Aug 23rd, 2013, 6:06 am
I've been writing a book and it isn't going very well. The writers block is the worst thing ever happened to me. What should I do to overcome this thing before school?
Aug 23rd, 2013, 6:06 am
Aug 29th, 2013, 11:54 am
I don't have any advice for you, but here's what my favourite author (Patrick Rothfuss) said on writer's block:

"Writers block is a myth. The myth stems from the belief that writing is some mystical process. That it’s magical. That it abides by its own set of rules different from all other forms of work, art, or play. But that’s bullshit. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block. Teachers don’t get teacher’s block. Soccer players don’t get soccer block. What makes writing different? Nothing. The only difference is that writers feel they have a free pass to give up when writing is hard. When writing is hard, I grit my teeth and I do it anyway. Because it’s my job. Or sometimes I don’t. Sometimes it's hard and I quit and go home and play video games. But let’s be clear. When that happens, it’s not because I’ve lost some mystical connection with my muse. It’s because I’m being a slacker. There’s nothing magical about that."

- Patrick Rothfuss, Feb 23rd, 2011.

but then he rephrased it nicer :)

"Sometimes it’s hard to write, that’s undeniable. But I think to call it writer’s block is a little unfair. No matter what your job is, some days you wake up and it’s hard to do your job. If you’re a teacher, sometimes the thought of getting up in front of your class is exhausting, or in customer service the thought of being polite to someone is just tough. If you do manual labour, sometimes you’re tired, hung over or whatever… or sometimes you pull a muscle, and it’s not just hard, you almost have an impediment from you doing your job.

But nobody calls that “construction workers block.” It’s not treated as some sort of mythic affliction.

Similarly, a writer can pull a muscle in their head. You can have traumatic events, have someone die, you go through a break-up, or someone cuts you off in traffic and it just pisses you off. That can effectively get your head into such a place that writing is extremely difficult. Part of being a professional writer is learning to manage those elements of your life so that you can still be a productive writer."
Aug 29th, 2013, 11:54 am
Sep 4th, 2013, 10:56 pm
For inspiration, why not visit some of the places, or see some of the things or people you're writing about? Jot it down in a journal or notepad on your phone and then when you have free time review your notes and put them into your writing.
Sep 4th, 2013, 10:56 pm
Sep 7th, 2013, 3:36 pm
hyunielover wrote:I've been writing a book and it isn't going very well. The writers block is the worst thing ever happened to me. What should I do to overcome this thing before school?

I have never suffered from writer's block. I hope I never will. Knock on wood. I do suffer from the dreaded disease that afflicts writers everywhere, laziness.

A writer can recognize laziness easily: it is the desire to...
    Take out the trash,
    Wait for the mail,
    Wash and fold the laundry,
    Clean the toilets - with a toothbrush!,
    Read the reviews on Amazon,
    Etc
You know, anything, no matter how detestable, but sit your ass on a chair and pound the keys.

I view laziness more as symptom than cause, though; that is, the real problem is the desire for perfection. Allowing the quest for perfect to get in the way of the merely good enough. This false quest occurs at all levels of the process, from the word, up through the sentence, chapter, book, theme, etc.

So I take a different approach: I use brackets, like this []. [] (brackets) riddle my text. But the mission is NOT to pause, or worse stop, and think forever on the one right word. The mission is to keep writing. Later, after meeting your goal for the day - you better have daily writing goals! - I search for the brackets, and then contemplate the correct or proper word, sentence, etc. This method bifurcates my twin tasks: writer and editor.

So much for general advice. You offer scanty details as to your specific problem: do you write fiction or non fiction? do you have a deadline? do you... etc. Specific problems have specific solutions.
Sep 7th, 2013, 3:36 pm

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