How do you over come writers block?

Question

I am writing a book and have found that I am repeating certain aspects that I have already put down. I find myself dwelling too much on trying to fit everything in my head into every chapter. Now I just want to get past that and finish it up.

Answer 1

Hi there. I see some terrific answers on this question, all of which should help you with your problem. Personally, I do not believe in "writers block." That's a cop-out. From my experience as a published author, I can tell you that you either have material in your head when you sit down to write, or you don't. It sounds like you need to fast forward a bit, write the ending of your book, then backfill the rest as it comes to you.

Trying to make the words magically appear or writing to a self imposed quota every day is counter productive. Why? Because writing is a creative process, not a nine to five job.

Creativity cannot be turned on and off at will. I wish that were true, but it simply isn't. It comes upon you when something external triggers an idea or an emotion or a conversation in your head that you, as the writer, can actually "hear" your characters saying. That's when you rush to the computer or a note pad or a recorder and make notes as fast as you can so that the fresh idea doesn't disappear before you can get it into your novel. Once you have some notes, that's when you allow the creative process to take over. Your notes are the outline, but creativity fills the pages.

So, is it possible to trigger your own creativity? Actually, yes, it is, but not all the time. I sometimes use music in the form of a movie soundtrack to spark my imagination, especially when I have a particularly difficult part of a book to get through. I use soundtracks like "Braveheart" or "Last of the Mohicans" to set a mood in my head and that allows the creativity to be released.

Try that--you may find that you can open a can of creativity at anytime. And don't worry about how many words you write today. Some days, I bang out 500 and I'm thrilled with that. Other days, I get completely involved in the story and end up with 5,000 new words before I'm done. Unfortunately, I also end up with days where I write nothing and spend the whole day editing instead. But, then that's part of the writing process too.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your project!

Jon F. Baxley
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THE SCYTHIAN STONE
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY
THE REGENTS OF RHUM (coming, fall '07)

Answer 2

The best way for me to overcome writers block is to walk away from the project for a while. You have too much inside your head right now and as you have stated, you are repeating certain aspsects already written. You need a freshness that only stepping away can provide. Clear your thoughts: exercise, take long walks, run with a dog, go shopping, take a swim, yoga, do anything - exept READ AND WRITE. Then go back to it with some strategies. Talk it over with someone else, take a role in the writing, change the audience, begin in the middle. Also, here are a couple of sources that I use not only to 'teach' my students when they have writers block, but also myself.

Answer 3

Lots of good suggestions here. This has always been a significant problem for me. I've discovered three tricks that usually (not always of course, but usually) help.

1. Psychologists tell us we always write in ten- to fifteen-minute cycles. We may think we extend writing longer than that, but if we do, we stop every ten or fifteen minutes to daydream for a few minutes, reread what we've just written, gaze out the window, walk around the room, or (too often in may case) head for the refrigerator. SO one way to break a block is to make ourselves do a ten- or fifteen-minute nonstop writing. If we can't think of anything else to say, we simply repeat ourselves or write gibberish for a minute or two. Something else will come along. I do three of these, making myself go in three new directions, relaxing a few minutes between them. A block is often caused by the enormity of the task our psyche sees for itself. This gives it an excuse to think smaller -- just ten or fifteen minutes, just one new topic or approach each time. The juices usually start flowing.

This used to be called "free writing" and, to my knowledge, was first introduced in a little book On Becoming a Writer written in the 1930s by Dorothea Brand. But I prefer to call it focus writing, for it requires me to focus my mind on a new topic or going in a new direction for ten minutes w/o stopping.

2. If I'm at the begining of a project, my tendency is to keep doing background research and planning and taking notes and . . . so on and so forth, to avoid the task as long as possible. I've learned that I can't start at the beginning. I have to start with a part of whatever I'm writing that interests me most. Once I get underway, I can go back and fill in the beginning. I usually write several beginnings anyway.

3. If I'm already into the project and am having trouble getting back to it or I'm stuck on one aspect, I find that rerreading, NOT editing, but simply reading and highlighting a line or passage that needs further development works. Once I've identified several of those, I do the nonstop writing thing again, focusing on one or more passages that I have identified. Or one or more ideas that I notice I have not developed at all.

And sometimes I just go back to the refrigerator again. That's not a beer belly, I have. It's a writer's block!

Answer 4

I discovered that when I get writer's block, I tend to start a thousand sentences but keep myself from finishing them because I can already tell that they won't be right. The trick I have learned is to finish those sentences, even when you know it's not right. Finish the whole paragraph, or thought. Sometimes, putting the wrong thing down makes it immediately clear what you should have said instead. It doesnt always work that way, but it is better to clear your head and just get the words out so you can start over with a renewed, refined effort.

Answer 5

to overcome writers block of any kind is to write whatever does come... no big deal you can edit it back out later... but let it come and write it over if it comes up again... sometimes the second writing on a topic may very well bring up an idea, a clue, or a stream of thought you didn't have last time...

if you are blocked and simply can not write at all then you may well need to recharge your word bank...

I think of words as little energy forms.. and the more we spend the more we need to gain... so instead of trying to write when the words wont come do some reading... the relaxed nice to read kind is best... just top up your word account...

If you are finding it difficult to deal in words at all go out and reconnect with nature... spend time in the garden or a park...

do something of a creative nature of a different kind like draw, doodle, paint, make jewelry, sculpt, garden, build models..... whatever can get the creativeness flowing in you again..

I hope this helps.

Answer 6

One thing that I have done is start writing short stories that have nothing to do with what you are writing your book about. You can also find books with writing exercises that will help break writer's block. If you aren't under a deadline, put it away for a while and work on other writings - when you feel ready, pick it up again and try! Good Luck!

Answer 7

Take a break, literally.
Go for a walk. Run errands. Watch a movie. Take a nap.
When you hit a snag, if you are unable to solve it within an hour, just walk away from the project for a while.
Come back to it within twenty-four hours and start frersh.
And when you do write, do so in a relaxing atmosphere. Play the radio, listen to CDs, or at least have a quiet corner that you can call your own where you can concentrate on your writing.

Answer 8

If you have to ask, you are no writer. Try something else. You'll NEVER make it. First off, you need to have a market for the book (that takes tons of research), an interested agent or publisher (lot's of luck with that one), and a terrific editor. Connections help too. Again, if you don't know all of this you are WASTING your time trying to write some book that the liklihood of getting published is almost nil.

Answer 9

The "Morning Pages" exercise of just putting your pen on the paper and writing whatever comes into your head without trying to shape it for about 20 minutes can help get things "unclogged." I've really found this (after a morning walk) to be very useful.

Answer 10

Easy - Stop, Get Up, Move To the Next Block, Observe the happenings as you move over, then sit down and write it down.
Simply - relax and look at things from another point of view, that should help.