what's writer's block? How did you deal with it?

Answer 1

It's a sort of creative paralysis where the writer may have ideas but they won't come out on the page in a satisfactory way. Or, no words will form when it comes time to write.

When I've faced it, I tend to try working on something else or just doing exercises that I tell myself I'm just playing with... kind of the writer's way of doodling. It almost always leads me back to writing. Sometimes I just force myself to write through it, though.

If not, I go for a walk and come up with something completely else and then I'll eventually return to the project and be able to face it.

Answer 2

I'm a screenwriter and have never experienced the lack of ability to form sentences from ideas. Certainly, I'll go back and rewrite, reform and try and make those sentences better but I've always been of the mind that it's best to put SOMETHING on the page. Having something there to fix is easier than looking at a blank page. But I believe your question is in regards to something else entirely. Writers write - as the saying goes. We write and write and proceed into stories that may or may not end up being finished. But we write. Writers block is a period I've yet to experience, and of which I live in fear. You could ask a myriad of writers why they get it and you'll get a myriad of answers. Some writers get depressed. Some just had a baby and are too busy. Some just require a nice holiday to get away and clear their head. If and when I do encounter writers block, I imagine I would go out for a nice, long walk. Maybe go to the beach. Something relaxing. It's always comforting to see your work (project) waiting there at home for you, begging for you to come get involved again.

Answer 3

Whats Writers Block

Answer 4

It's like hitting a brick wall.

It comes unexpected.

You run out of ideas, and you can't come up with choice words.

Everything you write seems so dull and boring.

What amazes me is that most people will follow respected authors as if they were gods, and most of what they write is trite or uninteresting.

Only a few authors seem to have a magic way of conveying ideas and thoughts.

How do you deal with it?

You take a break, and see if the ideas come back.

I find it works best when I write an interesting sentence, and then get my information together so that the sentence becomes a chapter.

Answer 5

Here are some tips to help you out:
Talk to a monkey - Explain what you’re really trying to say to a stuffed animal or cardboard cutout.
Do something important that’s very easy - Is there a small part of your project you could finish quickly that would move things forward?
Try freewriting - Sit down and write anything for an arbitrary period of time—say, 10 minutes to start. Don’t stop, no matter what. Cover the monitor with a manila folder if you have to. Keep writing, even if you know what you’re typing is gibberish, full of misspellings, and grammatically psychopathic. Get your hand moving and your brain will think it’s writing. Which it is. See?
Take a walk - Get out of your writing brain for 10 minutes. Think about bunnies. Breathe.
Take a shower; change clothes - Give yourself a truly clean start.
Write from a persona - Lend your voice to a writing personality who isn’t you. Doesn’t have to be a pirate or anything—just try seeing your topic from someone else’s perspective, style, and interest.
Get away from the computer; Write someplace new - If you’ve been staring at the screen and nothing is happening, walk away. Shut down the computer. Take one pen and one notebook, and go somewhere new.
Quit beating yourself up - You can’t create when you feel ***-whipped. Stop visualizing catastrophes, and focus on positive outcomes.
Stretch - Maybe try vacuuming your lungs too.
Add one ritual behavior - Get a glass of water exactly every 20 minutes. Do pushups. Eat a Tootsie Roll every paragraph. Add physical structure.
Listen to new music - Try something instrumental and rhythmic that you’ve never heard before. Put it on repeat, then stop fiddling with iTunes until your draft is done.
Write crap - Accept that your first draft will suck, and just go with it. Finish something.
Unplug the router - Metafilter and Boing Boing aren’t helping you right now. Turn off the Interweb and close every application you don’t need. Consider creating a new user account on your computer with none of your familiar apps or configurations.
Write the middle - Stop whining over a perfect lead, and write the next part or the part after that. Write your favorite part. Write the cover letter or email you’ll send when it’s done.
Do one chore - Sweep the floor or take out the recycling. Try something lightly physical to remind you that you know how to do things.
Make a pointless rule - You can’t end sentences with words that begin with a vowel. Or you can’t have more than one word over eight letters in any paragraph. Limits create focus and change your perspective.
Work on the title - Quickly make up five distinctly different titles. Meditate on them. What bugs you about the one you like least?
Write five words - Literally. Put five completley random words on a piece of paper. Write five more words. Try a sentence. Could be about anything. A block ends when you start making words on a page.

Answer 6

writers block is when you go blank and can't think of any ideas or things to write. You have to get up from your writing session and take 15 or 20 minutes relaxing your brain and thoughts.

Answer 7

I think I have terminal writer's block - like it never goes away and it is with me forever. Then I think I have lost my talent and I will never write again.

Then, suddenly, late night, a voice inside my head talks to me and without delay I have to write the words down before I lose them. This is the beginning of another poem - inspiration (the muse) has returned.

Answer 8

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what's writer's block? How did you deal with it?