In this section, I shall address two major issues:
1. What is writer’s block?
2. How do I deal with it?
What the heck is writer's block?
First things first. If asked that question, five different people would give about ten different answers. It means something different to everyone, whether it's:
- Losing your inspiration, running out of ideas,
- The "tone" not coming out right; words not sounding like you want them to, or
- A distinct buzzing in your ears 'cos you were distracted by something else and just cannot seem to get your focus back.
These, by the way, are the more common definitions out there.
Getting back to the main question: No, those are the wrong answers!
Writer's block, believe it or not, does not actually exist. Here's why.
Our minds have something in them called he "sub-consciousness". Basically, it's like a brain you can't control. Your subconscious mind has a memory about as powerful as your parents; they rarely forget.
When you come up against a problem you can't seem to solve, your conscious mind shoves it at the subconscious mind, which dutifully sets about working on it, and you don't even realize!
Hence, writer's block, as stated by author Arthur Hermansen "is the time lapse between when a creative problem [occurs] in the subconscious [mind] and when the problem is solved and the solution becomes apparent to conscious mental awareness"."
In a nutshell, writer's block is basically the time period from when your conscious mind gives up and your subconscious mind kicks in, till it is finally able to crack the case.
The instant the subconscious mind gets the answer, voila! You have an apparently "sudden" idea!
Here are some more examples:
Scenario One:
You're all full of inspiration on this new story you started. About halfway through chapter four, you realize that...you have absolutely no idea what to do now. Just like that, your inspiration is spent.
It happens to the best of us.
Cue the drum roll, it must be writer's block, you exclaim.
Wrong. There is no "block". No unbreakable dam in your way. The only thing stopping you is the fact that you have no solution to the problem at hand. Yet.
Your problem is that you don't have anything to fill your story up with.
There is no mysterious "wall" here. Really, your subconscious mind is already working on the problem, 'cos your conscious mind has already given up the instant that flare of inspiration died.
Scenario Two:
You have it all down on an eight-and-a-half by eleven: your major plot-line. You did the homework, hoping to evade the legendary "Writer's block" by already generating the ideas you would need to see that story through to the end.
But when you sit down to write...it just comes out wrong! *cry*
Either it's the tone of it (how it reads, particularly important in a first-person point-of-view, where a character's narrating reveals their personality) or it's the vocabulary. Too simple that your work sounds like a children's book, or so complex, you have to go get a dictionary to understand your own story.
In both cases, the only "block" you really face is the wording. You have it all there, just need to get it out right. Again, the subconscious mind comes to life, mentally going over and over the words you have written, trying to rephrase them to suit.
In both the above scenarios, your subconscious mind is taking time trying to solve the problem at hand. Your conscious mind, the part you actually use to think with, has dropped the problem into its Delete folder.
Hence, to you, it seems like your mind has cut the solution off completely, since you have no actual contact with your subconscious mind. Thus, the "block" is born.
What Do I Do About It?
Okay, you say, I've read all this stuff, and I still don't have an answer for how to solve the greatest problem of them all. I can't seem to write any more.
Relax. No, seriously.
I've head a lot of people say they can't get inspiration, and so will not continue so-and-so story any more. Or, they just can't get the darned wording right. So I went and looked up, and brainstormed, some of my favorite ways of dealing with this issue, arranged in order with most referred on top:
- Tell yourself there is no such thing as writer’s block. Fifty times, or till your imaginary “wall” crumbles. A new approach will open your mind.
- Just write! I know it seems like everything you put down sucks, but try it! This is my favorite method, because, stupid as it sounds, it is near infallible. (but no method is fool-proof, mind you) Later on, when you feel those creative vibes tingling, come back and shape it up. But you’ll be surprised at how good it can sound.
- Reread what you have already written. Sometimes, that’s really all it takes. Just like oiling a machine, you repaint the “tone and magic” of the story back onto your brain.
- Drop the pen! In other words, just stop. Go get a glass of water. Or Coke. Change your position, and go sit somewhere else. Something to break the monotony of writing.
- Do your math homework. Yes, I see dropping jaws, but I'm not kidding. Math was my inspiration behind my favorite piece. A tough math problem opens up areas of your brain that normally are not needed.
- Open up a magazine, or Google Images (or any picture site) and use the image or an inspiration for a short piece of writing. Enter an SW contest! Particularly the prompt contests, as these excercises set your brain churning again. (by FantasysDreamAurora)
- Practice the art of "chunking". No, it has nothing to do with Play Dough or food.
Chunking basically is another form of brainstorming, in which you sit down, take out a pen and a piece of paper, and start jotting down everything you can recall in the plot. This includes the major events that you have not yet reached, such as the big climax before the end. Your mind does forget, you know? Get those ideas down! And not necessarily in the right order. In fact, this is the time when your mind will begin picking up on other potential plot ideas.
Ø bulleted lists
Ø short subheadings
Ø short sentences with one or two ideas per sentence, or even nothing at all.
Ø short paragraphs, even one-sentence paragraphs
Ø mind maps with single words to represent an idea or event in the story
This step can be done anywhere! Heck, I did this while procrastinating in the library during my lunch period! On the back of my math homework, no less! Chunking, I assure you, will get very messy; I ended up scribbling in the margins, squeezing in that one last word so I wouldn’t forget it when I got home!
8. Read, read, read! I recommend the Harry Potter series, and not just because I’m a fan. J.K. Rowling uses very succinct words. Her vocabulary is beautiful. And it’s fantasy, which, in my pinion, will unlock your mind faster than anything else.
9. Watch a movie It’ll help you both with inspiration, and also in writing dialogue, if your story happens to be set in a similar setting.
Confession: I watched Bring It On: All Or Nothing, a good bit of Youtube, and One Tree Hill to get details like cheerleading moves and suitable emotions for my characters, because they was set in a similar setting.
10. Write something, anything, else. . Horror writer? Try a romantic short story. Poem-haters, try a verse. Do something that you normally would never do, preferably something which is very different from your story.
11. Take out the trash. Or some other random chore to remind yourself that you do know how to do something.
12. Freewrite! Storywrite has this awesome Freewrite practice page that you can get to from here. It may not work for everyone, but sometimes gives pretty good inspiration. Heck, it may even provide you with that much wanted solution!
13. Go out for a couple of hours. Heck, even a whole week! You’ve gotten this far, actually started to write. You deserve a break! Come back in a bit.
It is necessary to understand that sometimes, the subconscious mind will not be able to find the solution for a long time, even a year (which has happened to me), in which case, I suggest you simply set the story aside. I have a story that I love, but unfortunately cannot seem to finish. I‘ve put it aside until my mind brings me the answer on its own.
A tense mind will get you nowhere. Most brilliant strokes of inspiration occur when you least expect them. They’ll just turn up out of nowhere!
Another point to remember is that sometimes, your mind is simply not mature enough to find a solution. No, that was not an insult. There will always be things that you don’t know, things that could have been a perfect solution to your problem, such as that perfect way to kill off a vampire. But you don’t know about them, so you don’t have an answer. Hopefully, you’ll understand and accept this faster than I did. Let those mysteries stew in your mind, and you’ll learn the solution eventually.
On this note, I shall end hoping that this helped at least some of you out there.
Remember, there is no such thing as writer’s block! It’s only what you think happened, when in reality, your mind’s already working on it.
Tiger-Lily
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