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Share your methods for unblocking your creativity, unlocking the door for your Muse. How do you cope with it? Do you never suffer from chronic self doubt as to your ability to write?
See my post on the subject @
Http://jessielansdel.wordpress.com The Hydra Headed Monster.
Get it right, Jess. Lol.
Just step outside your front door normally works for me.
@jessielansdel
Whenever you encounter such a problem, the first thing one does is get negative vibes and loose courage, and slef doubt sets in. Well, that is the worst thing you can do. Remember that this is not the end of the world, but a trivial problem for just a brief period of time. The best advice it to get up and go outside for awhile. When you return start writing anything - it doesn't matter what - just start writing. I have several approaches for beating writer's block though I rarely have it.
http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2009/07/14/blog-it-writing-ideas-checklist/
http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2009/06/18/blogging-through-writers-block/
Good advice there TT. Thank you. I'm ok now but Monday night I had an eppy of a self doubting 'moment'. Ugh! Awful.
Cheers
Jess
I don't get writer's block anymore because I actually plan my posts now. It helps a lot. But my old cure for writer's block was exercise, which really helps my brain kick into gear. Or I'd just stare at the blank paper until my imagination rebelled and I had to write something.
I'm with Noir. I go outside. If you are blocked, change your proximate environment. I always have about a half-dozen posts half-finished ahead of posting.
I get ideas from the world around us and my crazy imagination....Just watching the news or reading the newspaper gives me umpteen issues to rant about. This beautiful planet of ours is an endless source of inspiration and wonderment.
I have about 10-12 spiral notebooks mostly filled with scribblings, ideas and outlines. I make lists of post ideas. I have about 10 half written pieces right now. I wish I had time for it all. This is what I do. Obviously I am ill.
I have several series of posts running concurrently. On each, I have at least a few future posts sort of mentally planned out. If I think I might forget, I create a draft which is just the title / subject or link to something that I want to write on.
If I read something in the news or another blog that I want to discuss, I make a quick draft.
If I can't think of anything to write today, I grab one of those drafts or do the next in one of my series of posts.
So far, I've avoided writer's block. It's possible my blog topic makes it easier for me to plan series of posts, though. I would imagine that doesn't come as naturally for some blogs.
I usually try to find inspiration by looking at what others have accomplished, or simply go on a walk or something of that sort and try to find an idea.
My way is to do something completely different for a while, and 'reset' my thinking!
I'm not trying to be contrarian, it's just the way I am (when I have other interests too!):
With writer's block, for a blog, I just don't write. I don't want to write a crappy post that I'm not happy to place out on the Internet.
When I HAVE to write in my paid job (it's not as exciting as my personal blog), with writer's block, if there isn't an urgent deadline, I do other work for a few hrs. and come back to the writing task.
Crafting on a computer is alot easier for me to brainstorm in writing, vs. writing long-hand back a few decades. :)
With writer's block, for a blog, I just don't write. I don't want to write a crappy post that I'm not happy to place out on the Internet.
@maidiebike
I'm with you on that. I don't publish unless I have something of value to share.
I just plagiarize.
@ardpete, lol. I was waiting for something like that from you.
Hah my reputation proceeds me.
Reading or taking a walk. But really, it's basically I don't have time to cram all the stuff I want to do in a day, so it's more a juggling act than a loss of words. :) I can't seem to shut up whether it's writing or talking. Jeez.
I've had creative block for a while now but have succesfully hiden it by posting old artwork. Happily though, I have a large amount of old artwork and so don't have to bother doing anything new for a while yet.
Sometimes it's not so much not knowing what to say as how to say it. For example, in my latest post I tried to describe how a silent bolt of lightning appears to my two characters. I did actually witness the same phenomena as a kid of 13 (so its a while ago) and trying to describe how I remember it was quite difficult......and frustrating. I'm still not really happy with how I eventually did it.
I just write regardless and see what happens. There's always something to write about and if it doesn't pan out, I'll start writing again on another idea.. I typically have just a notion of an idea, and see what comes of it. Then again, my morning shower is normally a good place for idle thoughts to translate into a post.
I've got it this morning. I'm supposed to be writing the part of our memoir where I am in Qatar visiting my husband, rather than browsing the forums on WP.
I've got us to the hotel, and now I just don't know what to write next - or how to write it. Sex doesn't feature prominantly in the book for obvious reasons - that would narrow the possible audience too much and I want the book to be useful to a wide age range (assuming I get published). Yet clearly, not having seen my husband for 9 months at the time, there was a bit of that happening! LOL
As for the other aspects of the trip, I'm really struggling to put it into perspective in a way I can write about it.
I'm wondering whether to move on to the next phase of our journey and come back to this bit, or struggle through and just write something then revisit it at a later time.
This writing stuff can be DAMN HARD!!!!!
Good luck teamoy. I admire anyone who has several children, to also find the energy to blog plus write a book!
Thanks Maidie! I managed about 2,500 words this morning, but the noise machines are well and truly up now, so I think I'm calling it quits. I published some of this morning's work, so that killed to birds (writing and blog) with one stone!
Oh boy is it ever hard work. I've been penning since I was a kid but only recently have I been really serious about it. I've had stuff published on other web sites and am now writing a short story for an anthology.
@ teamoyeniyi. Its very difficult writing sex scenes I think. I've experimented with full on and raunchy to the kiss and then down comes the (bed) curtain. Lol.
Jessie - the problem is the children read this book!!!! LOL
teamoyeniyi,
Oh! I see the problem now. Hm, I have to be careful when using my iPad when young nieces and nephews are about. :-)
A double bottle of Yellowtail Merlot tends to help as well.
I started to come to my blog any time I had the inclination to post a random thought on Facebook. Quite often, that one random thought became the impetus for a full-fledged blog post.
I don't force the issue if I don't have something to say. That's not to say I don't write something, somewhere, but I've found that it's best to arrive at my dashboard with a declarative statement.
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