roselinproductions:The Myth of Writer’s BlockA short while ago I reblogged a quote, that, to p

roselinproductions:The Myth of Writer’s BlockA short while ago I reblogged a quote, that, to paraphrase, said“Writer’s block isn’t real.” Since then I’ve received a few messages refutingthat quote and sharing stories about bad cases of writer’s block. Some peopleeven pointed out that I have a tag dedicated to writer’s block and have sharedmy “block breaking” tips in the past.As such, I thought I’d clarify my views on writer’s block:Writer’s block is just the name that we prescribe to an inability towrite, which can stem from a number of different sources that have differentsolutions. Treating writer’s block as its own condition can obscure thereal problem and make it harder to find the right solution.As a young writer, I attributed every single loss ofmotivation, inspiration, or other difficulty to a mysterious, incurable malady: writer’sblock. I believed that I just had to wait for it to go away, like a cold, andthen I’d be able to write again—but until then, there was nothing I could do.I see a lot of other young writers doing the same because a lot of the people they look up to don’t talk about writer’s block as if it’s just a term. It wasn’t until I started putting together methods for beating the block that I came to the realization that every single time I had writer’s block, I was either neglecting my self-care or overlooking a problem with the writing itself. Every single time.So—writer’s block, as a termused to describe different issues that can prevent productivity, is a realthing. But writer’s block, as some mystical force that stops youfrom writing, is not a real thing.If you find yourself experiencing writer’s block, considersome of the following bulleted points. These block breakers work for me almost100% of the time because they address the root of most of my actual problems. Maybethey will work for you, maybe they won’t. Either way, I hope that this post wasat least somewhat helpful.Have you eaten/hadsomething to drink in the past few hours? Being hungry or thirsty can makeit hard to focus. Try keeping snacks on hand, or if possible, move your writingtime to after you’ve had a meal.Did you get enoughsleep? It’s not easy to write when you’d rather be in bed. Try to get tobed at a good hour and don’t force yourself to stay awake.Are you stressed out,tired, sick, or generally not in good shape? All of these things can besevere distractions. Remember, it’s okay to take a break. Do what you need todo to be healthy; your needs come before writing.Have you exercisedthat day (in whatever capacity you are capable of)? Sitting for a long timecan make some people lethargic. Try doing a few stretches or, if you can, goingfor a short walk. A little bit of fresh air can help with a lot.Have you taken abreak within the last few hours? As with the above, getting a little freshair and stepping away from the source of frustration for a little while can helpyou approach it with a fresh perspective.Do you have other obligations? If you have chores to do, bills to pay, animals to care for, personal hygiene, etc., it might be a good idea to try to take care of these things before you start writing. Not only might they be distracting you, but they might interrupt a streak when you have to stop writing and take care of them later. Keep a notebook handy, just in case.Do you know where thestory is going from here? If your outline is too vague, or if you don’thave an outline, it can be difficult to keep going because you don’t have cleardirection. Step back and think about what plot developments you might want tooccur, and which ones are the most likely to happen soon. Knowing yourdestination can help you get there.Are you uninterested inwriting, or are you uninterested in writing thisscene? If you’re itching to write a plot point but can’t stomach thescene that’s chronologically in your way, write an outline of what needs tohappen next and skip it!Are you bored of this story or character? Sometimesprojects that we start off with a lot of enthusiasm for become dull over time.If this is still a project you want to pursue, try going back to the outline tosee if there are story issues that are making you lose interest. If you think itmight be best to shelve it entirely, write up a summary of what you learnedduring the process, what story elements you might want to recycle, and save theproject in a folder somewhere that you aren’t likely to accidentally delete it.Do you have a firmgrasp of character motivation in this scene? Writing about a characterdoing something is a lot harder when you don’t really understand why they’redoing it (other than to make the plot happen). Spend some time thinking about whatmotivates the character, what their stakes in the scene are, and make sure thatyou really get into their head.What is yourcharacter feeling in this scene? This is one that stops me up all the time;in fact, it is the #1 source of writer’s block for me. I get so caught up inwhat the characters think or what they do that I forget to include what they feel. How a character reacts emotionallyto a scene can not only help the reader get invested, but the writer, too. Letyour characters have emotions, and let them sweep you away with them.Where is this scenehappening? Can you clearly visualize it? Again, it’s hard to write a scenein a nebulous void (unless your scene takes place in one). If you’re having ahard time visualizing the scene, try looking up images or listening to musicthat helps evoke the story. This can be for settings, moods, general atmosphere,anything that helps you get into that world. Fun fact: I start every writing sessionwith 10-15 minutes of music specifically chosen to get into the mood of thepiece.Do you lack confidencein this scene? Sometimes you might have problems writing a scene becauseyou’re afraid of how people will react to it. I see this a lot in writers whothink that their ideas are “too weird.” But don’t worry—you don’t have to shareanything that you don’t want to share, and there are lots of “weird” thingsthat are highly successful. Just get it onto paper and you can decide what todo with it later.Could this scene becut from the draft entirely? There are lots of times when writers get hungup on a scene, only to realize that it either doesn’t belong in that spot, ordoesn’t need to be there at all. If you’re spinning your wheels on a scene and youjust can’t make it work no matter what you try, examine your outline and askyourself if you really need to write it.What is this scene meantto accomplish? The phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees” comes to mymind often during early drafting stages. Sometimes I obsess over the what andhow and who of the scene that I forget about the why. Taking a step back and reminding myself what the purpose ofthe scene is can help me understand which pieces need to be highlighted andwhat I should focus on. This lets me blow past some of the clutter thatoftentimes crops up and get the bare-bones of the scene down so I can move onand come back to it later during redrafting.Please check out our official site and our Patreon for more information on our books! Thank you! -- source link
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