Over the years I have heard countless writers, even published authors, complain about the infamous WRITERS BLOCK. That terrible affliction which strikes without warning, nor mercy, and leaves writers hopelessly lost.
Many writers, and publishing gurus have their own "tried & true" method to fix this ailment. Some of them work (for some people), but sadly none of them work for everyone.
Let's go through a few of these examples:
-Free Writing:
The act of sitting down and writing whatever thoughts are in your head. Usually a time limit is chosen beforehand. The idea behind this exercise is that the act of writing, uninterrupted for a set amount of time, will stimulate the creative half of your brain. Kind of like letting your car warm up before you drive.
This method has worked for me in the past, but not with any regularity, and it is time consuming. I do recommend trying it at least once.
-Music:
Many authors find that listening to music either before and/or during writing helps them get into "the zone".
Some choose music based on the particular scene they are writing, others choose music that encapsulates a certain character, while some just pick a nice ambient selection to help with the mood.
I absolutely endorse this method, and practice it almost every time I tickle the keyboard. In fact I doubt I'd be able to get any writing done without music.
-Go for a walk/run:
Stephen King himself has endorsed this method, even after the tragic accident that nearly brought his career to a brutal end. (Read his book: On Writing for full details)
The idea behind this is fairly self explanatory; you go for a stroll to clear your mind of distraction. The same could be said for any physical activities. You could go play a game of tennis, or swim laps at your local pool. The intended results are the same.
I have used this method in the past, and find it extremely helpful, though a bit time consuming as well. I wouldn't use this if you're working under an eminent deadline.
-Read:
Some writers find it useful to take a small block of time out of the day to read.
"A writer taking time to read? What madness is this?"
I know I know, Writers reading is a fairly ubiquitous concept. The point is a brief recharge of your creative battery is not only good for you, it is necessary. Get that recharge however you can.
I have found that on the days that I set aside time to read, I have a more successful writing session that evening. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I'll take what I can get.
-Outlining:
Authors like R.L. Stine swear that they never get writers block, because they outline their entire book before they sit down to write it.
Outlining is planning out the entire story from start to finish using various methods. The tree method, and snowflake method are two of the most well known. (You can buy instructional books on these and many others at your local bookshop/online)
I have always wanted to try this method. I've heard arguments for and against outlining. The point comes down to this: If it helps, use it. If it doesn't help, don't. It's that simple. I don't understand why there is such a vicious feud between these two groups. Different pen strokes for different folks.
-Just Write:
There is a famous quote that I read as a young aspiring writer:
"Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work." -Stephen King
I can see why some don't like this particular quote; it does seem rather arrogant. Saying that anyone who can't just sit down and write on command is an "amateur" is some next-level trolling.
However, I have found it to be one of the most helpful and inspirational pieces of advice I've ever read.
It goes along with another favorite quote of mine:
"One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly. I tell myself that I’m going to do my five or 10 pages no matter what, and that I can always tear them up the following morning if I want. I’ll have lost nothing—writing and tearing up five pages would leave me no further behind than if I took the day off.” -Lawrence Block
There's a similar quote by Anne Lamontt in her book Bird By Bird, but I'll leave it there for now.
Sit down and get it out on the screen/page. It's okay if it sucks. That's what the 2nd draft is there for, to improve upon your 1st draft. You can't improve upon what you haven't written.
So there you have it boils and ghouls! What methods work for you? Have any that I haven't tried yet? Share them with the rest of us in the comments section below!
Skål!
