# Is it Writer's Block, or...?



## tylerdurden (Nov 17, 2015)

*Hello everyone..! 

I started writing for like 2 years ago, but nothing worth mentioning of course.. Just me writing fictional novels for the fun of it, and showing it to my friends to get their opinions and all.. I like to think that what I'm writing right now and the things I learn would help me a lot into becoming good enough to publish my work.

However, I keep having this problem for the past months.. maybe since the start of this year
I'm not sure if It's Writer's Block or not.. Because I know what I wanna write, like.. I already got it all in my mind figured but when the writing part comes, I get this laziness.. I feel like I don't have the time or the mood to write, although I already got the words figured in my brain.

So, I was hoping to know what is the reason for this.. And what's the solution? Could it simply be that I'm not into writing? I'm pretty sure I love writing, I actually always dreamed of being a writer and I have all the motives.. But why can't I just go ahead and write? 
Does anyone share me this problem? I really need to figure out why and how to solve it.. It's been bugging me a lot...*


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## Bishop (Nov 17, 2015)

Welcome Tyler! Always glad to have a new member!

As for your question, there's only one solution. You must write. Sit down, clear a block of time, and actually write. You may want to write, but if you don't actually do it, it's just like how I want to date Scarlett Johansson... not going to happen.

So if you're thinking, "Man, I want to be a writer!" there's only one way to do that. Sit down, type. Or scribble. There's no secret, there's no magic solution, there's no pill you can take that makes words appear on the screen. The only way to improve as a writer is to write and to read. Both of them. If you don't have the time, make the time. If you're feeling lazy, make yourself work.

Writing is like any other skill: It requires practice. You will be awful at this for a while. A long while. I'm still awful after writing for years. But I keep writing and reading and keep getting better.

So for the question of why you can't write... that I can't answer. No one can. Only you can make yourself do something if you want to. If you're thinking you want to be a writer, but are unwilling to put in the hard work and hours that it will take to become one, then I have some bad news for you. But if you're actually passionate about this, and want to get better... well, there's only one way. And we here on the forum are a great resource for all sorts of things, but none of us will be able to write your stories for you.

And that leaves the unenviable task... for you to answer the question: Are you willing to WORK to be a writer?


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## tylerdurden (Nov 17, 2015)

*I understand, I guess you're right.
 If I never try I'll never know.. I'll try to manage my day and make the time for writing and see how it goes for me. 
I mean i really got the motives like I said, and a lot of Idols I wanna follow their steps, And reading has gotten me a lo better. I mostly focus on fictional stories but I'm currently trying to write a non-fictional novel and I already have good ideas for it in my mind and all.. All I gotta do is to write!  
Thanks for clearing things to me, I really needed that, and I really feel like I wanna write *


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## dale (Nov 17, 2015)

for me, stress is my biggest excuse for "writer's block".....but when it comes down to it? one excuse is as good as the next.


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## ppsage (Nov 17, 2015)

For me having the story all figured out in my head is a great disincentive to actually writing it down. Stories never seem as good in the writing as in the imagining. I have to forget what I know about the story so the adventure of discovering it on the page compels me to the writing. The story that I imagine I know isn't a real story at all, it's a bunch of frustrating gaps and misconceptions, the rectification of which is onerous and easily abandoned. Even if I have an outline, I mostly just follow my immediate inspiration through the first draft, or the day's new writing period, plenty of time after, to put on the responsible editor hat. The sense that a story makes is hardly ever what I imagined it to be, and I discover my excitement in finding out what it really is. Nothing kills my writing faster than thinking I already know it all.


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## Red Sonja (Nov 17, 2015)

tylerdurden said:


> *Hello everyone..!
> 
> I started writing for like 2 years ago, but nothing worth mentioning of course.. Just me writing fictional novels for the fun of it, and showing it to my friends to get their opinions and all.. I like to think that what I'm writing right now and the things I learn would help me a lot into becoming good enough to publish my work.
> 
> ...



That is why I'm here, as a matter of fact: I'm not a social type at all, but any place (on or off the internet) I can participate in a writing or versifying challenge is a place I'm going to visit repeatedly, LOL. An internet venue for writing challenges is an awesome thing because one can participate without having to check first to see if there might be a bit of spinach stuck to one's teeth.


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## InstituteMan (Nov 17, 2015)

For me, the key is letting myself writing stuff that's bad.

Here's a dirty little secret: before digging into the forum this evening, I wrote a something that was kicking around in my head today. I didn't do a bad job with it per se, but when I went back to read it, I realized that it wasn't really what I intended, either. That's okay, improvement is just missing the mark by a little less every day. I saved off my work, and maybe tomorrow I'll be able to make it better. Whether this particular piece ever improves, though, _today I am a writer. I am a writer because writers write, and I wrote._

It's very easy to want to be a writer, but to actually be a writer you have to string some words together. I daresay the more words you string together the better your writing will be, but that's another issue. Just write something, let it be bad, and move on.


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## shadowwalker (Nov 17, 2015)

JMO, but as far as I'm concerned the most important lesson a new writer can learn is self-discipline. The Great American Novel will never be written if the author merely thinks about it.


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## BobtailCon (Nov 18, 2015)

There is no such thing as "Writer's Block." You even said it yourself, it's laziness. Writers love to make up fancy words for things we already have. It sounds better to say, "I have writer's block," than to say, "I'm being lazy." Like I say many times, writing needs discipline.

 I make a rule to sit down and write something every day, whether it be a sentence, a paragraph, or 3500 word story. This helps train your mind to get used to writing, even when you don't feel anything. 

Don't make the mistake of other artists and "wait for inspiration."


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## Minu (Nov 18, 2015)

BobtailCon said:


> There is no such thing as "Writer's Block." You even said it yourself, it's laziness. Writers love to make up fancy words for things we already have. It sounds better to say, "I have writer's block," than to say, "I'm being lazy." Like I say many times, writing needs discipline.
> 
> I make a rule to sit down and write something every day, whether it be a sentence, a paragraph, or 3500 word story. This helps train your mind to get used to writing, even when you don't feel anything.
> 
> Don't make the mistake of other artists and "wait for inspiration."



No such thing as writer's block. ... Oh there is. Fear of rejection for new authors is a major factor. If people didn't suffer that fear of rejection, forums like this _*wouldn't*_ exist. If writer's block didn't exist, as you say, then I'd expect every known author to publish 12 books yearly. One for every flavorful month.  Yet, amazingly, even the most famous of authors go years between books. If it's not "writer's block", what is it? 

I am a skilled author in my field. One year I published six 700+ page books. I haven't written a book in two years. Not because of fear of rejection, as said I know what I am writing & how to write. More it has to do with the simple fact working a 12 hour shift in the medical field and tack on nearly 3 hours driving back & forth to work writing is the last thing on my mind. That and the ever changing legislation means that there's no point in writing & publishing until one sees where all the chips have fallen. 

There's an old saying about making assumptions - so don't assume everyone who claims to have writer's block is lazy. Not only is it judgemental but it's really supportive to new writers whom have "writer's block" - guy is calling me lazy, might as well not even try. As it is when I sit down and write, even with breaks for lunch & tea, I can write 8,000 to 10,000 words daily. 



To the OP. It sounds like you are putting too much pressure on yourself more than anything -_ *I actually always dreamed of being a writer and I have all the motives.. But why can't I just go ahead and write? - *_so I'll suggest this: Turn off the computer and relax. Invest in a simple 3x4 notepad, a pen, and sit. As thoughts come to you, write them down. Put them in point form even. Review them the day after or a few days after. Pick the ones you think work, expand upon them. 

I always get a chuckle out of the club-wielding idea of sitting behind the computer screen and forcing yourself to write to "work through" writer's block.  It's *ingenious* after all, and having seen it happen, a guaranteed way of making a would-be author hate writing because for every day to you get nowhere you get more and more stressed. You feel more and more pressure to "perform". Unless you think yourself a trained monkey whom can indeed perform at the drop of a hat, take a break. You'll most likely find yourself writing much easier after those deep breathes.


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## dale (Nov 18, 2015)

yeah. i suppose i could pound out words like a monkey on a keyboard and smile and say i don't have "writer's block".
i just don't see the point in that, though. and reading what i wrote afterwards would probably make me feel worse and
more block-headed.


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## Sam (Nov 18, 2015)

Minu said:


> No such thing as writer's block. ... Oh there is. Fear of rejection for new authors is a major factor. If people didn't suffer that fear of rejection, forums like this _*wouldn't*_ exist. If writer's block didn't exist, as you say, then I'd expect every known author to publish 12 books yearly. One for every flavorful month.  Yet, amazingly, even the most famous of authors go years between books. If it's not "writer's block", what is it?



Lack of discipline. 

While writer's block may exist in some shape or form, at least in an intellectual or mental capacity, and while I'm sure there are some people who may be legitimately affected by it, the writer's block that does the rounds in writing groups, forums, and other such gatherings is typically not writer's block. It's a non-existent malaise that is more often than not an excuse for not writing; a crutch to fall back on when things get difficult. 

I've been part of such forums and groups for ten years, and I've seen a lot of threads about writer's block, and statistically speaking the odds of all those people having writer's block are astronomical. Most of it is a self-deprecating cliche. Either you wear a tweed jacket, a fedora, and smoke a briar pipe or a stogie; or you're constantly afflicted by writer's block. Both paint some sort of romantic imagery, and what you'll encounter if you go to some of these groups is a couple of people on the periphery: brooding types who give off the persona of a tortured soul bleeding for their art. 

There's a certain romanticism about being a writer. As a result, some people like the idea of being a writer more than actually writing. And it's much better to say "I have writer's block" than it is to say "I'm not a writer".


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## dale (Nov 18, 2015)

there is a degree of simple laziness to it or "lack of discipline", as sam calls it. making excuses.
not being able or being unwilling to overcome the distractions. my WIP novel now is written by
2 different 1st person narrators alternating with different parts of the book. the problem is, i have
to "become" these people in order to write them. it's not an easy task to completely surrender
yourself and let a different mind and manner of speech take over. i get stuck because of it. but....
...this is me making excuses. it just takes more concentration to find those voices in my head than
 i'm sometimes willing to make the effort for.


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## Firemajic (Nov 18, 2015)

dale said:


> for me, stress is my biggest excuse for "writer's block".....but when it comes down to it? one excuse is as good as the next.




What he said. Remove ALL the excuses, then see what you are left with.. As with ANYTHING in life, you get out what you put in.. I am a glassblower, and NOTHING keeps me away from my torch.. nothing, because it is my passion...same with my poetry, it is my passion, and I can't NOT write.. that is not an option... hope this helps.. Good luck..


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## dale (Nov 18, 2015)

also, i don't have a chair anymore. and i have no clue where it went. it used to be here. 
i have to find another chair.


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## JustRob (Nov 18, 2015)

What you describe is nothing like my own experience. I definitely _didn't_ want to write but like you I had this story in my head and in my case it was interfering with my other thoughts. I simply had to flush it out by typing it into my computer. What happened to it then was of no concern to me and to be honest still isn't. My problem was simply typing fast enough once I started. For this reason I wonder whether it is true that you have what you want to write _all_ worked out. Perhaps you merely have a framework and what daunts you is fleshing it out with detail. Maybe there's an element of self-doubt at work there. 

If you have a framework then you must have scenes in mind. Just try to tackle them one at a time, excluding other aspects from your thoughts. Think of the process as something like decorating a Christmas tree. You know the overall effect that you want to create and you have the basic framework, the tree itself, as a starting point. Make every sentence that you write add a little more sparkle to the overall effect. Maybe you need to give a little more thought to what you want to write before you start though. Maybe that is what is holding you back. Maybe at present you can only see that bare tree in your mind's eye and not the final effect. When I started writing I had the whole of Santa's grotto in my mind and it was doing my head in, no kidding. To me that is what is meant by knowing what one wants to write.

Writing is something that happens in the mind at any time in any place. Typing it out is something that happens later. If you get those in the wrong order you won't enjoy the experience. The joy is in typing out the words that you have already assembled in your mind beforehand knowing that they work and achieve exactly what you want. It is like playing a piano recital that you've been rehearsing for weeks, not hesitantly composing a brand new piece. Maybe some people need to play around on a keyboard to get the words right, but I don't, so maybe I don't understand how other people work. 

I can't comment on writer's block either as I consider the opposite, needing to write, as the problem in my case. I've lived happily with permanent writer's block for over sixty-five years and only in the last few has this aberration, this writing urge, forced itself on me, so I can't really help there. When I don't feel like writing it isn't writer's block but just feeling normal again.


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## Kyle R (Nov 18, 2015)

Bad news: the less you write, the harder it tends to be.

Good news: the more you write, the easier it tends to get.

That said, I still suffer from creative blocks now and then. I can write for an hour and not have anything worthwhile to show for it at the end. Sure, I'm putting words on the page and all, but, creatively, I'm blocked from coming up with anything good.

Sometimes that happens, even to the most disciplined writers. The brain doesn't always cooperate, even if the fingers are typing (or the pen is scribbling). Sometimes it's fatigue. Sometimes it's stress. Sometimes your brain is just burned out. (Reading tends to help me when I get creative burnout.)

Still, my creative blocks these days seem to happen less and less, now that I write more often. Also, these days, I allow my writing to be "bad" during the draft phase. For me, at least, allowing bad writing to happen is the secret to getting the good writing out.

Sometimes you have to fling crap against the wall until you find something that sticks. But if you just _stare_ at the wall, it's pretty much a guarantee that nothing will stick.

So quit staring. Start flinging. :encouragement:


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## Terry D (Nov 18, 2015)

tylerdurden said:


> *Hello everyone..!
> 
> I started writing for like 2 years ago, but nothing worth mentioning of course.. Just me writing fictional novels for the fun of it, and showing it to my friends to get their opinions and all.. I like to think that what I'm writing right now and the things I learn would help me a lot into becoming good enough to publish my work.
> 
> ...



In my opinion the answer to this comes in more than one segment. First you need to decide if you really want to write, or just 'be a writer'. Lots of people like the thought of 'being a writer'. They think it's some cool, intellectual, pursuit full of book-signings, publication parties, and many deep philosophical conversations. It is not. It can be many hours of lonely work that eventually ends up getting rewritten, or scraped entirely. Having a story in your head doesn't make you a writer. Everyone has stories in their head, it's called day-dreaming. Writers take those day-dreams and make stories out of them. Properly choosing and sequencing the words that morph an idea into a story is hard work. To be a writer you need to embrace (not necessarily like, but embrace) the work.

I can't tell you if you have writer's block because I don't know what that is. My creative streak responds well to the discipline of putting my butt in a chair every day and writing. I recently went through a stretch with my current WIP where I rewrote the same scene three times over the space of several weeks. At no time during that period did I have a problem finding words, I just didn't like the way the story was going. If I would have 'taken a break' it would not have helped -- doing it wrong helped. I found out what didn't work and moved on from that. I personally mistrust anyone who tries to tell me that backing away from the keyboard is a helpful idea. A baseball player doesn't break out of a slump by staying out of the batting cage, a musician doesn't improve his performance by putting his instrument away for a period of time, so how can a writer develop the discipline to write without doing it? Of course everyone is different, and what works for me may not work for you.

Another thing that might help your confidence is to write everything you write -- including work emails, Facebook status updates, and forum posts -- as if it is part of a story you are trying to sell. _Be_ a writer. Write well, write with a purpose all the time, not just when you decide to work on a story. The writing may come more easily if you do.


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## dale (Nov 18, 2015)

Terry D said:


> They think it's some cool, intellectual, pursuit full of book-signings, publication parties, and many deep philosophical conversations. .



don't forget the scantily clad teeny-bopper groupies we all have.


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## Jeko (Nov 18, 2015)

It never ceases to amaze me how much people can write when they say they have 'Writer's Block'. 

Ask someone to continue working on their novel/short story/poem and they'll freeze up and tell themselves they're going through a phase when they can't write. Ask them about Writer's Block, however, and they can fill the entire Bodleian library with explanations of how they think and feel, many of which are very creatively thought out.

Some of the best things I've written have been when I couldn't think of anything to write. Instead of indulging in that silly wisp of self-consciousness, telling me about all my fears and doubts and my back-catalogue of unfinished novels, I would take hold of it and use it against itself, writing a narrative about not being able to write a narrative. This is what I call the 'warm-up'. The brain is a muscle, and stretching it abstractly before you continue the marathon you've been running with your longer piece of work is as vital as doing such stretches for a real marathon. It's amazing how many directions you can take the starting point of not feeling able to communicate something - it's a beautiful conflict and lets you throw together character relationships and psychologies on the fly.

Trying to work out what 'Writer's Block' is or isn't is pointless. I don't care if you think your doubts and fears about writing are stopping you from writing. You shouldn't care either. You're not going to get past those fears by focusing on them - you do the opposite. No philosophizing about the deep end will prepare you for the shock of entering it, but once you're in there you can get a feel for where you want to go.

Having been here on and off for years, you won't believe how many 'Writer's Block' posts say the exact same thing - 'I love writing' alongside 'I don't feel like writing'. What you actually mean is that you love the story in your head, or storytelling in general (if you're able to keep many buzzing in your head, like most good storytellers should be able to). But you don't love the process of writing. The communication of a narrative is separate from the conception of it, like what you build with lego is separate from what you _want _​to build with it. The latter process is creativity, which is rarely a pain. The former is control, which should always be in some way painful, because it's placing restrictions on what the latter gave life to. Wanting the former to be painless can make the latter become painful. Accepting the former's pain allows you to start enjoying it, like a good runner appreciate the burn of their muscles, knowing they'e pushing themselves and working towards something worth struggling for. 

*Putting your story on the page should never feel easy.* If it does, you should be working on how to level up the control side of your craft to make your writing better and recapture the struggle. You don't get better at writing to make writing stories easier. You get better to tell better stories and tell those better stories better. The fact writing does get easier over time and practice is just so you have the room to make it harder again to further enhance your skills, like a weight-lifter lifts more and more weight the stronger they get.

That is, unless you want to find a comfort zone and just stay there. But if you're able to make a space like that for yourself to just enjoy writing, you have the potential to go further with your craft. You should use it.


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## Gavrushka (Nov 18, 2015)

I think of writer's block as a right of passage from serious writer to melodramatic parody, with each new convert being given a special outfit exactly as Sam described in his brilliant post earlier.

As Yoda would say, 'write or write not, there is no block.'


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## JustRob (Nov 18, 2015)

Terry D said:


> In my opinion the answer to this comes in more than one segment. First you need to decide if you really want to write, or just 'be a writer'.



Precisely. I just write but don't want to 'be a writer'.



> I personally mistrust anyone who tries to tell me that backing away from the keyboard is a helpful idea.
> ...
> Of course everyone is different, and what works for me may not work for you.



There's no conflict there with what I wrote. I have a scratchpad in my mind where which I can write virtually. For some people using a keyboard focusses their mind on the task. Someone once told me that I have a "searchlight mind" which focusses without any such aids so yes, everyone is different and there's no universal advice that works. That's why we all chip in with what works for us.



> Another thing that might help your confidence is to write everything you write -- including work emails, Facebook status updates, and forum posts -- as if it is part of a story you are trying to sell. _Be_ a writer. Write well, write with a purpose all the time, not just when you decide to work on a story. The writing may come more easily if you do.



I agree wholeheartedly. Make writing well a habit, not something for those special occasions. You may vary your style to suit the subject, but never reduce the quality. Even with my posts here I never submit them without reviewing and editing them where necessary first. They are all examples of my work just as much as anything that I post for critiques. Take that attitude with all that you write and it becomes habitual rather than a challenge to face. 

I have never been a writer but I have always written.


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## bazz cargo (Nov 18, 2015)

Hi Tyler,
you could try a work out

http://www.writingforums.com/forums/244-Literary-Maneuvers-Non-Fiction

Get the writing muscle exercised.


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## BobtailCon (Nov 18, 2015)

Minu said:


> No such thing as writer's block. ... Oh there is. Fear of rejection for new authors is a major factor. If people didn't suffer that fear of rejection, forums like this _*wouldn't*_ exist. If writer's block didn't exist, as you say, then I'd expect every known author to publish 12 books yearly. One for every flavorful month.  Yet, amazingly, even the most famous of authors go years between books. If it's not "writer's block", what is it?
> 
> I am a skilled author in my field. One year I published six 700+ page books. I haven't written a book in two years. Not because of fear of rejection, as said I know what I am writing & how to write. More it has to do with the simple fact working a 12 hour shift in the medical field and tack on nearly 3 hours driving back & forth to work writing is the last thing on my mind. That and the ever changing legislation means that there's no point in writing & publishing until one sees where all the chips have fallen.



No, it doesn't exist. At all. You're confusing exhaustion with this "writer's block." Yeah, if you wrote 3 700+ page books in a year, you could be burnt out. Taking years of a break is too long in my opinion, but to each their own. Your situation is not OP's, OP even admitted that they were being lazy.

In case anyone is confused with the definition, writer's block is generally a lack of inspiration, or an inability to come up with creative work.

There is no Writer's Block, it's just laziness, a lack of discipline. Writing is a skill, if you spend a long time not writing, you'll get worse, and your drive to write will falter and fade.

And yes, I have no problem calling OP lazy. I'm lazy, I don't always follow my own rules, sometimes I take breaks. Everyone takes breaks, we're writers, we're fallible.

I don't want to argue, the admins love to poke me with warning sticks, but I wanted to respond to you.


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## dale (Nov 18, 2015)

BobtailCon said:


> No, it doesn't exist. At all. You're confusing exhaustion with this "writer's block." Yeah, if you wrote 3 700+ page books in a year, you could be burnt out. Taking years of a break is too long in my opinion, but to each their own. Your situation is not OP's, OP even admitted that they were being lazy.
> 
> In case anyone is confused with the definition, writer's block is generally a lack of inspiration, or an inability to come up with creative work.
> 
> ...



well...since we live in such a sophisticated society? can we just please refer to "writer's block" 
as a form of "mental illness"? so that way we don't hurt anyone's feelings? maybe they can even 
prescribe us drugs for it. i could be like...yeah doctor...i just can't finish this novel.....and then he 
could be like...."well, i have the perfect thing for you, man. i'll write you out a prescription
for 6 grams of opium and 4 gallons of vodka. you go, boy!"


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## Newman (Nov 18, 2015)

Bishop said:


> You must write. Sit down, clear a block of time, and actually write.



This.


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## Kyle R (Nov 18, 2015)

For those who don't believe in writer's block (or haven't experienced it), here's how mine tends to look:

I open my laptop, crack my knuckles, then rest my fingers on the keyboard. Okay, time to write! Yes! Exciting times.

Hmm . . . But what to write about?

What to write. What . . . to . . . write.

Hmm . . .

Well . . . I can write about a . . . um . . . pencil? That . . . needs sharpening. And then . . . hell, I don't know. The pencil gets sharpened and . . . then it needs sharpening again?

Ugh. Seriously?

Maybe I can write about a guy who . . . stands there . . . no, he _sits_ there . . . no. Hmm . . . he blows up.

Yeah. That sounds good. A blowing up guy. Why not? Okay. Here we go.

The guy blew up.

Okay . . . now what?

The guy blew up. He . . . was . . . 

He was what? . . . He was . . . a guy? He was . . . once not blown up?

Or . . . Ah. Damn it. Why is writing so hard? Okay. I can do this. It's just words, right? Let's see. If he blew up, then he wouldn't be . . . alive anymore. Okay, so he's dead.

. . . dead . . . 

Okay. He was dead. Alright. Twelve minutes in and I have seven measly words written. What a joke.

Well, it's better than nothing, I guess. Barely.

Okay, now where to go from here?

Maybe I'll just force it out. Just go with it! Fast and loose! Creative burst! Come on. Here we go!

Then . . . the . . . pencil . . . needed sharpening?

Oh, kill me now.


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## BobtailCon (Nov 18, 2015)

Kyle R said:


> For those who don't believe in writer's block (or haven't experienced it), here's how mine tends to look:
> 
> I open my laptop, crack my knuckles, then rest my fingers on the keyboard. Okay, time to write! Yes! Exciting times.
> 
> Hmm . . . But what to write about?



Yeah, haha I know the feeling. The best way I've found to fix that is to just describe an environment. Think of a forest, or a city, describe it, the leaves, glass windows, streetlights, etc. Then populate it, add characters, what are the characters doing? What do they look like? Then go from there.

It's worked almost every time for me.


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## BobtailCon (Nov 18, 2015)

dale said:


> well...since we live in such a sophisticated society? can we just please refer to "writer's block"
> as a form of "mental illness"? so that way we don't hurt anyone's feelings? maybe they can even
> prescribe us drugs for it. i could be like...yeah doctor...i just can't finish this novel.....and then he
> could be like...."well, i have the perfect thing for you, man. i'll write you out a prescription
> for 6 grams of opium and 4 gallons of vodka. you go, boy!"



6 grams of opium triggers me, I'm so triggered. Please limit your free speech or I'll take this to Tumblr, thanks. /sarcasm


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## shadowwalker (Nov 18, 2015)

JMHO, but I've found people with "writer's block" fall into two basic categories:

1. They didn't realize writing was work.

2. They didn't realize writing was hard work.

More seriously, writer's block is self-inflicted. People hit roadblocks, and instead of recognizing it for a roadblock (meaning find a new route), they decide it must be writer's block, and then they worry so much about having writer's block they can't write. I curse whoever came up with the concept...


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## JustRob (Nov 27, 2015)

I treat what one might see as writer's block as just another source of inspiration. In fact the issues surrounding writing have provided much of the inspiration for my novel and I let my characters wrestle with them instead of having to do so myself. My conflicts become their conflicts. Hence they have to contend with a _deus ex machina _because while it solves a problem for me it creates one for them, quite the opposite of what such devices usually do. Equally when I found a gap in the story and was unable to fill it, perhaps a case of writer's block, my main character fell into a coma for fifteen years and my characters had to deal with that setback. Far from being a cop-out the coma became central to the story and fully integrated into it. It's really just a matter of following one's thoughts where they lead, I find.


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## voltigeur (Nov 28, 2015)

> I still suffer from creative blocks now and then.



I love that you worded this that way! I found my "writer's block" is actually a creativity block.



> More seriously, writer's block is self-inflicted. People hit roadblocks, and instead of recognizing it for a roadblock (meaning find a new route), they decide it must be writer's block, and then they worry so much about having writer's block they can't write. I curse whoever came up with the concept...



I think that many writers cause writers block because coming into the craft they don't understand the process. New writer's think you sit at your computer and the novel falls out of your head exactly as you read it in final print. When you learn that your rough draft sucks and you revise it till it doesn't suck you quit inflicting the stress that causes writer's block!

Also a professor at the local university said that revising and editing is writing, not just creating new material. If you consider this I never have writer's block at all now. If my right brain is struggling in creative mode my left brain can always make the stuff I've already written better. 

Just my thoughts.


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## Hairball (Nov 30, 2015)

_I've had that problem. Sometimes by just putting it aside and getting away works for me. When I stumbled while writing my book, I would just go do something I like to do, like play with my dog, go for a ride with her, call or visit a friend, play guitar and/or piano and during basketball season, watch Carolina basketball LOL! 

I have found by not sweating about it helps also. I think many writers suffer from it and there's no pill to take and no potion to drink; you have to leave it be for a bit, clear your mind, do something fun, and then you'll find you're refreshed and ready to roll again.

Also, you have this place to come to. It's nice to look at what other folks write. I didn't have that luxury while I was writing my book; I was on my own and alone.

Don't overdo this issue and drive yourself nuts, honey. It happens. Also, here's a little bit of help too:

http://flavorwire.com/343207/13-famo...-writers-block

Hope it helps. Let us know, and do keep writing. I did, and I was so glad I hung in there. If you need to talk, just PM me._


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## Newman (Dec 1, 2015)

tylerdurden said:


> *Hello everyone..!
> 
> I started writing for like 2 years ago, but nothing worth mentioning of course.. Just me writing fictional novels for the fun of it, and showing it to my friends to get their opinions and all.. I like to think that what I'm writing right now and the things I learn would help me a lot into becoming good enough to publish my work.
> 
> ...



There are tons of reasons why you might not be writing: evaluation apprehension, you haven't got things worked out as well as you think you have...etc etc etc.

You're going to have to sit down and work your way through it. You're going to have to finish stuff, you're going to have to consider the notes, you're going to have to improve.

Despite what is often suggested, there is a craft to learn.

The best advice really is: get on with it. A lot of problems work themselves out if you just get on with it.


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