How can I get enthusiastic about writing again? Have I got writers block?
Ever since I was young, i’ve been keen on writing. I used to write daily before I was a teenager, filling page after page of random stories and poems and other rubbish that I loved at the time.
Now that i’m sixteen, i’ve took my GCSEs and am now studying for my AS Levels and i’ve found myself, every time I sit down and try to write, my mind is empty. I feel like my skill and enthusiasm is gone.
I’ve got hundreds of tiny ideas in my head, which i’d love to explore further in a story, for example. But when I try and write it, it’s just not coming to me like it used to.
Is this writers block?
How can I get enthusiastic about writing again?
Thanks in advance.
- Ladybird.
Tags: Gcses, Keen, Love, Poems, Rubbish, Sit, Teenager, Thanks In Advance, Tiny Ideas, Writer's Block
January 17th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
One opinion is that writier’s block is caused by stress or depression related to ongoing problems in a writer’s life. Dealing with those issues may free-up your creativity. Carrying a small notebook on your person at all times, in order to write down thought as they come to you is a good idea. As well as keeping small notebooks handy in your home or workplace. I keep a small notebook near my bed, in the event that an idea comes to me inthe middle of the night.
Some authorities have recommended the following to those suffering from writer’s block:
Scheduling time to write and working, regardless of the quality of the output
Engaging in brief periods of “freewriting” or “mindwriting,” in which people impulsively write whatever comes to mind.
Challenging negative thoughts about one’s skill or ability to write.
Using writers’ exercises such as “chunking”. They use many websites that contain numerous creative writing exercises.
Writers read an exercise, and do it.
Use the process known as Automatic writing
Taking a break, meditating, or doing relaxation exercises to relieve any pressure on oneself and on the writing.
Doing something out of the ordinary. If writer’s block comes from a lack of new ideas, attempts to spark creativity by going somewhere new or doing something different can be useful.
Returning to the writing after a lapse of a day or two.
Write a basic plot outline of the story, if having problems keeping the story on the rails.
Brainstorming at the beginning of the writing can help the writer by relating every point to another.
Reading, watching movies or plays, or similar activities that might bring inspiration.
Going out to get some fresh air.
I’ve included links from the Wikipedia article, in addition to the main one.
January 18th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Well this is not as good as duane’s answer but I find that it easier to write stuff when your younger, when you get older you have a lot of other things on your mind and it can kinda get hard to focus on your writing. I love to write poems and am in the middle of writing a novel, that I hope gets published, and I find that when this happens to me I take a break and do something else, or I record my thoughts on tape then write them later. But you can’t really tell about other people, you might just have grown out of liking to write, it happens sometimes.
January 21st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
When I can’t seem to write I listen to music and it really helps to get my thoughts out. Good luck, I’m turning sixteen this year and I am currently writing a book. Somedays I just can’t write a page though and that’s when I listen to music or sometimes I look at artwork on. It seems to help.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:34 pm
There are a number of ways to break through writer’s block, if this is what it is. Perhaps its more having to do with the ‘work’ of writing, rather than simply writing freely? For myself, anyway, writing for work is not as enjoyable as writing for fun.
As for breaking through writer’s block;
*Listen to music
*Set the scene; light a candle, wear a favorite hat or shit, do a small ritual before you start writing to get you into the groove. (this could be a prayer, rubbing a worry stone, or setting all your tools on your desk in order).
*Freewriting - write non stop for ten to fifteen minutes without worry about punctuation or spelling.