[Grammar] FIX WRITERS BLOCK

[LJH]

WRITERS BLOCK

So little time, so little to do

Oscar Levant

Keep a diary and one day it will keep you

Mae West

You cannot create experience, you must undergo it

Albert Camus

If you are undisciplined, you are suffering from minor writer's block A.K.A LAZINESS!

Major WB is psychological and more difficult to overcome, but can be done.

When you need to beat WB you may simply need to be stimulated.

Are you, as an author, ensuring that your mind is being sufficiently looked after?

MAJOR WB - SOME HELP

1. Reassess your motivation. Strive for a realistic, attainable goal. You'll never be disappointed or feel overwhelmed.

2. Maintain your health - writing is a sedentary, solitary act. It's easy to get yourself out of shape.

3. Shut off your inner critic. Everyone has insecurities and self doubts. Some just listen to them more than others.

4. Give yourself permission to write badly. When it comes to first draft, its ridiculous to demand perfection.

5. Take time off to refuel. Participate in other activities. Interact with others. You'll feel better and may harvest some stories.

6. Maintain your sense of humour. Humour puts things into perspective. Learn to laugh at the absurdities and hazards of the profession.

7. Make time to write every day.

8. Break the writing up into more digestible chunks.

9. Know your strengths. Some writers are masters at plot, others at characterisation, still others at prose. Take advantage of your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.

10. Seek medical help for depression. Don't battle depression alone. Dealing with depression is the first step to overcoming it and liberating yourself to become the writer you want to be.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?

The extraordinary thing about most people who want to become authors is that they don't write. What are you waiting for? What excuses are you using this week? Who is stopping you? What is stopping you? There is nothing profound to discover here. You are responsible for not writing so don't go blaming someone/something else. If you have time to watch TV, sit in a coffee shop, read a trashy mag or even not sleep, you have time to write.

IF YOU WRITE 1 PAGE A DAY YOU WILL HAVE COMPLETED A 365 PGE NOVEL BY THE END OFTHE YEAR

THE EXCUSES

FAMILY - I have to get the kids ready for school or I'm the family taxi. I have to do a grocery list or I have to cook. I have to be there for my husband/lover/wife.

WORK - I work long hours and too tired after a day at the office

TIME - I'm too busy and I never seem to find the time. GENERAL

I'm tired / depressed / sick

I'll do it tomorrow / later

I'm not inspired I'm too old / young

I don't think my story is good enough.

YOU CAN HAVE YOUR BOOK OR YOUR EXCUSES BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE BOTH

All of the above are obviously important but don't kid yourself. Writers write; pretenders to that throne make excuses.

The two major obstacles to not writing are laziness and lack of self discipline.

ASK YOURSELF - DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE A WRITER? WRITING IS LONELY WRITING IS HARD WORK WRITING IS DISCIPLINE

There are no quick fixes. No one to applaud or crit you. You are your own boss and you will have to motivate and reward yourself. And after all this you will face the possibility of rejection - the dedicated writer will not stop there.

Write like you don't need money. Write like you're not afraid of rejection and dare to live your dream.

BEATING THE BLOCK

1. ENVIRONMENT

Give up the addiction to your family. Know when to say no. Find the best writing environment for yourself - a quiet room, a desk, a laptop, a busy shopping centre. Use the best equipment for you - a pen and paper, PC or dictaphone. Maintain discipline. Tell your family and friends you are working. Make a routine and stick to it.

Make a sign for your writing room and pin it to the door. Make sure everyone understands you are WORKING!

DANGER!

ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!

WRITER AT WORK

Do not come in

Do not knock

Do not say hello

Do not say goodbye

Do not say anything

- UNLESS THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE.

2. STIMULATION

a. Listen to music you enjoy, or watch a film you loved.

b. Reinvent yourself - go bungee jumping, pick up a spider or talk to that stranger, have a drink, stop drinking.

c. Talk to another writer / read a book on how to write.

d. Read mags / newspapers. Research something - keep notebooks.

e. Surf the net f. Paint / draw / play a musical instrument / meditate / learn pottery / do yoga

g. Have a warm bath and then take a cold shower

h. Join a book club

i. Go to an atrologer/ tarot card reader/ psychic.

3 THE WORK

a. Improvise three new scenarious for your character and write them down.

b. If you are stuck on a scene, move to another

c. Leave a sentence incomplete, you can always go back to it.

d. Work with other people who write. Go on courses on the internet.

e. Write an article for a magazine why you can't write.

f. Rewrite your main character's biography

g. Rewrite/ edit one of your scenes

h. Try another style for a few minutes - go to first person singular for a page

i. Write for ten minutes without pause - even if the writing makes no sense at all.

j. Stop waiting for that muse - jump in at the deepend.

Copyright: Amanda Paterson How to Write a Novel.

 

 

Edited September 7, 2010 by LouisHarris

[AnytaSunday]

"I only write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired every morning at nine o'clock." --- Peter De Vries

[JamesSavik]

For Southern writers I thought that all that was required was an 8 year old bottle of Olde Sasquatch, a hooker and a hand full of qualudes.

[Zolia Lily]

gah... this was exactly the shake up i needed...

logging off GA and going back to writing

thanks!

(seriously!!!)