I'm writing, and I have writer's block. I'm not satisfied with any of the beginings I've written so far, and I've written three in the past week. So, what do you guys do when you need inspiration? Drink hot cocoa? Listen to certain music? Annoy your relatives?
I would appreciate any advice. My muse has decided to hate me...
What makes you relaxed and happy? Try that first and see if something pops up.... if that doesn't work...
What Challenges you and makes you think? Watch something like Amistad or Schindlers list, Picnic at Hanging Rock a Clockwork Orange or read some poetry or a graphic novel like Walking Dead.... and see if that works.
If that doesn't work take your muse out to dinner, buy her some flowers and tell her that you appreciate her and that you don't take her for granted.
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I'm writing, and I have writer's block. I'm not satisfied with any of the beginings I've written so far, and I've written three in the past week. So, what do you guys do when you need inspiration? Drink hot cocoa? Listen to certain music? Annoy your relatives?
I would appreciate any advice. My muse has decided to hate me...
Sit down with the express intention of writing the worst beginning that you can. Parody yourself, use really bad cliches, revise and try to make it worse. Do this for a set period of time. See what happens.
Since you are writing the beginning, am I right in presuming you have written everything else? If not, do so and save the beginning for last. It's the hardest bit.
I'm writing, and I have writer's block. I'm not satisfied with any of the beginings I've written so far, and I've written three in the past week. So, what do you guys do when you need inspiration? Drink hot cocoa? Listen to certain music? Annoy your relatives?
I would appreciate any advice. My muse has decided to hate me...What makes you relaxed and happy? Try that first and see if something pops up.... if that doesn't work...
What Challenges you and makes you think? Watch something like Amistad or Schindlers list, Picnic at Hanging Rock a Clockwork Orange or read some poetry or a graphic novel like Walking Dead.... and see if that works.
If that doesn't work take your muse out to dinner, buy her some flowers and tell her that you appreciate her and that you don't take her for granted.
I would relax, except my personal anti-philosophy embodied lives at my house (my sister). Also, once I leave whatever is helping me relax, she provokes me to murderous wrath again, and my relaxation flees.
If I followed that last bit of advice, there's a good chance my muse would leave permanently. Why does everyone assume that everyone on here's a guy?
Sorry I couldn't tell by your avatar (going by avatars is probably not the best way to determine gender) - If I wasn't lazy I could have clicked on your avatar and your profile would have told me your gender. Sadly the demographics point to the majority of players being male, I went with the odds.
In my defence muses as per the Hellenic tradition and myth are female.
Also in my country, women often give each other gifts of flowers as signs of appreciation and thanks.
I'm writing, and I have writer's block. I'm not satisfied with any of the beginings I've written so far, and I've written three in the past week. So, what do you guys do when you need inspiration? Drink hot cocoa? Listen to certain music? Annoy your relatives?
I would appreciate any advice. My muse has decided to hate me...
I sense that the answer for you is just to keep writing; don't stop. Don't wait hoping that you'll eventually feel like you can rival Shakespeare's best. You won't end up with anything. It doesn't matter if you sit down and write "I don't know what to write" over and over again for half an hour. I approach writing just like a clock-punching job: regardless of how I feel, I show up, put in the work, finish a task. I think that is the only answer. Most days I don't feel inspired, just like I rarely felt inspired when I worked for the insurance company, but I show up and put in the work and time anyway and produce something. Something is always better than nothing. I struggle with perfectionism myself, and the only solution I have found is to keep working, regardless of what I think of the quality of what I am doing. Once you have SOMETHING, however bad you think it is, you can modify it, refine it, expand it, slice it. But the crucial thing is to give yourself the emotional freedom to write something that isn't perfect.
Kill...zombies. Lots of Zombies. Or read a book, pick one you wouldn't normally. Go on deviant art or elfwood and look at the pictures until something clicks. Write that little idea and then look for another. Watch a movie in the same genre.
Or go to sleep and dream. Mr. Fishy can't write without dreaming.
Last one create a character that doesn't work. An orc paladin or a gnome assassin then make it work the exercise might loose up the brain. Good Luck.
Mr. Fishy also has a mantra "At least Yucale does have to play with Mr. Fishy" Speak in the third person it helps.
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Kill...zombies. Lots of Zombies. Or read a book, pick one you wouldn't normally. Go on deviant art or elfwood and look at the pictures until something clicks. Write that little idea and then look for another. Watch a movie in the same genre.
Or go to sleep and dream. Mr. Fishy can't write without dreaming.
Last one create a character that doesn't work. An orc paladin or a gnome assassin then make it work the exercise might loose up the brain. Good Luck.
Mr. Fishy also has a mantra "At least Yucale does have to play with Mr. Fishy" Speak in the third person it helps.
I'm disappointed your reply didn't involve getting "the stick."
You kill zombies with a stick duh!
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Not knowing your exact situation, here's how I work:
I often find that my writers' block is worst when I don't have enough information. Maybe I haven't done enough research, or maybe I simply haven't thought enough. I have to have pictures to write, so I'll go through google images endlessly until I can picture the scene I'm trying to write. Going to museums can help. I just search until I find that detail that really makes my scene pop. After all, its the details that makes a scene good and not blah, and if I don't have the research to picture the details, well...
I also recommend sitting and daydreaming. I like to envision the movie of my scene, almost, and sometimes I just need to watch it before I can write it.
Music is also extremely important to me, but it has to be the right music, because I will focus on the story that goes with the music, whether it's the one I need to be focused on or not!
On the other hand, sometimes it helps to focus on something totally different. Write something else. Let your subconscious work.
Of course, this is one thing where everyone has their own unique process, so probably the best I can give you is: Good luck!
What if it's about zombies?
Then its research, two birds one stone.