Overcoming Writer's Block

Jonathan_Philips

It's hard to add anything to what Mr. Slowhands has so eloquently already stated, however...

My hard drive is littered with stories that have suddenly ground to a halt. I occasionally look over them and think 'that's actually not too bad,' or 'that is utter shit,' but really I try not to stress too much about them.

As amateur writers I don't suppose we should worry so much as we don't have deadlines to meet or bills to pay through our writing. I get a little pissed off that I have put a lot of effort into something that no one will ever get to see, but as I enjoy the actual writing process it's no big deal really. I tend to like my characters and I know that I have the power to take them with me to another story if I want to so it is not as though I am giving up on them.

I couldn't agree more with whoever it was above me (forgive me) who said that it was important to just let a story flow and worry about the editing afterwards. Most of the stories of mine that I am most proud of I wrote virtually in one sitting - the editing however can take days.

If a story is not flowing it's usually for a good reason and I have learnt to trust in my instincts. Starting afresh is often a lot easier and less stressful than trying to repair something that just doesn't want to work. In a way I can get quite excited about the possibility of now making my heroine do this naughty thing instead of that.

Now...I think I have just been talking about 'hitting a wall' in writing rather than true 'writers block'.

For me erotica is always a fairly easy medium to write in. Maybe it's just my dirty mind, but I permanently have numerous scenarios and fantasies I could work into stories. Usually an idea will hang around the dark recesses of my psyche for a while before demanding to be written. Whether or not it ever makes it into a completed story is a different matter all together.

I have lots of little ways of gaining inspiration for my stories which I can bore you all with later, but for now I have whittered far too much.

A quick word to Lushi about what her friend said about her story. I can't help thinking what he said makes for a pretty sound-bite, but doesn't really mean an awful lot. Your story not containing enough 'me' might be a good thing. I think it is good to detach your personal mark from a story from time to time. That way you offer your readers different styles and perspectives.

JP
x

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lushi

I found this article on the net just a bit ago and it reminded me of this thread. It offers another more creative way to look at "being stuck". Hope you appreciate it as much as I did.


[size=large]THE IMPORTANCE OF PERCOLATION[/size]

Percolating over a creative process isn’t procrastination, though it may look like it from the outside. Percolating over a chosen creative project, happens at any point along the creativity continuum, from choosing an idea, developing plans, creating the product to displaying the project.

Sometimes you will need to take a break from your project, life events interrupts. If you’ve set up a break schedule, then you don’t have to worry about taking a permanent break. Taking breaks will allow you to concentrate on other parts of your life, while your brain processes what you’ve just completed in your creative session. If you are prone to procrastination following percolation time, then set and share your goals with another artist. This will help you return to your creative work consistently.

Percolation time can be short or long. An example of a short percolation time is when you write a portion of a chapter during your creative session. Take a walk. Start working on a new chapter at your next session.

Here are some fears that you may encounter as you experience your percolation time:
--You may doubt your ability to return to your original creative pace.
--You may not be comfortable experiencing a strong positive reaction when you complete a portion of your project.
--You may run out of ideas.
--You may not have completed any part of the project perfectly. --Others might reject your work, which means that they may be rejecting you.
--You may be afraid that once you stop, you won’t be able to start again.
--You may feel too powerless to finish this project, so you decide to give up on the project completely.

What can you do when you feel too powerless? Remember to: --Listen to all of your reactions.
--Schedule a working personal break.
--Talk, write or act (exercise or dance, etc.) your way out your feelings.
--Put away your feeling work for 24 hours.
--Reread your feeling work.
--Choose one new idea.
--Write or meditate about this idea for five minutes.
--Identify your feelings now.
--Create one new short-term goal for your project.
--Take the first action listed to complete your goal.
--Check in with yourself (feelings, thoughts and physical responses).

If you experience a strong positive reaction, then resume your previous creative process. If you experience an ambivalent reaction, you may be experiencing the natural discomfort of learning a new set of skills. This is a temporary situation. Resume your previous creative process as soon as you can.

Finally, if you experience a strong negative reaction, repeat the exercise until your experience a positive reaction or decide to work on a different project.

Percolation time can be both exhilarating and frustrating. Discipline yourself to keep on creating your unique product, while putting your strong reactions to work for you as you put them in their proper place.

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About the author:
Lael Johnson, owner of Writer's Eye Advisory Service, offers creativity coaching services and additional writing resources. For more information visit Writer's Eye

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lushi

Jonathan_Philips wrote:
I have lots of little ways of gaining inspiration for my stories which I can bore you all with later, but for now I have whittered far too much.

JP, This would be a fabulous topic for all writers. Let's share all the little ways of eliciting inspiration for our stories.

A quick word to Lushi about what her friend said about her story. I can't help thinking what he said makes for a pretty sound-bite, but doesn't really mean an awful lot. Your story not containing enough 'me' might be a good thing. I think it is good to detach your personal mark from a story from time to time. That way you offer your readers different styles and perspectives.

Thanks for the feed back about this. I have tried with all the stories I've written to develop them in different ways, styles, personal identification, etc., etc. The story he was referencing wasn't my story at all. It was the story of the characters...and one of my better ones too, at least that's what i think. *smile*


lushi
xx

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empresswonderful

I have overcome writers block by just sitting down and writing one or two lines of idea, they don't have to go together or have anything to do with the story, but this seems to help clear my mind and has on more than one occassion sparked a new section to a story.

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