Category: Writers Block
well, seeing as there are many writers here, and good ones too, thought i'd ask this on here
i often have so many ideas about stories, poems and stuff of all kinds, so much inspiration, and i'd like to write them but whenever i try my brain goes
completely foggy and i can't even think, let alone write anything. it just goes dark and all the inspiration i had disappears i'm totally blocked, and
after a lot of trying i end up giving up cause there's just nothing else in my head but all the buzzing of thousands mixed thoughts and ideas. just like
right now, i have a good story in mind but i can't even write the first word. or any other word for that matter.
i like some of the ideas i have, and i think they could turn out to be good stories or poems if i only could write them.
at times i am able to write something, but what comes out is not what i wanted it to be and only gives the smallest idea of what i meant to write. it really
is frustrating, and i was wondering if you guys could give me advice on this, on how i could be able to write down some of the ideas i have. cause i love
telling stories, but for some reason can't do it.
i am feeling a bit stupid doing this for some reason, but i'll try anyway
Try to relax. go to a quiet spot, or make yourself really bored. That's how I wrote my two long stories, when I was in high school I'd write during my hour and a half long classes cuz I was so bored and had nothing better to do.
Set aside some time just for it, and writing alone. Open the window, listen to nature, put on some quiet calm music and just relax and calm down. Then think about your story,what do you want to happen to your characters? Play it out in your mind. Or even, when you feel a burst of feeling, just write whatever comes to mind, even if it has nothing to do with anything, just let it fly.
my question is, I want to write longer stuff, but I lose inspiration. I think, man that character's stupid, she's weak, that story idea is stupid. How do I keep the inspiration alive to do long stories?
Lorry, when you have ideas, just write them down. Instead of striving and struggling to crank out an entire poem or story, write down what you want the story to be about, or how you'd like it to begin. As for poems, write down whatever lines you have in your head at the moment. Often, when I write poems, it takes me a week to a month to finish it because I'll only have a few lines at first, but then I'll come back to it later on. I keep going back to the poem whenever it crosses my mind and have more I'd like to add to it. It's okay to have more than one idea. Just be sure to separate them if they're pertaining to separate pieces of writing. And when you write, be sure to be in a comfortable environment--somewhere quiet.
Concerning the second poster, in order to be able to write longer stories, you might have to start with short ones. With short stories, you don't have to worry about dragging out a plot. Try writing several short stories, and sooner or later, you'll get the hang of coming up with plots. I don't think you should be trying to write novels if you have trouble writing short stories as well. I don't mean to be offensive, just truthful and helpful.
And don't think that there's a problem if you can't write an entire story or poem in one sitting. It takes some people a longer amount of time than others to attain goals.
I've heard of some people that hat have trouble with actually writing down what they want. So what they do is they get a program where it will writedown what you say. I don't remember what its called, but I'm sure someone on here knows.
What they do is, while they are doing something else, they will just speak the story, and it will be written down for them. they will be distracted by the other activity, and the story will flow almost subconsciously. You might try that.
Write down the idea, not the story.
Once you have the idea on paper, that part of the process can leave your mind, because you can go back to it. Instead, listen to your own thoughts - for me, throughout the day, little bits of scenes or dialogue will pop up. Then I write that down, and over time, start to piece it together.
agreed with Raven here 100 percent, also writers need keep in mind that writing is really 40 percent origional composition and 60 percent rewrite, revision, melding of new ideas into pre existing ones. Writing has this misconception of being a one shot deal and that's far! far! far! from being true in moste situations.
and don't be afraid of a little writer's block. mine lasted three months once, then some idea came to me, either through the news or something else, and i realised i had two characters in my story who were just right for exploring a particular issue. this little idea landed up with twenty pages of text.
I agree with the previous posters. When I write whether it be short stories, poems, journal entries or editorials, I take time to relax. I write a little bit and take short breaks in between. Yes, a quiet place is definitely a good thing, but when your mind is clouded, it won’t work.
Allow your thoughts to flow and write out ideas for the story. If you are still in the process of putting your thoughts together, organize it by writing your ideas and other words that can be associated with it. It will help you think of other ways to put your story lines, characters, and plot together. If you wrote too many associated words, chose the most relevant and connect those into the story. For instance, if your story is about traveling, you can start the story by looking for possible locations, airport, bus stops, or trains. And then select possible characters that can play the part. Think of different incidents and try incorporating each into your story. After you are done choosing the setting, character, and plot. Write the story like your describing whats happening. Don’t tell it like it. Describe how the character acts or feels rather than telling it plain and simple. If you want to make your story longer, add more characters, make up small incidents that can build up as the story goes. Try to keep your purpose in mind when writing. What impression do you want your readers to get when they are reading? Do you want them to keep on guessing until they read the last page? What emotions do you want your readers to have while reading the story? Put yourself in the place of the reader, would you enjoy the story? Its your story, do you want to incorporate historical facts or events in the story? Do you want to use irony and other ways of explaining the message of the story? Make sure you have a purpose when you write the story, how do you want it to turn out? if your lost for ideas, take a break and write the story when your mind is stress free.
thanks all, this is helpful
that program that writes down what you say sounds interesting too, i'll see if i can find it
know what the weird thing is? my mind goes clouded whenever i try to write anything but when i am doing rpg stories with someone else, it all comes out so easily i type without even thinking and can come out with pretty good and original stuff. thoughts and ideas run from my head to the keyboard like nothing
I would like that program too.
Try free association. Take on of your ideas and write down anything that comes into your mind about that idea, charactor names, sentence fragments, possible scene, anything. Don't worry about spelling or sentence structure. All you want to do here is generate thoughts. Later, you can organize your list and fill in details and dialogue and the scene background, or organize phrases into lines for poetry.
Don't write if your tired, depressed, angry, or sad.
Find a good place that's comfortable and write in the best format for you whether that's, handwriting, braille, on computer or reciting to a tape recorder. If certain music helps, turn to that station or pop a disk into a CD player. If you need food to write, have some chips or candy or something nearby.
You need to find the place, format, and time of the day that works best for you. Some people like to write in the evening, others in the morning, and some mid-day.
I prefer late evening with some kind of instramental or celtic music playing in the background, usually one of my cats is laying next to me while I use the computer. Brailling takes too much paper for my kind of writing.
Good luck.
I don't agree with the above poster's advice not to write while angry, depressed, or sad. Sometimes, really good pieces of writing are produced during periods of those kind of emotions, but moreso poetry than stories. Some people are able to write while experiencing these emotions because that is their outlet, while others cannot write because their thoughts are jumbled.
All of the ideas above are very good. I would suggest writing a little every day. Set apart some time to write, whether it is 15 minutes to an hour. Often writing a story is more about the way it is told and perspective, than the events that occur. For example, you can have a really exciting idea about a man who fights a beast, but the story is told poorly, too little dialogue, or too little action; while on the other hand, you can have a story about a boy eating an ice cream cone that is beautifully told without much going on beside what the boy is experiencing while he is eating.
Writing a little every day will get you used to expressing your ideas better. You will improve with time and will be able to write the story which you see in your mind. Maybe practice with a journal, or just pick one of your old stories and make yourself sit there for the time you’ve chosen to write without getting up until the time is up. Don’t give yourself an opportunity to be distracted during this time. As everyone above has said, pick a place which you find comfortable, no distractions, bring your coffee or tea, whatever you will need and write.