How do you deal with a writing block

[Deleted member 84247]

What I have done before is think of the plot in the shower. That usually gives me the inspiration I need.

 

[CheertheSecond]

I went and made fucked up prompt on Scribblehub to spread misery.

 

[Succubiome]

If you do this, you won't "write in the wrong direction" because you know where the ending is. Once you work out those 6 starts and 6 ends, everything else in the book is just connective tissue.

That's a cool formula if you like outlines! And outlines are a valid way of writing.

I don't really like doing outlines myself-- for me that takes some of the fun out of writing, it feels less like exploring a setting and idea. And motivation to write is a huge factor for me, since beating myself up for failure doesn't actually make me write more.

Setting that aside, though, I find even if I know where I'm headed for the next little bit and am writing "connective tissue" to get there, when the idea I have for 'how I get from A to B' feels not quite right, writing it for a little while can help me figure out why it isn't right since it's right there on paper rather than a partially unformed idea in my head, which can help me figure out what I need to write. So I don't think that technique is dependent on if you use an outline or not.

YMMV, of course.

 

[Deleted member 113259]

Mess around on the forums.

 

[Sola-sama]

Memes.

 

[Bobple]

Read, but that also has the problem of me just wanting to keep reading.

Rest, but that also has the problem of me wanting to keep resting.

Cooking, but that has the problem of me wanting to eat the food I just cooked.

Write a couple chapters ahead, but that has the problem of what I'm stuck on is still not being done.

Waiting.... then I just never do it.

I've tried a few things, but none of them really fix it for me.

 

[Drust]

Three bourbons and sexual gratification chased down with a nice cup of tea tends to loosen up the mind.

 

[expentio]

It helps to immerse yourself in your world. If you like your characters, what are scenes or situations you would like to see them in? Would they make any sense? How would you get there, in terms of preparational writing? If you're truly into digging your own stuff, then there are things you like to see.
Now it only needs a good time to get to think about them. Personally, I like the bathtub. Try daydreaming about the situations you have in mind and how your characters behave in them. Sometimes you might get an inspiration as if you just found the missing piece to a puzzle that perfectly fits in.
If you know the concrete situation you want (not just the general outline) then writing it should come easy, as you only describe what you already have in mind.

 

[rayisgay]

When I was younger, I was an idiot. Fell down a flight of stairs, hairline fracture in a knee on one leg and chipped a bone in my ankle in the other. And I "walked it off" Apparently the body uses swelling to hold things in place, so an ace bandage for my knee and a lot of limping, I finished a shift, then drove to the other shift and finished THAT one, finally got home and the swelling finally went down and I couldn't move. Took me out of work for a month.

If I had just gone to the hospital, the doctor told me I could have been back to work in less than a week.

It's a balance. It is a handy skill to have to be able to just say, "FUCK THIS SHIT." and keep going no matter what. Being the determinator gets results. The problem is having the WISDOM to say, "Why yes, I COULD do this, but SHOULD I do this?"

The ways of getting past writers block is many and varied. The best method is to use many versions at the same time. A combination of methods to fine tune it towards who you are. This is how I do it, because I had an insane Grandfather who smuggled people out of Poland and guns into the country and he had the delusion that I was going to return to Communist Occupied Poland and help liberate the country.

Let's just say, leaving a your son to be baby sat by such a man every weekend has an effect.

However, perhaps you were not driven to your breaking point and then yelled at until you got back up while being told, "If you fall, nobody will save you. If you lie down, you DIE. That's how I survived a shell fragment through my brain, that's how you will survive."

Maybe your upbringing was different.

Here's the thing, Writing isn't life or death. Or maybe it is. Maybe you need to write to pay the bills. I need to know WHY you write.



You know, you aren't asking a question. You are just making a statement. So for people wondering why I'm not taking this too seriously, it's because the OP isn't taking this seriously. THIS? This Original Post is just venting. He didn't ask for any help. He didn't ask for solutions. He didn't even tell us what what is going on is a problem.

The original poster isn't taking this seriously.

So. Are you? Is this serious to you? Do you want to BE serious? Tell me, Gay Ray, is this important to you? Is it for fun? Is it therapy? Is this life or death? WHAT IS THIS TO YOU? WHY?

If you just want to vent, then Okay. Just vent. We'll listen. But if you actually want to CHANGE, then tell us and I'll help.

It's fun to write, I take it as serious as how much I love to sleep

I really should just write this ll up, make a thread, then link to it when this comes up.

START AT THE END.

You need to know what the ending of a plotline is, At least the final gut punch you plan for the reader to have. You can have an epilogue afterward, but you need that final scene in your head at least. Just writing because "I have a cool idea." Doesn't work. You need to know the ending.

Most books are three acts.

You need a plot that starts then finishes in Act/Act, in order of importance:
1/3
1/1
3/3
2/2
1/2
2/3

What I mean is you introduce a plot in Act 1, then it ends in Act 3, followed by Act 1 ends in Act 1.

The overall plot, that goes from plot 1 to plot 3 is the most important, but 1/1 is the second most important because it KEEPS THE READER READING.

That means, before you start the story, you need to have 6 endings. I don't care how much you write it out, but you need 6 plots and 6 plot endings. ANYTHING ELSE IS BOTH UNNEEDED AND DANGEROUS. You also need to know how the plot STARTS. So you need 6 beginnings and 6 endings. However, if you work those out ahead of time, everything else is just filler to get the story to move from one key scene to the next.

For example:

1/3: Joe is summoned and he had to defeat the demon lord
1/1: Joe is dropped into a strange situation and needs to adjust.
3/3: Joe will have a setback he needs to overcome
2/2: Joe will go on a training montage.
1/2: Joe will encounter the miniboss and have to overcome them.
2/3: Joe will have a romance subplot where he meets a girl and they fall in love by the end.

So three things begin in the first act, 2 start in the second, 1 in the last.
There is one conclusion in the first, 2 in the second, then 3 in the ending
(and if you do it well, it all comes together in one scene.)

It's simple, it's formulaic, IT WORKS.

If you do this, you won't "write in the wrong direction" because you know where the ending is. Once you work out those 6 starts and 6 ends, everything else in the book is just connective tissue.

I do that too, but you need to force yourself to cycle back. For example, I'm doing Hotdog Lantern as filler, but I am forcing myself to finish HKN... at least the first book of it.


Here is the problem. CHATGPT SUCKS.

It does. It is good to feed paragraphs to and say, "Rewrite" then combine your version and the AI generate one. WHY? because if you limit yourself to only paragraphs 4 sentences or larger, the AI works better and the story remains yours.

Also, ChatGTP is good for the "connective tissue" in a story. It isn't good for the Beginning or the end. YOU need to write that. Trust me, you let the AI do it, it won't work.

Thank you, I honestly never thought of that. I'll start with your steps for my story cause I haven't got it all figured out

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Procreate, and then you'll have a lot more material to write about, but you won't have any energy left to write until the child is . . . I'll get back to you on that.

Procreate and Procrastination both begin with "Procr" of which there is no known anagram.
Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

 

[ElijahRyne]

Even though I have like one chapter for my story posted, I often get stuck writing and don't know how to overcome it. Sometimes it comes naturally. But most of the other times, I'm stuck even though I have a plan for my story

Write something different for a while. That is what helped me.

 

[OwlrageousJones]

I don't! :D

No, I mostly just try to find other things to do. Read other works, write something else - I've given up trying to corral my brain.

 

[DonHon]

I sleep for 6-7 months delete the story and start over again then you repeat
but for real i just let my mind empty for a bit

 

[LowinKeshin]

To deal with writer's block. Don't read this thread. You are already doing it wrong reading my comment.

 

[Deleted member 68927]

Open your window, get a mug of coffee, and write to the birdsong. There is only one way to not get stuck with writer's block. It is something that I found out not too long ago. Drumroll: Don't post your chapters until you are done with the story. If you don't get enough views, you will want to start something else, with the hope that it will be better. Enjoy the process!

And happy writing!

 

[Deleted member 113259]

Open your window, get a mug of coffee, and write to the birdsong. There is only one way to not get stuck with writer's block. It is something that I found out not too long ago. Drumroll: Don't post your chapters until you are done with the story. If you don't get enough views, you will want to start something else, with the hope that it will be better. Enjoy the process!

And happy writing!

Wait what? We're not supposed to post chapters as soon as we're done with them?