For all the writers out there...I have a question?

Question

Have you ever experienced when you know what to write next, but you just don't know how to write it, how to express it in words let's say? Because I have that right now, and I don't know why. Is this writer's block? And do you have any advice about how to get over it?

Thanks, and Merry Christmas! :)

Answer 1

Yep. Every writer hits it. The way to solve it includes research and understanding the controlling idea of your story.

You're blocked because you have nothing to say. When it happens to me, I research to stimulate the knowlege of the world of my characters. Once you know more about them, this is where they will spring to life. Ask yourself what they eat, how they pray, what their secret thoughts are, what they regret.

Also, think about what your story is about? Go and research that subject and expand your knowledge of it. As you research it, ask yourself "what if" questions. If your story is about insecurity, when you research this subject you'll learn about all types of mental illnesses associated with it. Then use "what ifs" such as "what if my protagonist's insecurity developed from maternal suffication?" then play on that (let's presume your character is male)..."what if he still lived with his mother and is 40-years-old?" .... "what if his mother died and still talked to him from the grave?"..."what if from the grave she still talks to him and is jealous when he talks to other girls?" ... "what is his mother is so jealous that she tells him to kill the girls that he's attracted to?" .... then you'll end up with Psycho. =) Research is what sparks this and asking these "what ifs" will also help you to avoid cliche.

As you research, consider: biographical, psychological, physical, political, and historical research of both the setting and your characters. But all this must lead to events in your story or else this will end up in procrastination.

Answer 2

Oh yes, I've gotten that before. I wouldn't call it writers' block, per se, which is when everything is blocked out and you can't write at all, but I'd call it something like 'attack of the internal editor', wherein you think that everything you write is bad, and just can't get it out on paper the way you want it to be.

How to get over it? Well, there are three ways: 1) wait it out, 2) just do it anyways, no matter how cruddy, or 3) skip it.

I don't advocate number one. The longer you let it wait, the more opportunities you have for procrastinating and never finishing what you want. I'm big on #2 or #3- just write what you need to have written, even though it's not the way you want it, as you can fix it later- that's what editing is for! Or, if you're really worried about it, type a quick sentence or two or paragraph describing what will happen in the scene, and then move on to something that's easier to write. When you want to, you can come back and flesh it in.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Answer 3

Every writer hits that at some point, and it can be annoying.
Change track - either skip over the chapter that's giving you problems and go on to the next chapter, or start writing something entirely new. The main thing is, don't quit writing and wait for it to go away, because it won't. You have to work through it. Sometimes when writer's block hits, it helps to go back to the beginning of the book and start doing rewriting, revising and editing on the chapters you have already completed. Somehow it helps you get deeper into the story, and that opens up new avenues that will add to the story and slide you around that pesky block.
But you can take tomorrow off....
Merry Christmas!

Answer 4

I think i t might be a form of writer's block, and yes I have experienced it. The thoughts are so great in my mind that I am afraid I won't be able to do it justice when I write it down. To get over it, I try speaking the idea out loud a few times and then write it down. If I don't like it, I erase it and start over (or if using a pen, I cross it off)

Answer 5

I don't support asking other people for ideas just because it's lazy (although that is part of it). I think the process of creating your own ideas - finding them, analyzing other books or the world or whatever - teaches you and makes you a better writer so much more than taking other people's plots will. Writing a story isn't all, it's also having a deeper understanding of it next time you do it. And I don't really feel that getting plots from other people with teach you that.

Answer 6

Happy Holidays to you as well. You have several options, some of which have already been stated.

1. Check your research.
2. Re-read what you've already written, or better yet, have it read aloud to you. You'd be surprised what you hear when it comes out of another voice.
3. Check whose point of view you're writing from. You may find that character has nothing to say, but another present in the scene may be bursting with all the emotion and words you need.
4. Call up a group of very trusted and crazy friends. Have them brainstorm with you, preferrably with a tape recorder going. This can produce incredible results and you don't have to take what's suggested.

Answer 7

It doesn't sound like writer's block. Just a loss for words. When this happens, I ask myself, "What am I trying to say?" Try to put it into the simplest words and structure possible. List the important points if it helps. It's important to get it down while it's fresh, so do it, even if you only write a few key words.

Answer 8

Actually what you need to do is write down what you are thinking and not worry about writer's block. Some of your jottings may come in handy later when you are finishing a chapter or the rest of the book. Keep your jottings handy when this occurs, you never know when you may need those notes. If not for this book but maybe for a later one. Keep a file of you musings, this will help you down the road.

Answer 9

I'm going through that writer's block right now but experience has taught me that I should not force myself when it happens. Sometimes the writer's block lasts for days or even months. A friend of mine tells me that he was not able to write anything for a decade!!

Answer 10

It happens to all the great writers through history and myself. When I get writers block, I just go outside breath in the fresh air and watch the scenory around me. When I go back inside a hour later, I am refreshed and I usually write eight to ten pages. hehe. Good luck!

Answer 11

Merry Christmas to you as well. Just let the ideas tumble down...like a cascade without any hinderance, pen down what ever comes to your mind....when the brook reaches the plains you shall have the time and energy to channelise your thoughts and structure your sentences..like a river and then of course the river shall merge into a sea...
Greetings!