Sometimes the brain wants to switch off and relax for a bit. Thoroughly deserved I guess after you put it in so many layers of wandering from characters to plot to acts to what not. And not to forget that it also has to deal with other stressful matters like family pressure, day job, mom's stress of you not having a stable job, girl friends if you have any (Most of the writers have fictional characters as their girl friend, if that is not the case you are not a real writer... just kidding), paying bills, kids running around, so on and so forth.
You all of a sudden think that you have a writer's block. Mere couple of words that actually make you feel like a writer. Its cool. Imagine if someone asks you "How is the book coming?", and you reply "Oh, I don't know, I am stuck at a particular situation, writer's block I guess." sounds cool isn't it. It would be even more delightful when others say it "Oh writer's block, you need to relax a bit and stop thinking of writing for few days." Well people have solutions for everything, even if the only thing they write is Facebook and Twitter status updates.
Writer's block is you pushing your brain to think in a certain way even though you realize that idea is not working, but you keep pushing it because you want it to work somehow. So you are basically stuck at a particular point, thinking in and around that point. Its a vicious loop. Your brain gets tired after the constant poking and it wants to just give up and do something else. So let it do something else. Let it dream. Go to sleep.
The next morning you wake up, have a healthy breakfast, not heavy, but healthy breakfast. Avoid Garlic and onions, they make you sleep. Have coffee or tea or a cigarette, whatever gets you in the mode of writing. Now comes the most important thing. Don't think about the point where you are stuck anymore. Think about the characters involved in it. Think about their back stories. Go back and see the character's journey. Look at the side characters and their plots. Go deep into your antagonist's point of view. Try to remember the goal of your characters and what they are seeking. Think everything, but the point where you are stuck at.
There would be something somewhere in the journey, the flow, previous plot, sub plot, which you can use to get rid of block. There always is. If you find none, don't worry. You create a new sub plot in the already written story and thread it back to this point. Its hard, but it will make your work more interesting. Always remember three things.
You should always know how the story will end and you work towards it.
The first idea is the easiest, discard it and make it a habit to discard it every time.
Take the audience or readers to an expected plot and give them something unexpected. There are only two ways to every plot. Left or right. Right or wrong.
Writer's block is nothing but your brain asking you not to sleep over it, but to just sleep and think differently next time.
You all of a sudden think that you have a writer's block. Mere couple of words that actually make you feel like a writer. Its cool. Imagine if someone asks you "How is the book coming?", and you reply "Oh, I don't know, I am stuck at a particular situation, writer's block I guess." sounds cool isn't it. It would be even more delightful when others say it "Oh writer's block, you need to relax a bit and stop thinking of writing for few days." Well people have solutions for everything, even if the only thing they write is Facebook and Twitter status updates.
Writer's block is you pushing your brain to think in a certain way even though you realize that idea is not working, but you keep pushing it because you want it to work somehow. So you are basically stuck at a particular point, thinking in and around that point. Its a vicious loop. Your brain gets tired after the constant poking and it wants to just give up and do something else. So let it do something else. Let it dream. Go to sleep.
The next morning you wake up, have a healthy breakfast, not heavy, but healthy breakfast. Avoid Garlic and onions, they make you sleep. Have coffee or tea or a cigarette, whatever gets you in the mode of writing. Now comes the most important thing. Don't think about the point where you are stuck anymore. Think about the characters involved in it. Think about their back stories. Go back and see the character's journey. Look at the side characters and their plots. Go deep into your antagonist's point of view. Try to remember the goal of your characters and what they are seeking. Think everything, but the point where you are stuck at.
There would be something somewhere in the journey, the flow, previous plot, sub plot, which you can use to get rid of block. There always is. If you find none, don't worry. You create a new sub plot in the already written story and thread it back to this point. Its hard, but it will make your work more interesting. Always remember three things.
You should always know how the story will end and you work towards it.
The first idea is the easiest, discard it and make it a habit to discard it every time.
Take the audience or readers to an expected plot and give them something unexpected. There are only two ways to every plot. Left or right. Right or wrong.
Writer's block is nothing but your brain asking you not to sleep over it, but to just sleep and think differently next time.
Really? interesting concept. Will try out your solution, but as a writer yet to be published not because i do not have manuscripts but because i am my own biggest critic, i feel like you are taking it too lightly. Writers can go for days,... well i know i do, even when coming up with pieces of poetry just because they may not sound good enough.. what is that called then?
ReplyDeleteThank you Hazvie Tarindwa for reading Writing tips. "May not sound good enough." well that is the reason the post explained to Discard the first few ideas because the brain has a tendency to first come up with the easiest solution.
DeleteMost of the time we are insecure of our work and that is because we don't regard ourselves as good writers. That can happen if you have a great role model or a strict father or a wife. Just remember every human being is different, every thought process is different and every thing you are going to write will be different.
Do this exercise - Step away from your work for couple of days. Don't even think about writing or the content of your book. Come back with a completely blank mind and read again like you are reading for the first time. If what you have written, generates the same emotion in you which you feel it should generate for your audience... well you are on the right track. Or you can always give your work to someone else. I suggest give it to your Target audience, not a writer friend. If you book is about teenagers, find couple of teenagers and ask them to read and give feedback. They are the one who are going to read your book, not you and not your own biggest critic :)
Well, don't think there is anything like right or wrong ! That's just individual perception. Moreover, you 'should' always know how your story will end, isn't always the motivation to write. Sometimes it's not knowing the end which shapes the most amazing stories!
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on if you are writing for yourself or on commercial terms. There are times I just have concepts and have to narrate it to a Producer or a Director. If they like the concept they pay to write the whole script and 100% of the time they want the start, middle and end of the story. It is easier to explain people when you are in the business of writing. If you are writing for yourself... do it as you feel like :)
Delete