Creative block

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06-13-2007
Dragon's muse

Creative block
So you have writer's block? Literary constipation? In need of a cerebral enema? Creative erectile dysfunction?

I know. It is frustrating, maddening and scary when the words just won't come. Even worse is when the ideas are there, but they just won't make the translation to the page.

First of all, relax. It happens to all writers. Writer's block is seldom, if ever, a terminal condition.

Second of all, consider that you may not be actually blocked. Words and ideas are like babies, they need time to gestate, incubate. You may be writing, just not typing yet.

When it happens to me, several of the things that work have one common theme: do something different. Sometimes the gray matter needs some shaking up.
- Do something in the way you physically write. If you normally compose directly on the keyboard, sit down with pen and paper. If you normally start out on paper, compose directly on the keyboard. Dictate into a tape recorder. Use a pencil instead of a pen. Yellow paper instead of white.
- Work on something different. If it is a work in progress, start something completely new. If you normally write in one genre, spend a little time in another. If you normally write in first person, try writing in third.
- Change your approach. If your normally focus on plot to start, begin a piece with character development work.
- Change where you write. Go sit in a coffee shop or IHOP. Move from the kitchen table to the patio table. Take your laptop or paper to a park bench.
Other interesting exercises that can jumpstart the process:
- Sit or wander in a public place or get on public transportation and listen to snippets of conversation. Develop in your mind a backstory for them and find where you think it would go.
- Watch people and speculate on their backstories. Where is that woman in the sundress and sandals going and what will happen to her when she gets there? What about that man in the bermuda shorts with the camera? That couple holding hands at the cafe, how did they meet?
- Read, read, read. It is terrible of me, but i know a few sites that have the worst written porn in the history of written language. i read there and know i can do better. Sometimes, if i am really blocked, i take one of the bad stories and rewrite it. Primes the pump, so to speak.
Again, i say, RELAX. You will get past this. Your muse may wander away for a while, but she will always come home.
06-13-2007
isabeau6

wwow thanks for that...my problem is i'm afraid that my writing as staled..that i cant' come up with new ideas...that i will become and have maybe already become repetitive...i have more stories i should post here for critiquing...and you will see that most run along the same idea...i need to change the format first and then i'll post them here...
06-13-2007
Dragon's muse

When you are blocked you can also take previous work and ask yourself crazy questions about it? What if a mime walked in at this point? What if the heroine emerged from the bathroom wearing groucho glasses and a top hat with a peacock feather in it? Go a little nuts, be silly!

And don't be too afraid of repetition. Danielle Steele and John Grisham have done very well with writing the same book over and over with only the names and hometown changed.
06-13-2007
isabeau6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragon's muse

When you are blocked you can also take previous work and ask yourself crazy questions about it? What if a mime walked in at this point? What if the heroine emerged from the bathroom wearing groucho glasses and a top hat with a peacock feather in it? Go a little nuts, be silly!

And don't be too afraid of repetition. Danielle Steele and John Grisham have done very well with writing the same book over and over with only the names and hometown changed.

ah that is soo true...and Pearl Buck basically wrote about the same type of people, with the exception of two of her books i believe...and of course Lilian Jackson Braun is very successful with her cat who books..and those are super repetitive...thanks...

hmm be silly that should be easy for me lol..thanks a lot Muse...it's nice to have a forum where people take the time to critique and also to answer your questions in depth...other forums don't usually do that..
06-13-2007
Dragon's muse

Sometimes laughter is a catharsis to get you over a hump. You can do this
06-13-2007
Rhabbi

Quote:

Originally Posted by isabeau6

wwow thanks for that...my problem is i'm afraid that my writing as staled..that i cant' come up with new ideas...that i will become and have maybe already become repetitive...i have more stories i should post here for critiquing...and you will see that most run along the same idea...i need to change the format first and then i'll post them here...

Forgot who said it, but one author advised all writer's to be cruel to their characters. I know it is hard in a short story, but all my main charactors have a history. Try to imagine something in their past that affects the way they react to what is happening to them in your story.
06-13-2007
isabeau6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhabbi

Forgot who said it, but one author advised all writer's to be cruel to their characters. I know it is hard in a short story, but all my main charactors have a history. Try to imagine something in their past that affects the way they react to what is happening to them in your story.

ack....well i'll try..i have an imagination..a fairly active one at that..but, my creativity side of myself rather sucks...i have a really good friend who i proofread for..he is very young..and wow the things he can write are what basically decided me to quit trying..i mean he is like the Mozart of writing..constantly has ideas playing around in his head...i'm wondering if it's something you have to be born with...such as i was born with the talent for playing instruments, and maybe that's as far as my artistic streak should take me..last year was the very first time i ever attempted to write anything..and i've been an avid reader all my life..

thank you Rhabbi for that advice..i'll take it into account..
06-13-2007
anonymouse

Quote:

Originally Posted by isabeau6

ack....well i'll try..i have an imagination..a fairly active one at that..but, my creativity side of myself rather sucks...i have a really good friend who i proofread for..he is very young..and wow the things he can write are what basically decided me to quit trying..i mean he is like the Mozart of writing..constantly has ideas playing around in his head...i'm wondering if it's something you have to be born with...such as i was born with the talent for playing instruments, and maybe that's as far as my artistic streak should take me..last year was the very first time i ever attempted to write anything..and i've been an avid reader all my life..

While it's true there are 'Mozarts' to be found in all fields of creative work, the concept of "artist as inspired madman" is a romantic notion from the nineteenth century. Writing is a craft that can be learned by any reasonably intelligent person, just as anybody can learn to play an instrument if they learn the rudiments and then 'play' with them. When my daughter first started to learn the violin her teacher said, "Your instrument is like a new puppy. You must play with it every day so you can get to know it and it can get to know you."

In a writing class I took many years ago, I remember being told that writers must write something every day. It doesn't have to be original or even 'creative'. For example, even just transcribing a few news articles from a newspaper is better than not writing anything at all. What is important is you regularly engage in the act of writing.

As for creative inspiration, Picasso used to begin every day by pressing a few ink blocks. While these could be quite 'artistic' in their own right, he used them as a tool to generate ideas. A similar tactic for a writer could be to skim through a dictionary and randomly select a dozen or so words and then write a paragraph for each. The beauty of working this way is we don't become so attached to what we write that we can't throw out ideas. It can be rationalized by saying 'it's only an exercise created from random words'. 'The trash can is your best friend'. Don't be afraid to throw out things when they're not working.

http://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques

This site/wiki is aimed at business executives but you may find it as useful as I sometimes do. The following is another:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/charl...ve/index2.html

Googling "creativity techniques" will also return lots of good results.

I'll post a few more thoughts as I think of them. :)
06-14-2007
isabeau6

Quote:

Originally Posted by anonymouse

While it's true there are 'Mozarts' to be found in all fields of creative work, the concept of "artist as inspired madman" is a romantic notion from the nineteenth century. Writing is a craft that can be learned by any reasonably intelligent person, just as anybody can learn to play an instrument if they learn the rudiments and then 'play' with them. When my daughter first started to learn the violin her teacher said, "Your instrument is like a new puppy. You must play with it every day so you can get to know it and it can get to know you."

In a writing class I took many years ago, I remember being told that writers must write something every day. It doesn't have to be original or even 'creative'. For example, even just transcribing a few news articles from a newspaper is better than not writing anything at all. What is important is you regularly engage in the act of writing.

As for creative inspiration, Picasso used to begin every day by pressing a few ink blocks. While these could be quite 'artistic' in their own right, he used them as a tool to generate ideas. A similar tactic for a writer could be to skim through a dictionary and randomly select a dozen or so words and then write a paragraph for each. The beauty of working this way is we don't become so attached to what we write that we can't throw out ideas. It can be rationalized by saying 'it's only an exercise created from random words'. 'The trash can is your best friend'. Don't be afraid to throw out things when they're not working.

http://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques

This site/wiki is aimed at business executives but you may find it as useful as I sometimes do. The following is another:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/charl...ve/index2.html

Googling "creativity techniques" will also return lots of good results.

I'll post a few more thoughts as I think of them. :)

thank you those are very helpful suggestions and ideas..i'm going to have to read your stories..i''m sure you are a terrific writer..as i'm sure Rhabbi and Dragon's Muse are as well..i need to read theirs also...