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Overcoming Writer's Block
Posted by kiltak • 5/01/07 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: blogger, blogging, blogosphere, blogs, writing
First, let's start with a quote from Wikipedia:
"Writer's block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity".
I've experienced the writer's block on occasion, and usually overcome it by reading other blogs / technical publications, but what is YOUR personal method of unblocking it?
User Comments
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Read the news. Works for me. I only write a editoral type article, when the mood strikes. I'm about due for a new article. But right now, there's nothing I really care to say, that hasn't already been said. Me as a Political opinion writer, I'm the total Opposite of Ann Coulter, (Oh whom, I think is a absoulute IDIOT!) and I have been know to write a few that would wrinkle her nose. Don't get me wrong, she's hot, she's a great writer, she's just a dolt political wise.
-TP -
Kids. They always do something that makes me go .."hmmm"-
Yeah, I guess kids in your niche of content is what gets you going
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The book we're writing now is a 'his (Jim) n her (Em)' story and we suffer from block at different times. It's double trouble if it hits us both at once. Whatever works, I try mind maps, exercise or ensuring overtiredness which, for some reason, allows creativity to flow. Em just works through it or surfs the net, blogs or looks at stuff she doesn't need on ebay... -
As I try to find out of main stream news media lots and lots of google and news feeds. -
I've written professionally for years, before starting my site. And an influx of fresh ideas-- whether it's a discussion with someone else, reading new materials, thinking back on a past incident-- it all can help writer's block.
The important thing is not getting too hung up on it, when it happens. What is it Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide) used to say about writing... "Go have a sandwich and a bath" and come back to it? It works. A little mental rest, and the ideas will come much more easily. Some ideas might seem better than others, but as long as you keep thinking and learning, you'll be okay.
--Jenn -
for a while i had a lot to say... lately, things have been kind of meh....i haven't felt like writing about don slimus, virginia tech or anything in the news. And i'd love to tell some stories about where I work but i worry about getting fired... i've heard of that happening. Although I did find a funny post that no one has ever read, about internet dating. It's not half bad... made ME laugh.-
I just remembered, TDavid has an excellent piece on the subject:
Stuck? 49 ways to crack writers block
www.makeyougohmm.com/20060816/3677/
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Hellooo,
Get up and go do something else - something that you dont need to think about, to give your brain some space to be creative. Make a coffee, munch a bun, walk a dog, wash up your dishes - but Stand away from the computer!
Why is it so hard to make time to just sit and think?-
Because people are always in a rush... Living in 2007 isn't something our ancestor would have liked..
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To try combat writers block then I write up notes as soon as I get an idea. The result is that I've lined up quite a few posts so I don't forsee a writers block annoying me for quite a while.-
Yeah, that's what I'm doing also.. I open notepad, and list ideas as soon as they go through my mind..
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I think ChurchOfIntegrity has said part of what I was planning to say.
When I have even the fuzziest idea of how a piece is going to turn out, and if I can sense a writer's block coming, that's when I START writing.
Just write. Anything and everything. Slowly, but surely, you'll see a workable pattern emerging, and lo! --- you're not thinking about the writer's block any more, you're ACTUALLY writing!
What normally works for me is to get rid of the thought that I'm in the middle of a block. And facing the danger in the eye -- meaning starting writing immediately -- works, more often than not. -
Good call zakman...antoher trick is to roll words down the page...just GO! freefall and 4get sentance stucture and speling jist loike i am now....! :0)
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You know, it's good to keep a list, too, of just basic ideas that you can tap into if you feel a little stuck. Images, things that crossed your mind. And then start there. That usually keeps ya rolling.
-Jenn -
I take a pen and some scrap paper, and just give total control to my hand and my pen. I'll write whatever words come to mind, or doodle any image that comes to mind (I'm not that great at sketching but I still do it anyways). Even if it doesn't relate to what I'm trying to write about, just letting go of myself completely like this breaks that block that I'm feeling. And after doing some scribbling, I usually get that "lightbulb" moment
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I actually just wrote something...of all things it's about dating. I have never written about that figuring everyone else does. however, when i write about something it's a bit of a different take. The title is "The goddess of beauty and love and all that crap".
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bit-time-secret-im-giving-away-here: I visit "yahoo answers" and check out questions posted on my niche and viola, a topic is born.-
That's an awesome idea.. and you use the answer to write your post??
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OK, besides kids...I carry around a small notebook (pocket-sized) and write down ideas and "perfect phrases" as soon as they hit, so I don't lose them and get frustrated later.
Follow your niche. Mine isn't kids, it's cooking. I read magazines and websites devoted to food and cooking. I pour through kitchen gadget catalogs; I go for a walk past several small bistros and delis here in town; I meander through the market.-
PORE through...i is writer
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kiltak
I just remembered, TDavid has an excellent piece on the subject:
Stuck? 49 ways to crack writers block
www.makeyougohmm.com/20060816/3677/ -
Have off-the-wall conversations with loved ones, read blogs, watch tv, read books, read the news, look at photographs, listen to music, walk outside, take a nap - a dream may inspire me
If all else fails...look online for writing prompts/challenges sites or groups! -
do keyword research - use the free tools offered by overture, keyword discovery or wordtracker
when you see the list of phrases that people search for related to your niche, you might come up with a huge list of blog topics.
the classic movie lounge has tons of possible posts for years and years to come -
To break through, I do stream of consciousness journal-type writing by hand. A pen and paper and no required structure. My brain runs through thought after thought, tangent after tangent. When I run out of words or my hand gets tired, I go back and read what I wrote. Most of it is a mess, but I can normally pick out a topic or two to delve a little deeper into. Writing without structure, rhyme, or reason seems to unlock my brain. -
Alot of my post come from current news so if I get stuck I just read and it doesn't usually take too long to come across something to post on plus quite a few of my readers send me info and ideas. More often then not i have such a wealth of information that I can usually timestand a get some posts for when I'm having a lazy day. -
I dont think about writing as such I just observe my fellow man and they generally create the topics themselves. Politicians, celebrities and other high profile people/organizations are an absolute goldmine to me. Other than that I find beer helps. -
Usually I read a book from one of the authors I admire and have always found to inspire me. -
Just write. For me, this often takes the form of writing about not writing, or about how I have nothing to say. And then that evolves into saying some pretty mundane things (y'all can probably pick out a few of my blog posts that resulted from this process...) and then at some point--usually before too long--the mere process of writing takes over and I start actually saying something. Well, that might be subjective, but I get around to the kind of thing I meant to be saying.
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