Questions

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Ok, so for school i have a creative writing prompt where i have to write a story that is incredibly untrue! Here is the Prompt:
Write a story that is entirely untrue. You may write about whatever you want to write about with one exception; you cannot write about something that actually happened.
So for mine, i’m writing an excuse as to why i was gone for a week from school. Any suggestions? I need creative and crazy!
- broadwaybound002

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- ??? ??s? sli??i?? sl?s???

I may as well just say it. Writer’s block, I’m convinced, doesn’t exist. Mostly, I think, authors use writer’s block as an excuse to explain to themselves, an editor, or a concerned spouse why the book isn’t done or the chapter hasn’t been turned in.

Writing is talking on paper. Sometimes literally. And you never hear someone say, “I can’t talk anymore. I’ve got talker’s block. There just aren’t words there that can come out.”

That said, there are several common traps that new writers especially stumble into—and these traps stop writing progress.

Size Matters

One of the easiest traps is letting the sheer size of book stop writing, as mentioned earlier. The prospect of writing 300 pages is daunting. Especially that first day you sit down. It’s easy, especially if you’re inexperienced or emotionally worn out, to collapse under the mental burden of all that work.

The mental trick, I suggest, is to not think about those sorts of numbers when you’re writing. You need to bite off reasonably sized chunks and focus your energy and anxiety on just today’s chunk.

If you’re writing in the morning before you have to go to standard job, maybe you should do a thousand words a day. A thousand words is a bit of stretch but still a manageable goal. And if you pace yourself and write, for example, a thousand words a day, at the end of the week, you’ve maybe got a chapter done. And at the end of four months, your book is done. That’s how it works.

Don’t sit down each day with the burden of writing 80,000 words or 300 pages. Sit down to your very manageable goal of writing a few hundred words. It makes all the difference.

Bad Metrics

A second stumbling block relates to the first. While writers, editors and publishers commonly use measurements like words or pages to specify how big a book should be, you don’t really build a book with words or pages. Books require more concrete building blocks. And so, especially as you’re trying to slog your way through the first chapters of a book (always the hardest for me, quite truthfully) you can’t think things like, well, so I now I need to write a thousand words. Instead, you need to sit down and write a book building block or two or three.

Let me provide an example here. When I write some book about computers or technology, in essence, all I do is string together descriptions of facts, instructions for using some tool, and real-life examples. And these are the building blocks I use to create a book.

If I’m writing about how to use, for example, a word processor’s grammar checking tool, I might start by writing a paragraph that explains what the tool does. Then, I might go on by providing descriptions of, say, the six steps you take to use the tool. Finally, I might wrap up the discussion by showing how the tool works on some example text. And when I finish writing up these three building blocks, I’ve got my thousand words.

Do you see how that’s different from saying that you’re going to write a thousand words? A thousand words is the goal. But that goal really doesn’t help you grind through your writing. In comparison, saying that you’re going to briefly describe the thing, provide some step-by-step instructions and give an example is concrete. That concreteness helps you plod through the writing.

You’re probably not going to write how-to books about technology. But you’ll find that you too build your book using a pretty small set of specific-to-your-genre building blocks.

Don’t fiction writers do this, for example? The novelist describes scenes, records actions, crafts dialog and so on. And what this means again—remember that we’re talking about the myth of writer’s block—is that if you’re writing a mystery novel you don’t sit down with only the plan to write your thousand words. That’s too abstract.

You need to sit down planning to write some set of building blocks. Maybe today you describe the hunting lodge as it looks when Petra and Michael discover the old man’s body. Maybe tomorrow, you craft the dialog that occurs when the police interrogate Langston about the missing oil paintings.

Especially if you’re having trouble achieving your daily word counts—and probably even if you aren’t—you need to use standard building blocks to construct your book. The building blocks let you get the content onto the page.

Small Ideas Mean Big Problems

Let me also revisit something else I often saw when I was a book publisher. Sometimes the real problem a writer is having is trying to turn a little idea into a big book. Yet this problem is misdiagnosed as writer’s block. Some topics don’t merit a book. They may be great topics, but optimal treatment maybe requires ten page or fifty pages. But a book needs to be bigger than that.

I suggest that you can test your idea by writing a couple of example chapters and then making sure there’s not redundancy in those chapters and that there’s still good content available for two or three more unique chapters. That technique should work. But let’s say you didn’t know that when you agreed to write a book. Or that my suggested technique, unfortunately, didn’t work in your special situation. What can you do?

You’re in a tough spot in this case. You need to expand the scope of your book without screwing up the book’s original purpose and justification. If I were you and found myself in this position, I’d try to figure out how short I was coming up. Like, am I fifty pages short? A hundred pages short? Once I had this information, I’d brainstorm to develop a list of related topics that I could use to pad the book or beef it up. Finally, If the book had already been sold, well, I’d probably swallow my pride and have an honest conversation with the editor.

If you’re only a little bit short, the fix is usually pretty easy. Publishers can make a book seem larger by putting less text on a page or by using thicker paper. If you’re writing a nonfiction book, maybe you can throw in an appendix that covers some tangentially related topic or some extended bibliography or a glossary. If you’re writing fiction, I’m actually not sure what you do. That’s not my area of expertise. Do you add characters? A subplot? I don’t know. You better talk with your editor.


- Sunil Kumar

People tend to hate Scientology because it’s made up. But so is Christianity. Where one was created by a science fiction writer, the other was made up by men that claimed to hear voices. Where one has Thetans, the other has souls. Where one has Xenu, the other has Zombie Jesus. Where one refuses medical treatment and prays instead, so does the other sometimes.

If you criticize one, shouldn’t you criticize both?
- Antonio Banderas

only noobs comment on the number
- Pure Evil - hasta la muerte

Writers Block…..Go Figure

Have you ever just sat down with pen and paper in hand (although these days its with a laptop) and have totally no idea what to write about? Well, that seems to be happening to me today. I can think of absolutely nothing to say.

Some days I have no problem at all. I’ll be teaching school and all of a sudden I get this great idea for an article; I can sit down and bang that puppy out in just a few minutes. Boy, I love those times. Then there are days like today, I sit in front of the computer screen and stare at that annoying, blinking cursor. It just sits there and blinks at me. It’s like its taunting me, laughing at me because I have nothing to say. The pressure is unbearable. Blink, Blink,Blink.

I suppose I could change it to one of those smiley faces or a dinosaur, but then I would have a smiley face or dinosaur blinking at me.

I guess I could probably not stare at the screen, I can watch TV or maybe read a book. But how is that going to help me write an article? Blink, Blink. Stupid cursor. This really isn’t helping me. I’m so obsessed with this cursor, I can’t let my muse come to me and do its muse thing. Knowing my luck, she’s staring at the cursor too. Well, if my muse won’t come maybe I should mow the lawn or something. No, it will never get that bad. When is there ever a good excuse to mow the lawn? Have you ever been so bored that you decide, “Hey, I’m bored, I think I’ll go and mow the lawn.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never done that. I can see going out and mowing the lawn if say, for example, my wife comes home and tells me to get my lazy butt outside and mow the lawn. That, in my opinion is a good reason. Being bored, not a good reason.

So, I’m back to square one, although now the cat is blinking at me. Listen, how many times have you had a stare-down with your cat and won? I’ll tell you…Never. You can’t get a cat to blink. Actually, you can’t get a cat to do anything. Well, you can get it to sleep, but how hard is that. Now, all of a sudden the stupid thing gets it into it’s head to blink at me. This is getting out of control. First the cursor, now the cat, what’s next? Now, the light on the phone is blinking. OK, that’s it, I’m done. I guess I just won’t write anything today.

http://mrmomsunite.blogspot.com


- Tahtimbo

Ever sit in front of a blank word processing document, cursor blinking on the screen, mind searching for what to do next? If so, you’re not alone. Every writer struggles with where to start, how to keep motivated, and where to go next with their work. These challenges are collectively known as “writer’s block” – the plight of every aspiring scribe.

So writer’s block seems to be a valid lack of inspiration or motivation, similar to what every creative person deals with at one time or another. And the idea of writer’s block conjures images of tortured artists struggling to find the right words. You want to write, but you can’t – that sounds like writer’s block. Here’s the thing: aspiring writers chalk up their difficulties to writer’s block as if that’s an appropriate excuse for not doing their work. But it’s not. They let this thing called writer’s block prevent them from their goals and aspirations of publication for days, weeks, months, or even years. But they don’t have to.

The line between amateur wannabe and serious professional has been drawn. Serious, professional writers learn early on that throwing around excuses in lieu of completing their assignments, stories, or whatever writing project they’re working on puts them in the fast lane bound for failure. No matter how romantic the idea of writer’s block actually seems, it only means slacker as far as editors are concerned. (Please note that this isn’t to say that some writers have never experienced conditions and disorders that impeded their work, such as clinical depression, illness, or alcoholism. But challenges like these will stop anyone, regardless of their profession or craft, so they don’t count as writer’s block either.)

Now, if you’re an aspiring writer and you’re saying to yourself, “I have writer’s block,” understand that giving your lack of motivation a label – and using the word “writer” in it – you’re making your obstacle stronger. If you eradicate the phrase “writer’s block” from your vocabulary right now, and replace it with something less literary, like “lack of ideas,” “inability to write,” or “lack of professionalism,” then the whole thing sounds much less glamorous, right? You can still be a writer with “writer’s block,” but you’re not much of a writer with the “inability to write.”

In other words, snap out of it! You don’t have to let this thing everyone likes to call writer’s block get in your way – now, or later in your writing career. Because if you let it get to you, you will fail at your writing goals.

So how can you beat your lack of inspiration? Consider the following strategies.

1. Brainstorm New Ideas

If you’re stuck, the best way to get unstuck is to brainstorm. When writers lose steam and get stuck on a project, they might decide to abandon whatever they’re working on. They begin to question their abilities, the validity of their message, and the worth of their project. These tendencies only make the situation worse. But you may find some relief in revisiting your original intentions – the goals you had when your project idea first came to mind.

Forget writing for right now, and really give your project some thought. Revisit your goals, your preliminary notes, and your original intentions. Have you strayed from your original project path? If so, why? Has your project changed or evolved? If so, what are you missing? What new ideas have you hit on? How can you flesh them out?

Let go of your inhibitions, and let your ideas flow. You may be able to locate your creative hang-ups right away, or it may take some work. But as long as you stick with it, you’ll be able to overcome your challenges.

2. Take a Walk

When the last place you want to be is in front of your desk, you may need a change of scenery. Taking a walk can benefit writers twofold. First, writing is exercise – it gets your blood pumping (hopefully to your brain) and gets you moving. It gives you physical and mental space from your project. Plus, walking uses a completely different part of your brain than writing, so you can give your creativity a rest, get outside, and reconnect with your world and your surroundings, where ideas and inspiration abound.

Second, the motion of walking is very rhythmic, which lends itself to meditation and allows you to let your anxieties go and clear your mind. As you walk, forget about your writing and focus on the feel of the ground beneath your feet. Listen to your footfalls, feel your arms moving at your sides, smell the air, and empty your mind of all writing-related thoughts. Keep this up for as long as you can, thirty minutes to an hour would be ideal, and when you return to your desk you will feel rejuvenated. Just make sure you do return to your desk.

3. Ask for Help

Writing is a solitary endeavor, but that doesn’t mean that progress happens in a vacuum. If you’re stuck on something, why not ask for help? Talk to your editor, mentor, or writing coach about the challenges you’re facing. If you’re a member of a writer’s group, bounce a few ideas off someone you trust. If you aren’t in a writer’s group, find one to join, or start one of your own – all you really need is a few like-minds.

You can even enlist the help of a non-writer friend or spouse. Talk to them about your concerns, and ask for support. The act of sharing your problems, in itself, may relieve some of your hang-ups. You may see that the answer to your writing problem was right in front of you the whole time.

The End of Writer’s Block Forever

If you’re serious about writing, you have to forget about writer’s block. Because as soon as you start naming your lack of inspiration with writing-related terms, you give it more power over your success. Essentially, writer’s block is nothing more than an excuse for not being able to do what writer’s do – write. Serious writers know how to manage their mental hang-ups, and keep writing despite them.

The blinking cursor on the blank screen is a fact that every writer must face. How you handle it will ultimately make or break you. When you leave writer’s block behind for good, you will see your writing, your creativity, and your confidence soar.


- Melinda Copp

Help me someone. I really want to sit down and write a book - I have great ideas but everytime I mean to sit down and start to write, I always find an excuse not to.
I have started it but I need to get on with it - I’m suffering from procrastination!!!!
The thing is I write (corporate stuff and news) for a living so do you think that has something to do with it?

Ugh - please someone give me verbal kick up the proverbial !!!
- gwen