I am procrastinating the ever-living HELL out of writing today. I would rather update my blog 536 times today than start writing. And I've got my publisher on my ass being all "hey, when are you going to send in the chapter's manuscript to the consultant?" and yadda yadda "the sooner you get it to us the sooner we can start editing!" and it's like "holy crap, guys, I've got TWO novels to finish here, give me a freaking week!"
So instead of writing like mad, like I should be doing, I'm going to skip my writer's block struggle and talk a bit about being a writer on an internet blog with 5 readers.
Boring? I don't think so.
I try to divide my arts up pretty evenly. I'll spend equal amounts of time working on art commissions, practicing music, and writing. Lately, writing has been taking over my life a bit and it's starting to get a bit irritating. I feel like I can't walk away from a blank chapter, even if I have the WORST writer's block I have to write something, only to come back to it the next day and trash the whole thing.
The first novel is already completed. However, it was completed three years ago, and I want to make it better/move the storyline in a different direction. I need to update the vocab and write an entire parallel storyline in between what happened, because I left way too much out the first time. I end up sitting staring at the screen for hours before I give up and feel awful about myself, so I guess what I'm really going to touch on here is how to deal with writer's block.
The first thing I want to mention is something I actually learned in music school. While I was at the University, I took a songwriting class and they had a lot to say about writer's block. One of the things the teacher FORCED on us was the concept of bringing a notebook everywhere. And everyone always rolls their eyes at that and is all "stop telling me that," and I agree, I do the same. I carry my ideas notebook with me and rarely write something down, and it gets a little ridiculous.
What I DO do is carry my cell phone with me. That way when I get a random idea (especially in public) I don't have to drop all things and root for this notebook and pen and write it down and then forget what the point-form explanation means. I pull out my cell phone, call myself, and leave a message explaining the idea in full detail. That way it also just looks like I'm talking on the phone and no one judges me!
That wasn't really the point I wanted to address though. That's just a way of keeping all of your ideas.
THE REAL WRITER'S BLOCK ADVICE.
1. Go for a walk.
What I learned in songwriting is that there are two instances where you are at your most creative during a normal day: when your body is in motion, and when you're entering your sleep cycle. So, keep your cell phone by you when you're going to sleep, to record your sleepy ideas, whatever, but if you've got writer's block, get away from your computer and take a walk.
You don't need to go outside; you can just wander your house aimlessly. You can go to a mall and wander around and window shop or just people watch. Clean your room even. Hell, turn some music up in your room and dance around like an idiot. I like to take a quick jog around the block. It gets the endorphins going in your body, no matter how little exercise you're doing, and helps the creative wheels turn. Don't force it either. Stop wracking your brain and just go for it. Enjoy the outdoors/freedom of motion. After a while, you can start reflecting on it again, but until then just keep up some motion.
2. Consider regular exercise.
I know it's not for everyone. Some people just like to sit around and do nothing, but I can tell you that getting regular exercise helps with creativity. You sleep better, stuff in your body works better, and your mood improves, even if you suffer from chronic depression. And I'm not saying you should start training for a marathon or something. Just take a walk sometimes. Dance around your house. Get moving, get a bit more active. I like to go to the gym because once I'm there, what am I going to do except exercise? I have insomnia and depression AND obsessive tendencies, and I notice a huge improvement in all of these things when I keep up regular activities.
So what's the point? The point is tied into the last one a bit. First, body in motion = elevated creativity. Then consider: better sleep = clearer mind, better mood = better creativity, health = energy = ability to write more for longer, feeling better health wise = self-confidence.
Just some stuff to consider.
3. Write absolute crap.
Everything you type is crappy? Do it anyways. Write about all the cliches. Overload on dialogue. Make your characters say stupid stuff. Write something you think is awful, but just WRITE and KEEP GOING. It might be crappy, but laying it out there gives opportunity to keep the ideas in the back of your head, and who knows? Maybe even ONE sentence in that monstrosity will inspire genius. It also helps for filler scenes. Maybe you can take pieces of it, improve it, and stick it in somewhere. The fact that you are writing alone gets that part of your mind more active and will help the wheels in your brain get unstuck.
4. Write about something completely unrelated.
Method 1: 5 minute writing
Pick an object. Any object. Write about it for 5 minutes straight with no breaks. Don't stop to think about it. Just write crap. If you can't think of anything keep writing "can't think can't think why can't I think of anything this is so stupid!" then go off on a tangent about WHY it's stupid and how much you hate this idea and it wasn't a good idea anyways.
Method 2: short story
Just make stuff up. Write a short narrative or description, song, poem, anything but what you're currently having a block on. It doesn't have to be good, no one's going to read it, but you NEED to kick-start that area of your brain, so make up a story. Write about what you had for breakfast or an ordinary conversation you had with a friend. Write about your crush. Doesn't matter. If you hate it so much, at the end, just delete it. But the important thing is getting stuff out of your head and into text.
Method 3: blog
I'm not going to lie. That's partly why I started this blog in the first place. I needed to write stuff down but couldn't do it in my story, so I made a blog and MAN has it helped.
5. *controversial* You're more honest when you've had something to drink.
If you don't drink, no worries, keep going.
I'm going to start this off by saying I do NOT drink very much at all. In one YEAR, I spent $25 on alcohol. I am not saying to go get shitfaced and try to write, because that's a horrible idea. I'm saying, alcohol brings you a lot closer to honesty. That's why you act like an idiot and say stuff you shouldn't when you get drunk, because that filter's gone. The stuff you WANT to write will come a bit easier and even if it's not the greatest it will still be something down, and something is better than nothing. You can always go back and edit.
When I say "something to drink," I mean like... a single beer. Or one mixed drink with ONE shot in it. No. Not a "Newfie" shot. Not a bottle of vodka shot.
6. Read someone else's work.
I do this in a couple of different ways.
First is the obvious one: I read a book. Reading a successful writer's work gives you both ideas AND knowledge on how to write. It shows you how an editor would make you transition between scenes and how to effectively use dialogue and descriptors. Maybe it will invoke the right mood in your brain or push the right button.
The second one is to find amateur writing online, and read the works of other people who are looking for critiques. You can copy/paste their story into a word document and critique it in a different text color, helping you see what others are doing well and badly, and how to avoid some mistakes and expand on good qualities. Some of them might even welcome critique.
When I was young, around 13 or so, I used to go onto this website called Gaia Online. It was this anime-based forum site that my friend signed me up for, and I was all bitchy about it until I discovered their writer's forum. Suddenly, I spent all of my time in that forum, reading and critiquing other people's work. I still go back from time to time to read the prose that comes out of the teenagers there and even gain some inspiration from it.
7. Write a character background
Start a story about one of your character's lives. It gives them depth and lets you get to know them better, no matter how minor they are. If you know their back story, you know how to make them a lot more real and a lot less two dimensional. Their dialogue and actions will have more purpose and be a lot more relate-able. You don't want to be putting the back stories into your novel, but have them there in case you want to disclose some details or some background. Heck, if the need comes further down the line for some background, it's all a matter of copy and paste if you already have something written. The story doesn't need to be good or super in-depth or read like its own novel, but it should go into some detail and at least list the major events in that person's life. Talk about their friends, their family, their education. Their favorite color, food, whether they're bilingual, where they've taken vacations. Hell, even their favorite childhood activity.
It'll give you a break from the main story and perhaps even inspire some ideas.
8. Start an autobiography.
And go into as much detail as you like. Again, it's all about writing SOMETHING, even if it's not what you WANT to be writing. As soon as those wheels get turning, your writer's block is going to have a helluva time keeping up its fight.
And that's my advice. I'm no professional, but these are the things that have worked for me. Now I actually DO have to go and finish the first draft of this chapter, so I probably won't post again today until I can post that unicorn picture.
WHICH I DID DRAW!
I just haven't scanned it yet...
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