There are times when writers, and artists, hit a ditch. That ditch is called writer’s block (or artist’s block). What is it? It is when you are robbed of all creativity and imagination, your muse is kidnapped and imprisoned within a large clear box, or perhaps a rock or cave, where it sits simmering with all the wonderful ideas that should be in your head.
I, myself, have been suffering from a long term writer’s block that was some-what self-instilled. It was around the time when I entered high school when the curse began. Throughout middle school I had been writing, endlessly, but when it was time to transition to high school I decided to take a break from writing to concentrate on school. My first mistake.
My second mistake was when I stopped keeping a journal. Not only had I stopped writing my stories, but I had stopped writing all together. So throughout high school all I really wrote were papers. It was in my senior year in high school when I wanted to start writing again after being dimly inspired by fanfiction I had been reading. Unfortunately, I was never good at finishing what I start so I left a lot of incompleted fanfiction.
Once more I abanadoned writing again when I entered college, but now I knew for a fact that I had a problem. I had driven myself in to a small space surrounded by blocks and more blocks. I tried to get out of my writer’s block by starting up a website, blog, more fanfiction and original fiction, but all of them ended in untter failure though I can’t admit that I had been trying very hard.
Now, at the ripe age of 20-something, my muse is slowly beginning to make her way back to me. I am just ever so slowly, painfully so, starting to write again. If I had known that stopping for just a little time would lead to a domino effect of falling deeper and deeper into the ditch then I wouldn’t have taken a break.
So here are a few ways to go around writer’s block:
- Keep writing. Even if it is only keeping a journal/blog or writing a sentence a day, just keep writing. You never want to get out of the habit.
- Experiment. At a loss to what to write? Then experiment around, write something that you never would whether it be a poem, song, essay, short story or even a comic.
- Theme List. Create or find a list of themes and starting taking those themes to a character or world of your own. Bring around your own interpretation of what the theme is. This could also easily go along with finding communities that prepare prompts/contests for writing for a specific fandom or original fiction.
- Read. If you get stuck with what to write or how to write then go grab a book. They’re a great source of inspiration and just relaxing. Perhaps you’ll start writing fanfiction at first, but that could always develop into your own world if you want.
- WRITE! It can’t be said enough. Just write. Never stop.
I personally love reading and writing for Fanfiction and Web Fiction Guide and LiveJournal.
I don’t suffer from writer’s block at times . . . what I suffer is the mood dissipater!
Seriously, I’ll have ideas in my head, but if I’m not in the mood to write, the words refuses to come out of me! I go through this periodically, too. I think I’m incapable of being interested in something for a really long, long time. Hence why I go from one hobby to another every week or two. And that follows with writing. *sighs*
I suffer from writer’s block and designer’s block occasionally as well. What would happen to me is I’d have these periods of writer’s high (the opposite of writer’s block? lol) or designer’s high when I’m filled with ideas and creativity, and then there’d be the crashes when nothing would come to mind. Wow, I sound like a druggie right now, lol.
I am exactly the same. I’m currently working on a novel and a web serial. I’m hoping to get the web serial posted starting this fall, but I want to have a few back-up posts made before I start. My novel… well, that’s a new project so it will probably be awhile before anything really happens with that.
I used to be really into web/graphic design, but I haven’t done much of it in college so I forgot everything… Not too mention that there is just only so much I learned as a self-taught high schooler. Need to brush up on CSS/HTML and then learn a little basic PHP to get me through general web design now a days -____-;;
Stopping is DEFINITELY the worst thing you can do, for sure. One thing that’s good is joining a Real Life writing group or doing a web serial like you mentioned above – keeps you accountable. I just joined a writing group here and my first meeting is Tuesday! I’m nervous, but really excited too.
Good luck with writing (also maybe someday I will post something at Scribble Society)!