Writers Block!

Fraggle

Hi Guys...I've gotten so out of practice with my writing, I'm extremely rusty. I have decided to pursue an MA in Journalism but I will have to batten down and produce some top quality stuff.Competition is stiff.I'm at my wits end and the pages remain blank.Have basically lost confidence in my writing since its been so long. Have a background in scriptwriting where I used to be barraged with compliments!

What can I do to get the old creative juices flowing again?Any tips?Have I lost it?I feel like my creativity has been sucked away since I began working in a non-creative job.

Demetrius

Keep a journal and force yourself to write a certain amount every day. Doesnt matter if you think its poor, it will improve so long as you keep plugging.

18AD

I always find reading things that make you think help you flow.
This makes absolutely no sense at all...
http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/lib333.htm
A bit of Zen never hurt anyone either...
http://www.ibiblio.org/zen/cgi-bin/koan-index.pl

Hope that's helpful. Happy writing

cjs19

Try alcohol, although it may yield some silly results at first, it helps loosen inhibitions, and after all inhibitions are what inhibit writers.

Gaillimhtaibhse

Fraggle:
What are you passionate about? What makes you angry? Sad? Emotional? There must be something that gets you fired up? Write about it. Now! No excuses. No outlines. No research (at first). Just write. You can always come back and fill in the details. Transfer those feelings to paper. Let them drive you.

Another suggestion someone passed on to me. When you do start creative writing, don't tell anyone about it until it's finished. For some reason, when you share it while its being created, something is lost. Motivation seems to slip away.

When not on stage, I am writing a play. Got writer's block not too long ago. Was on my laptop in a coffeehouse, so I was awake, but the brain was dead. I packed up my gear and left. Drank a pint when back in my room. I'm a light weight, drink rarely, so it really hit me. But for some reason the writer's block vanished. I whipped out my laptop and wrote the next act. The next day I looked at it, and it was not bad. So what CJS19 says may have merit (in moderation).

Demetrius mentioned the journal writing thing. I think I remember that technique from school. It may work for some, but it did not work for me. I'm too impatient to write in one format, and then use that to write another. Life is just going too fast for me to step-by-step through it. But that's me, and I am not you (lucky for you).

Still not motivated? Not writing yet? Maybe I can get you going? I've been known to make people want to choke me (and those are my friends). So Fraggle, why did you say "Hi Guys..." in your thread? Were you being gender neutral in your statement, or were you being gender specific? If neutral, please note that some girls don't like being called "guys" (and don't look like guys, either). Sometimes they just play along with the address, but behind their smile are teeth. Then again, I would hate to think that you were being gender specific. Especially on a board for all to see...

Are you laughing? Why? Or why not? Any emotions, even in the slightest? If so, write about it. Now! Not tomorrow. If you are at work, sneak it when the boss is not looking. Write! This gender thing we all live with, and some of us can get really worked up. So much so, that if you write passionately or whatever about it, we just might read it. Write!

If this does not get you going, PM me. I was injured recently, hurting and cannot sleep, so I am ready. I am sure that I can say something to you that will motivate you... If this gets you to write about it, then grand. No more writer's block.

Demetrius

Jumping Jesus Gallimhtaibhse! You got me motivated!

Gaillimhtaibhse

Demetrius
I love you too.

I said what first popped into my head. Gosh, the L word. Why are we so hung up about it? We seem to flame people with all those other 4-letter words quite easily. Without thought about how it makes them feel. Someone cuts you in line, POW!, out comes a word. Someone needs to write something about this! It's real. Most of us deal poorly with it. Some take months to say it to their significant other, but will let loose with a word from the other end of the continuum without a moments notice. Why? Can someone break their writer's block and write about it? Write! Writer's block be gone!

Demetrius

Gaillimhtaibhse wrote:

Demetrius
I love you too.

I said what first popped into my head. Gosh, the L word. Why are we so hung up about it? We seem to flame people with all those other 4-letter words quite easily. Without thought about how it makes them feel. Someone cuts you in line, POW!, out comes a word. Someone needs to write something about this! It's real. Most of us deal poorly with it. Some take months to say it to their significant other, but will let loose with a word from the other end of the continuum without a moments notice. Why? Can someone break their writer's block and write about it? Write! Writer's block be gone!

What L-word?

stevejazzx

Fraggle wrote:

Hi Guys...I've gotten so out of practice with my writing, I'm extremely rusty. I have decided to pursue an MA in Journalism but I will have to batten down and produce some top quality stuff.Competition is stiff.I'm at my wits end and the pages remain blank.Have basically lost confidence in my writing since its been so long. Have a background in scriptwriting where I used to be barraged with compliments!

What can I do to get the old creative juices flowing again?Any tips?Have I lost it?I feel like my creativity has been sucked away since I began working in a non-creative job.

I don't konw what to tell ya, I..., I.... - oh damnit!

Gaillimhtaibhse

Gaillimhtaibhse wrote:

Demetrius
I love you too.

I said what first popped into my head. Gosh, the L word.

Demetrius I like your sense of humour. You too stevejazzx

manonthemoon

Try lying on the floor. Different perspective!

Demetrius

Gaillimhtaibhse wrote:

Demetrius I like your sense of humour. You too stevejazzx

Thankee takes a bow

Fraggle

Well I certainly came to the right place!When I said 'guys' by the way, I wasn't being gender specific, I'm all woman myself.

Thanks a million for all the advice. I'll give these tips a go in the next coming days.

I think its important to address writers block. It was a pretty scary occurence when it happened to me.Haven't attempted to write in about two years although I knew the power was within me but for some reason, emotional trauma or lack of confidence or both, was unable to tap into it.

Anyone else suffered and come through on the other side?How did you do it?

Fraggle

Well I certainly came to the right place!When I said 'guys' by the way, I wasn't being gender specific, I'm all woman myself.

Thanks a million for all the advice. I'll give these tips a go in the next coming days.

I think its important to address writers block. It was a pretty scary occurence when it happened to me.Haven't attempted to write in about two years although I knew the power was within me but for some reason, emotional trauma or lack of confidence or both, was unable to tap into it.

Anyone else suffered and come through on the other side?How did you do it?

Gaillimhtaibhse

Fraggle wrote:

Well I certainly came to the right place!When I said 'guys' by the way, I wasn't being gender specific, I'm all woman myself.

Oops!:o

Picture Gaillimhtaibhse tied to a post patiently waiting for Fraggle to try her aim at tossing a cream pie for a face shot at five paces.

Sarky

I'd rather not. Get back to the main topic, please.

JesusWlksDisWay

Read over some of your old stuff... the journal idea is very good too

jrey1981

Writers block is a bit of a random thing. I find it helps to read or listen to the radio (usually Radio 4 stuff, mind you) to get my grey cells to work.

On other occasions it can be good to brainstorm with someone else - to talk to them about ideas, etc.

Lying down is supposed to be better to help you think rather than sitting up, I read somewhere.

And keep a notebook with you at all times as you never know when you might have a thought...in all sorts of everyday situations.

snuffles

With writer's block, I generally go and do something that's completely unrelated to writing, do something new, something I've never tried before. All writing is basically based on your own experiences and if you're in a stagnant stage in your life, you start to feel like you have nothing to write about. I'm in 6th year at the moment and my life is basically studying and going out at the weekends with the same people to the same places. And I just can't write anymore. It's kinda depressing. Even if I had time too, I know I couldn't. But I know once the summer comes and everything's changing again, I'll have loads of idea and motivation.

So my advice is get some friends together and go do a bunch of stuff you've never tried before.

Gaillimhtaibhse's advice about not showing a piece of work to anyone until it's finished is also good. I always make that mistake and have about 20 short stories on my computer that I'll probably never finished because they lost momentum while I was looking for opinions.

Oh, and keep reading. I'm sure you do anyway, but not reading for any period of time is probably the most dangerous thing a writer can do. It keeps you on your toes, reading does.

This thread has really cheered me up actually, loads of good advice!

Morpheus

Ive had writers block for a long time, i wrote here once,twice,thrice,that was it, not since 2004 have i penned a thought. Some people liked it, some didnt, now im sitting behind my desk.

I write every day, type too, mostly its code, code for life, the life of money,data,finances,other peoples money and futures. I create ways for people to move all of this, I build windows for them to see everything, this datum, to move it, add to it, destroy it, I am a creator and until now didnt even realise it.

Each euro has a story, an address, a source, a destination, a hope, a gain or loss. These people whos names i read all have histories, loves lost and gained, families, friends.

Its cold, databases are cold callous things, peoples hopes are made or dashed based on a number on a computer, a misplaced zero or decimal can change so much, ive never thought about it this way before but reading the other posts here my muse kicked me into creative mode, write what i feel, i feel tired, lonley sometimes, like im Neo in the matrix and none of this life is real.

I was on a beach the other day, with a gun, standing guard at an army firing range, right along side the shore, a hundred fifty metres from anyone, when i faced the sea, i was alone, it was peaceful, waves crashing on the sand, surf stinging my skin, cold brittle wind blasting my back, i watched birds flapping in the breeze, wished i was lying down, eyes closed listening to the sounds, then the radio chattered to life, shattering my calm, but for those few precious moments, i was grateful for my life and for that time, alone.

Thank you friends, my muse has returned, ive missed her...