Tips and tricks to deal with Writer's Block.

[Ghostwalker117]

We all have that time when we just get stuck and run out of ideas when we write our stories. I would just like to know how my fellow authors deal with their block. As for me I just take a break from writing for two weeks and take a mini holiday cuddling up with a good movie.

[Carla Hurst-Chandler]

When I am stuck I either return the whole thing to the writer's trunk and pick up something else I have walked away from earlier...or I take the pages I have and work on the editing/rewrite which seems to pull the whole bit into perspective again...and if it doesn't...well I have managed a bit of editing, anyway.

When both fail I have a nice Bailey's and Cream and call it a night

[BooksguyBooksguy]

I write a lot of articles for a newspaper, so even if I have writer's block there's a deadline to meet. If I have time, I like to meditate when facing lack of inspiration. For poetry, I like to try thinking different ways, but sometimes I toss the whole thing and start again.

[tedfiz]

when i stuck...i done... i cant write anymore.. then try another topic.......

[Lon Dee]

Exercise helps me. I mean physical exercise, not writing or mental exercise. Running, biking, even just walking all help. I don't know the physiology behind it, but I think that if my body is busy doing something that it can handle by itself (I don't have to "think" about running), then my mind can concentrate and focus on what I want it to. I think about the spot in my book where I'm at and where I want the characters to go. Then I can get back to writing with some new ideas. Or even if I didn't get any new ideas, at least my body isn't deteriorating

[rani16]

Read good books with your interest not just random books...

[XanderRichards]

I would just like to know how my fellow authors deal with their block.

Advice from my cover artist: "Go for a long drive, get your head out of the tunnel."

Advice from my editor: "Just puke anything out onto the page. You can clean up the mess later."

Unfortunately neither of these worked for me when I had my first writers' block. I had to wait for the movie to start playing in my head again.

Cheers,
Xander.

[Carla Hurst-Chandler]

I would just like to know how my fellow authors deal with their block.

Advice from my cover artist: "Go for a long drive, get your head out of the tunnel."

Advice from my editor: "Just puke anything out onto the page. You can clean up the mess later."

Unfortunately neither of these worked for me when I had my first writers' block. I had to wait for the movie to start playing in my head again.

Cheers,
Xander.

The advise from your editor is quite good though. Remember using much the same analogy about essays...vomiting on the page...

[Hoilett]

I thought I had a great reply to this topic....It is a good thing I scrolled through all the other posted replies because you all pretty much said it. On a personal note I find that my greatest inspirational moments come early in the morning at about 6am when I am just waking up. Yep just in time to prevent me from snuggling up any furthur in bed. Invariably it sends me running to the laptop because I know if I don't do it then, then I will not remember the great phrases in their perfect order running all through my head.
Another inspirational time for me is in the shower...bif problem there! I have yet to find any water resistant laptops.
Oh well.

Hoilett

[LOAC]

I rely on the concept of free writing. When I'am stuck I just write. I write anything, even if it doesn't make sense. If I can't write sentences i just write a bunch of letters on the page. If you try this, your brain can't stand it and will force you to start writing words, then sentences.......you get the picture.

[Hourglass]

Back up to where you weren't stuck, back to where everything was flowing great. I have found that writers block means I've taken a wrong turn. Sometimes this can mean backing up just one scene, others it can mean backing up a chapter or two. I found that it usually happens when I stop listening to my characters and try to force the story in the direction I think it should go. Then I end up stuck. I have learned to listen to my characters and not be afraid to delete an entire chapter (or more) if need be to get it flowing again.

[Carys]

Although I'm a young writer and I found school's completely killed my inspiration for writing, I've recently found free writing has helped. Writing random chunks of text and building a story around it gives me many ideas of where it leads, what it could lead to, what led it there and then it branches off into different stories.

[louisgeorge]

Read good books with your interest not just random books...

exactly..read only the books of your interest

[Jimrada]

The thing that works best for me to fight writer's block is to have multiple projects going on. I have a primary project that I'm working on, but if I get stuck, I can jump to another project for a day or longer. Having my mind focused on a different project allows it to rest from my primary project. Then when I come back to the primary project, I'm fresh, but my mind is still primed to write.

[tbughi1]

Daydream. If I'm stuck, I essentially ponder the many different possibilities for where the story could go. I don't think critically about it, I just let my mind drift from option to option. This process could take anywhere from a day to a couple weeks. I like it because it isn't stressful and I explore all possibilities equally this way, like a one-person brainstorm session.