this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Your story could turn into one man's crusade. Perhaps this man's riding his bicycle across country because he's outraged by automobile pollution levels. His point is to raise people's awareness about the effects of pollution.
Meanwhile, police keep hindering his efforts because the man's riding his bicycle on the freeway, a violation of the law. So you have a man on his bicycle and the police quote, "Anyone caught doing this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
* Doodle *
Yes! You were scolded in elementary school for doodling on your paper. Now you have full permission.
Free your mind while scribbling. No need to think about your character's next move. No plot structures to consider. Just a sense of connecting your pen to paper.
* Object Focus *
Take a look around you. Does something catch your eye? Even something as simple as a stapler. Describe an object in full detail. Start with its size, shape, color.
* Building Blocks *
Romance. Mystery. Thrillers. All genres have their own keywords. Build keywords from your own genre.
If you're a romance writer, you could come up with words like love, marriage, betrayal, lust, happiness. Jot down as many words as you can think of.
* Life Events *
The birth of a child. Holidays. Graduation. Weddings. We all have our favorite life events. Pick one of your own and write down all your thoughts and feelings about that day. Turn it into a story.
* Network *
Many authors beat Writer's Block or avoid it altogether by networking with their fellow writers. Bulletin boards, chats and writer's Web sites all offer you the chance to meet other authors and work your way through the many facets of fiction writing. Think of talking with other writers as your own personal support group.
Writer's Block may attack you at some point in your writing career but always remember:
WB isn't fatal.
Overcoming WB is not impossible.
WB's only temporary.
***************
Apryl Duncan is the founder of FictionAddiction.NET. Visitors can post their work, search for publishers and agents, read articles on the writing craft, contact their favorite authors, subscribe to two newsletters, one for writers and one for readers and so much more. Visit: www.FictionAddiction.NET
