i have insane writers block and have a good story to write but it wont come out?
ive had a good story since 2005 and cant seem to get it on paper no matter what i do.
ive refined the story and still nothin’
and i put a dead line in for 8/15/08 four years ago.
if anyone has adice please answer my question.
- frenchhornguy
Tags: Dead Line, Insane, Writer's Block
October 17th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Maybe you havn’t done your research, so you don’t know where you’re going. Writers block is only a figment of your imagination; it’s your mind telling you that you don’t know how to go on. You could! Of course! But that would be too simple, you’ve got standards to reach, but you can’t reach them because you’ve put up a wall. To get through this wall you need to seriously consider whether or not you know where you want the story to go. If you can’t figure out the direction, and how to create the path to hit this destination, then you need to do some research and figure everything out.
October 18th, 2008 at 11:43 am
well when I get writers block, I atleast brainstorm first. It helps so you don’t forget the partsthat you want in the story.
October 20th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
get your self a little hand held voice recorder. Best Buy or something.
You need to be in the zone, probably alone too. just say it, don’t try to fluff it up with pretty or eloquent words at this stage, just get the storyline on tape. Once you have the basic story, you go back through the tape and listen to the first 20 or thirty seconds and stop the tape. NOW start writing your story. Once you’ve written to that point on the tape, start the tape for a few more seconds and so on.
The key is to be in your zone and want to do this . . without distractions.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:29 am
you need to block the story out. go out think of something else. then think about the story before you go to bed. remember your dreams.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am
writers block most of the time is actually procrastination….you have to make the time to write. Turn off all outside distractions, put on some moving or inspirational music and sit down with the computer and just write…..don’t worry about having it flow or make sense….just write…..get the creative juices flowing and then you can look back over the work you did, keep it or toss it out.
If its that you don’t know where to go from a certain point, role-play with a friend. Them being one character and you the other. You don’t have to actually put it in the story but it will help spark some new ideas.
Also make sure you keep a journal or tape recorder with you at all times. Most inspiration comes at the worse moments (in the shower, car, 3am, etc) It would be a shame to lose such a wonderful idea by not writing it down.
Good luck with everything and even if you don’t make the deadline, don’t stop writing!
October 25th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Of course you can still write! You wrote this question, didn’t you?
I’m going through the exact same thing as you are right now! It’s inevitable and every single person gets it: writer’s block. Basically “writer’s block” is the result after a writer drains all the “writing” out of their system. I know it sounds hard to believe, but it’s true!
The best thing I can say for you to do is not to give up on your writing. If you start a story, FINISH IT NO MATTER WHAT. Don’t just stop the story just because you’re at a road block–guess what? Road blocks happen all the time! You just have to take a detour in order to achieve your goal. Just because you aren’t popping out stories left and right like you used to does not mean that you aren’t capable of writing anymore. Think of it this way: a story is kind of like a fetus–it takes months and months for a pregnancy and always reveals a beautiful baby boy or girl. A story is the same exact way.
Set aside a certain time during the day where you only write for…let’s say for an hour. During that entire hour you must write the whole time. Don’t stop to second-guess your ideas, and definitely don’t stop just because there’s an evident road block (remember that road blocks are bound to happen sometime!). During these “writing sessions” you don’t even have to write that much–as long as you work hard through the “detour.”
Good luck, and don’t panic! This happens to everyone!
October 28th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Have you actually got ANY words onto paper? I couldn’t quite work out if the story is completely stuck in your head, or if you HAVE written it and can’t actually shape the words into the story you envisage.
Assuming it’s the first scenario (which I experience all the time myself) what I’d suggest is this:
First, separate the creating and the editing processes. They’re 2 different things, and must not be confused.
Just get the words down, out of your head. That is SO important. Just write, write, write, as though your life depends on getting words out of your head and onto the page. Don’t hit the Delete button, not once. Just aim for quantity, NOT quality. Critical stuff comes later. Just give yourself permission to make a mess. Don’t even correct typos or anything, just don’t break the train of thought. Just waffle, don’t worry about whether anything makes sense. It’ll just be a mish-mash of words, and trust me, most of it will be. Just remind yourself that 10 pages of garbage is better than 10 totally blank pages.
Put it away for a week or so, then pull it out and read it. You’ll be surprised by how much good stuff there actually is in there. A lot of it will be, but dig into it and you’ll find some gems, some passages or descriptions or snatches of an idea that will work.
The point is, to make a story, you need some “clay” to shape with, and usually the “clay” is a shapeless, ugly lump to start with - but there is a story is in there, just like there’s a potential sculpture within some real clay or a block of marble.
It’s a slow, messy, frustrating but totally exhiliarating process. But when you have your finished story there in your hands, you’ll agree that it was worth it.
I totally understand what you’re going through. There’s nothing worse than having a magical story there in your head, and that immense frustration of it not flowing easily onto paper. But trust yourself. The story is there, you just have to be patient!
Hope this helps!
Hafwen :o)
October 28th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
You know what? I have this with words - I think I’m just off considering something else, and word block sets in about what I’m talking about. lol Relax, loosen your mind. Do you make notes? Have you an outline for it? Lots of advice here, hopefully more. Good luck!
October 29th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Just write. Worry about making it right later.