by takatsu
Grumble.. grumble.. You wake up one morning and suddenly your writing touch has left you. Your mind is empty and words simply won't flow from your fingers. You can't even plan for a story and it is giving you a headache because there are a billion other things to do. Then you complain about having Writer's Block. If there is a writing doctor, you would ask to be diagnosed. You are convinced you have developed Stage 6 Writer's Block Disease.
You, my fellow writer, are wrong.
Let me be a bit harsh in this little rant of mine: you're just making excuses! The fact is, "Writer's Block" doesn't exist. That's right. It does NOT exist. Right now, this very moment, even if you think you have "Writer's Block", you don't.
First, it would be a good idea to delve into the mystery of "Writer's Block" (hereby dubbed WB).
What are the causes?
There are no set-in-stone causes -- it is different for everyone. You may think you don't know what the cause is, but if you think about it hard enough, you'll find a reason. It may be a certain situation in your life, a sudden craving for chocolate and a tv drama, a subconscious need to get off your chair, who knows? Let's talk about some that I experience on a daily basis.
The number one cause is simply fatigue. (Like right now, these words are extremely difficult to write and I would put this off if I could). If a writer's mind is tired, words simply won't flow, sentences won't click. If someone is tired, will anything go right? Probably not. Heck, if you were to try to solve a crisis between friends with a tired mind I doubt it would go well. It is a simple issue of the fact that you can't think right.
Second, you aren't in the mood. Maybe it's too noisy, maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Personally, I switch between modes, I can go from reflective, philosophical, contemplative, quiet mode (which is optimal for my writing) to very hands on, quick, practical and technical (meaning I should get other work done). I'm certain we all have different modes. We are complex beings and have different sides.
Third, you can get lazy. Lack of motivation , distractions, stress from other tasks you must accomplish, or the fact that you are tired of your own writing – all can lead to laziness. Sometimes we have been working on one story for so long that we're so sick and tired of it. The storyline, the characters, the concept and maybe even the writing style.
Fourth, you might think you aren’t ready to keep going. My current project is a cell phone novel, so if you've read one, you'll know cliff hangers are essential. You might hit a point in the story where you just finished something of epic proportions, somethingso dramatic you could've cried. Now what? Now you don't feel like writing more because you think it was just so good. Or maybe you don't know what should happen next. Maybe, what should be happening next is boring and dull. You want to write things of epic proportions. On Textnovel especially, when we are writing online serial novels, I feel like I will ruin the great accomplishments of yesterday if I continue today.
Ultimately, all these things results in the conscious or subconscious idea that your writing will suck right now if you tried.
Defeating Writer's Block:
Don’t worry about WB. We all go through some down times, but it’ll be over soon. We can defeat it easily. Here’s the secret. The fact is that you can write any time, whether or not you have the gift of words. Get on twitter and tweet. Look! You're writing! Get a piece of paper and write a word. Look! You're writing! Instead of working on a long term project you feel obligated to continue, write something else. Write a poem. Write lyrics. Just jot down brain fart. Rant about your life. If you do this, you can laugh at Writer's Block. You've been cured. How can anything possibly block someone from writing a word? You can write a word any time. That in itself should give you some confidence.
I recently did an experiment. While I was feeling down, the lowest of lows, the most exhausted, without any inspiration to write, I forced myself to write (on my current cell phone novel project). Guess what? I re-read my writing from that time and it is exactly the same as my writing during my best days. I don't know if that is true with everyone, but I believe our psychological state of mind and emotional well being has nothing to do with our writing style or writing technique. Our technique is there, no matter how you feel. Whether you feel happy and accomplished or totally unmotivated and discouraged, it doesn't matter! Of course, when it comes to storyline consistency and other aspects that we have to plan consciously, that may be affected.
The conclusion is that we can laugh at Writer's Block because it's a joke. You can force yourself to write at any time. You've got a novel to finish! Just write, no matter what you feel. Fire your inner editor and let your writing "suck". (Even though it might not.) Don't read what you write, just write and let everything flow. If it doesn't flow, FORCE IT TO! Who cares? You can edit it after, or heck, you can scrap it the next time you feel at your peak and rewrite it. Personally, I write straight on Textnovel (on my phone or computer) and post it no matter how I feel. I won't rewrite what I've written, although I will do minor edits. That's what makes Textnovel stories interesting -- flow writing without much planning.
Recovering your True Powers, some steps:
1) You need a change. so DON'T SIT THERE! Get up and move. If you are tired and fatigued, get rest. Take a nap. If not, go do something else -- take a walk outside. A tired mind definitely needs fresh air, a change of scenery and observation of real life stories unfolding right before your eyes. Open your eyes, your ears, your soul, and gather some new inspiration. Take a look at the birds outside your window, flying freely amongst the trees. Take a deep breath of fresh air. Watch the snow falling. Curl up in your sofa next to the fire. Listen to the sound of the waves against the shore. If all else fails, find a comfortable spot and imagine those things.
2) Clear your mind of any stress and worries. Things you have to do, people you have to contact, time running out; free yourself from any obligation. Your thoughts should be free.Ponder about why the sky is blue or the grass is green. Or where your next vacation is. What is someone at the other side of the world doing? What is that bird singing about? Think philosophically. What's the meaning of life?
3) Get the gears in your mind working again. Instead of writing, listen to your favourite songs. Music is often the best cure. Music invokes a lot of feelings and images in your mind if you let it. It might even inspire new ideas and new scenes for your writing. If so, you can head back to the work table. A change of artistic and expressive outlet should be unlocking and releasing your creative side now.
4) Try heading back to the pages now -- by reading. Before you write anything try a dose of words written by someone else. Enjoy their choice of words and the way they weave their story together. Do you feel the magic in the writing? If their writing doesn’t inspire you, it might fill you with jealousy, envy or ambition to strive to write like them or even better. Let it motivate you.
5) Reread your current project. I like to re-read from around 2000-5000 words previous to the place I’m writing. It only takes a few minutes. The goals of this step is to immerse yourself in your story. After the previous steps, you actually shouldn't be tired of your own work. You've had enough external inspiration and refreshed your mind so now your work should sound new to you. So get into your story, without any critical mindset. Pretend you are simply a reader and experience your story. Not think about it. What is happening? Try getting inside the characters you've created. Feel what they're feeling, imagine yourself in their shoes. Hopefully you'll shed some tears or laugh heartily at some scenes.
6) After re-immersing yourself in your story, it's time to become a writer again. You've just finished imagining yourself as the character and you probably have a few thoughts about what you would want the characters to do or what should happen to them. But more importantly, try to love your characters. Whether your writing brought them to life or created mismatched zombies, imagine them as people in real life. Your friends. How would you relate to them, interact with them. Who do you love or hate? Enjoy your creations. Now you can continue to mould them.
7) As a writer, think about the bigger picture. What is the final vision? What is the ultimate end for the novel? How many more chapters or words do you have? Come on, that should get you fired up! The characters you love, heading off into the final stretch. Let's do this!
8) While you're not writing or struggling with "WB", set goals. Whether its daily, weekly or however you would like to structure your time. Many writers would suggest daily, so that you get into a habit of writing daily. If you let laziness take over you'll have a tough habit to break. Recently, I've decided to put out at least 6 chapters per day until the novel is complete and ready to go through the editing/publication process. It really helps -- there's not a day where I don't put out a satisfactory amount of chapters, often going way over 6. I've committed to it and stuck to it. No matter how you feel, you must get your goals done.
9) Write now. Switch platforms if something isn't working. If writing on the computer proves to be unproductive, write on your cell phone, write on paper, change locations. Keep changing your situation until it works.
If you still are not in the mood, simply re-do steps 1-9 taking longer for whichever step you feel is necessary.
At the end of the day, say this: "Screw you, Writer's Block! I won!"
Takatsu is a young aspiring author, currently working on award-winning cell phone novel, Secondhand Memories.
Read more about cell phone novels here: The Cell Phone Novel Manual
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