Fellow writers: how do you get past your writer's block?

[Battleaxx90]

I'm an amateur writer with a bad case of only ever finishing the first chapter of the stories I write, if I ever manage to get that far without myself going "screw this, let's go read TvTropes for the next four hours". Seeing as how writer's block is an issue that pretty much every writer has experienced at one point in his/her/its life, what do YOU do when you get stuck on a story?

 

[Thaluikhain]

Put writing off for a while, and how to be inspired later?

Yeah, it doesn't exactly work, but it's what I do.

 

[krazykidd]

Usually i write the ending first . Once i know where i am going everything else just flows . Or you can play Alan wake , the game is about a writer with writer's block .

 

[TheIronRuler]

Write scenes then string it all together. If you're going in one direction the same way a reader does you're going to give up at some point, but if you have a bunch of starting points within the story you can just drop one for a week and concentrate on the others.

 

[Genocidicles]

I'm an artist rather than a writer, but I think this could still help as I draw all my stuff with a narrative in mind.

When I inevitably suffer from artist's block I just work on something else for a while. Usually by the time I get bored of that I go back to what I was originally working on.

It's not great if your working to a deadline though.

 

[Voidrunner]

Have fun, it's far easier to continue with a story if you particularly enjoy writing a certain character or are really interested in seeing your plot unfold. The moment writing a story begins to feel like a chore your creativity quietly goes off in the corner to die and it's very hard to revive it.

 

[Total LOLige]

Do a Hank Moody and notch up as many sexual conquests as possible.

 

[MetalMagpie]

I write a scene-by-scene plan first, so I'm never stuck thinking "what happens next?" And I write the most important scenes before moving on to the less important ones.

If I'm feeling really uninspired by a long story, I put it to one side and write a 500-3000 word short story instead. Then I can return to the long piece feeling more inspired.

In my experience, the best way to deal with writer's block is to write something!

 

[excalipoor]

I usually have the whole thing planned in my head before putting down a single word on paper, but I never start the writing process with chapter one. I just write whichever chapter I'm in the mood for. I doubt I could ever finish a story by writing it in the proper order, unless I make the whole thing up as I go along.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Call me a lazy git, but I write historical fiction, well I am at the moment... so if I ever get that problem, I just go do 'research'... -_-

 

[Jason Rayes]

One thing you can try is keep a pad by your bed. Write down your dreams as soon as you wake up, do it before it fades. A lot of it will just be weird shit, but you will be surprised at the inspiration your subconscious has locked away in there.

 

[Padwolf]

I just keep on writing. I just write different things, write different scenes or different stories. Or I tend to rewrite scenes from a different point of view, then do it for all the characters involved with the scene.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

Usually, I go for a walk. I find that the act of walking keeps the conscious part of the mind occupied, allowing the subconscious to work undisturbed. Before I know it, the idea I needed will pop into my head, seemingly out of nowhere!

Besides, it always helps to find something to do other than staring at that blank screen.

 

[Charli]

Sit with my family with my laptop and write everything that's going on in the room. Eventually I'll be so bored I'll HAVE to think of something better to write.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

I always keep about 3 projects on the burn at a time, so if I get bored I go work on another one.

Not all of them are writing though. I generally have one music-y project or occasionally an artistic one mixed in there to stop it all getting dull. But doing a couple of very different writing projects could work just as effectively.

Anyway, it's an unusual day for me if I don't make significant progress on something, so it seems to be working for me.

Spoiler: general writing advice.

It's always worthwhile to show what you've got so far to somebody you can trust to give you honest advice. Get a few people together and have a proper discussion. Good feedback is extremely valuable.
Some pointers-
- Editing is extremely important.

- Your favourite bits are generally the bits you have to edit into oblivion. The reason for this phenomenon is that your favourite bits will almost certainly seem like some of your best prose to you, but come off as redundant wankery to everyone else. That's not a criticism of you; its a trap that all but the most skilled writers fall into.

- Trim down every single unnecessary word. Eg. I once wrote a sentence containing the phrase 'indistinct; like wraiths on the wind.' The indistinct is unnecessary because wraiths are implied to be indistinct anyway. Get rid of it, and the whole thing flows much better.

- Never use a thesaurus, you'll only end up putting in words that don't quite make sense in context.

- Always try to consider whether something will make sense from the reader's perspective. You'll already have an understanding of the character's motives and the world they inhabit, so things that make sense to you can seem off-puttingly vague to a reader.

 

[Patrick Buck]

Go back to a bit I've already written, and improve it, read through what I've already done, correct and edit bits... Maybe take a break, shoot some nazis on the xbox or something, then get back to it.

 

[Tactical Pause]

I always keep about 3 projects on the burn at a time, so if I get bored I go work on another one.

I find this to be the most effective method for me, although for something like writer's block the answers can vary wildly between different people.

 

[Bonewood]

Can't Speak For everyone. But caffeine helps me

 

[Mxthe]

Start writing anything.

Just start writing about anything, any subject at all, until you feel comfortable with how you are structuring it and how it flows, and then "guide" whatever you are writing back to your original subject.


Nothing you write is set in stone, you can always delete and restart or modify anything.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

Well I'm not a writer, I'm actually a painter, but I do occasionally run into a similar phenomenon. Sometimes I simply don't have an idea for a painting, sometimes I'll have part of an idea, but not enough of one to invest the time in a painting, sometimes everything is there save for one crucial bit.

I find there are a couple things that often help me. One is to just start sketching a lot of stuff (for a writer this might be akin to just writing a ton of stuff without any aim until something comes out that you like). This is better when I haven't got any idea, I just let lines take form and see if I can start to make something interesting, and if I can then I go back to develop it as a composition with thematic content.

The other thing I'll do, if I've got part of an idea, but not all of one, is go for a walk. Going for a walk often yields good results for me, and it's just a more pleasant use of time than sitting around banging my head trying to come up with something.