Writer's Block

Go to the word wars forum, and take one of the prompts, and just write with it for 15/30 mins. Detox time :)

The Steampunk FAQ and Resources thread.

Get a buddy! My old Star Wars fanfiction writers are all rallying around one another to get writing. Most of us are not even writing fanfiction for this event. I, for example, am writing memoir. We are all FaceBook buds and LiveJournal friends, so we use those sites to get each other fired up.

Do you need a buddy?

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Ahh, same over here.... I'm just comepletely stuck, it seems! I feel like facepalming myself for not actually writing out my original thoughts and ideas for my plot, because I've pretty much forgotten all of it. D:

The first and second day I struggled to get the daily word count in because I had no idea which direction I needed to go from the beginning... I just kinda dragged the first part out, and then I realized I could start writing other parts of my story. Still stuck on my plot and writer's block is creeping up on me, but I have found that it's easier for me to write out sections of my book that I want to have, whether they're in the middle or the end.

But what I usually do when I get in this mood is take a small break... listen to music, watch a little TV, etc. Ideas usually come to me when I do that and I'm able to write again, even if it's only a little bit.

My writer's block solutions (which may or may not work for you, but hey, it's worth a try):

+ Indulge in the healthy procrastination of making a playlist of songs that have the same "feeling" as what I want in my book

+ Go to the dictionary and look for random words I like and try to use them

+ Think of what the character wants, and then think of the thing they least want. Make #2 happen, both literally and figuratively!

+ Take the dog for a walk and roleplay my characters out loud (I guess only if you're as nerdy as I am)

+ Write forum replies like this... ;)

"He has no enemies, but he is intensely disliked by his friends." - Oscar Wilde

Imagine some day to day situation, like your character going to a mall (Even if they live in a fantasy setting where malls shouldn't exist.) It is especially useful if the setting is a thing you wouldn't normally send them to. Go through the whole trip - the reason they're going, the planning to do it, traveling there, and then all the reactions of the people in that setting. How does your character feel at each point of the trip? Do they just want to flee? Do they decide that the Farmer's Market needs to be done away with, or do they rejoice and immediately give up a live of crime so that they can sell wool there?

Another tool I've found helpful is a character journal. Sit down to write about a typical day for your character as your character. Include all the whining that goes into it, maybe what they had for breakfast. It doesn't have to be exciting - just something that they would write.

These are ways to forget about the constraints of the story you're writing and just be with whatever character you want to write for. I find it's easiest to find new ideas if I can think about the characters as real people whose lives are continuous, and whom I am merely capturing a part of with my little story. Then there's way too much to write and the problem becomes selecting what to put down.

Another thing that works for stories or essays is to take a pause and write, "What I mean to say is...." Sometimes writer's block comes because we want to say something awesome and become so hung up on it that we end up stumbling, becoming lost and frustrated. This can help you focus on just what you want to say, not how it is being said or how it will work with the story. If your character is a priest in a sleepy town and you want him to suddenly be a freedom fighter on Mar, don't worry about how to work that out. Just do it. Editing comes later.

I guess all this is just advice to embrace the ridiculous, because it will enrich your story and you'll be able to pull from so much more.

Thanks! This is all good advise and I’ll try some of it the next time I get stuck again (it wont be long from now).
I finally got an idea when I was getting ready to take a shower. I almost stopped what I was doing to go write, but I figured personal hygiene is important too ;P

Also check out the dares thread. One saved my nano one year.