## Getting Rid of Writers Block

Post by dreadnaught3200 » Wed May 25, 2011 9:36 am

Hey Everybody
So, yesterday I think I spent a good five or six hours of my day off writing up a storm. Which means that I've finally gotten over, possibly, the worst case of writers block I've ever had. I think I already mentioned on another post that in the past several months, I tired to start five abortive stories. It sucked. I couldn't come up with anything. Fortunately, I think I'm over it now and for anybody who's having problems with it here's what helped me get going again.
1. Read Lots
I know this seems obvious. But reading stuff by other authors who you enjoy can help your own creative juices flowing again. Those can be anything from novels that you like, to high quality TUG stories on this site. For example, before I started yesterday I re-read the Zoe Day saga by theseeker. Don't turn your brain off though, keep asking yourself as you read "What do you like about this?" "What tricks do they use that you can use?" "What would you do differently".
2. Re-read Lots
Again, seems obvious. Go back and re-read stuff that you've written previously. Try to get yourself back into the same headspace you were in when you first wrote it. Then take stock of what you thought was good about it and what you can improve on.
3. Boredom can be an impetus for Creativity
This I only learned recently. If you spend a lot of time doing something really menial and boring it can give you the desire to do something creative. In my case, I recently had some trees taken down in my backyard and spent many hours chopping the rounds into firewood sized pieces with an axe. It was laborious, boring and tedious work. By the end all I could think about was going back inside, lying down on my bed and writing. Maybe this is just me... But it's worth a try I think.
4. Quality over Quantity
This one is pretty self explanatory. If you have a few ideas kicking around in your head, but you're not sure about them... Wait until you think of something that you ARE sure about. If you're excited about putting that idea to paper, (or in this case... computer screen) your writing will be more fluent and more enjoyable to read.
5. Fantasize through your Writing
I find it easy to get so caught up with mechanics when I'm writing that I forget to just have fun with it. These are your fantasies that you're writing down, enjoy them. It makes your own fantasies more vivid to write them down that just think about them anyway.
6. Take Time
Sorry, I know this one sucks. But sometimes the only thing that will break writers block is just taking time and that's ok. Every writer who has ever lived has had to struggle with writers block at some point. Even professionals. If you just give it some time eventually the ideas will start flowing again. The waiting sucks but... That's life I guess.
That's what helped me. Hopefully it'll come in useful for somebody else! I should tell you that I have another story in the works than I'm very stoked about, and I should be able to start posting it within the next week. And if you have any questions, techniques of your own, snide remarks etc... Please post them and we'll talk about it!
There's a permanent tension in music isn't there? On one hand you have three chords, you know, four four and three chords. Then there's the people like me, who say "Well, why don't we add a fourth chord and put it in five four?" - Bill Bruford