You’ve been hit by the dreaded writer’s block
So. You current WIP is racing along at warp speed, your characters all know their place, no one is speaking out of turn and you’re feeling pretty darn good about yourself. Then bam! Out of nowhere, a granite wall surrounds your brain. No matter how long you sit at the keyboard and stare at that pesky monitor screen, not one word will come to your brain. What to so. What to do.
There are so many suggested cures for writers block out in cyberspace that if you took the time to read them all, you’d for sure never get any writing done and you wouldn’t have to worry about your frozen brain cells. I thought some were very creative, some were hysterical, and some just plain made good sense.
One suggestions was hypnosis. Of course, you’d have to find a qualified hypnotist and be sure you were a good subject. But if you get past that, maybe you could have him or her implant a few extra suggestions for your next stories. And actually, believe it or not, for $12.95 you can download a CD, play it and hypnotize yourself. Only…who wakes you up?
Another suggestion is to step away from the computer. Well, duh. Don’t we all try that? But while you’re away from the dreaded computer, try translating a poem into another language (Google Babelfish). Or better yet, writing one yourself. It takes your brain on a whole new trip and gets it unstuck from the crossroads you can’t cross.
Watch a movie with English subtitles. I watched the movie, “Z”, that way and not only found myself drawn into the movie but as I concentrated many other idea came to me.
Indulge in a favorite treat. For me it’s coffee ice cream, or sometimes coffee and chocolate mixed together. Which of course is why I’ll never be modeling on the cover of Vogue.
Meditate. A good companion to hypnosis. Sometimes it helps to wipe the brain clean, sometimes it finds that little bend in the road where it’s stuck and unkinks it.
Brainstorm with a friend. Unless of course the friend is either under deadline or having her own writer’s block. If that latter, I suggest a two margarita lunch.
Keep a journal and write in it on the days your brilliant ideas smack you in the head and the days your brain won’t work at all. When you go back later on and read them you’ll be surprised, stunned, hilarious at what you’ve written.
And finally, just put your WIP aside and start something new. Maybe something outrageous you haven’t tried before. Something that takes you to a whole new place. You’d be surprised how it will flow backwards to the place where you got stuck.
Me? I personally find my brain works best in the shower, which is why I often resemble an old prune.. But then, at least you know I’m always clean!
So. You current WIP is racing along at warp speed, your characters all know their place, no one is speaking out of turn and you’re feeling pretty darn good about yourself. Then bam! Out of nowhere, a granite wall surrounds your brain. No matter how long you sit at the keyboard and stare at that pesky monitor screen, not one word will come to your brain. What to so. What to do.
There are so many suggested cures for writers block out in cyberspace that if you took the time to read them all, you’d for sure never get any writing done and you wouldn’t have to worry about your frozen brain cells. I thought some were very creative, some were hysterical, and some just plain made good sense.
One suggestions was hypnosis. Of course, you’d have to find a qualified hypnotist and be sure you were a good subject. But if you get past that, maybe you could have him or her implant a few extra suggestions for your next stories. And actually, believe it or not, for $12.95 you can download a CD, play it and hypnotize yourself. Only…who wakes you up?
Another suggestion is to step away from the computer. Well, duh. Don’t we all try that? But while you’re away from the dreaded computer, try translating a poem into another language (Google Babelfish). Or better yet, writing one yourself. It takes your brain on a whole new trip and gets it unstuck from the crossroads you can’t cross.
Watch a movie with English subtitles. I watched the movie, “Z”, that way and not only found myself drawn into the movie but as I concentrated many other idea came to me.
Indulge in a favorite treat. For me it’s coffee ice cream, or sometimes coffee and chocolate mixed together. Which of course is why I’ll never be modeling on the cover of Vogue.
Meditate. A good companion to hypnosis. Sometimes it helps to wipe the brain clean, sometimes it finds that little bend in the road where it’s stuck and unkinks it.
Brainstorm with a friend. Unless of course the friend is either under deadline or having her own writer’s block. If that latter, I suggest a two margarita lunch.
Keep a journal and write in it on the days your brilliant ideas smack you in the head and the days your brain won’t work at all. When you go back later on and read them you’ll be surprised, stunned, hilarious at what you’ve written.
And finally, just put your WIP aside and start something new. Maybe something outrageous you haven’t tried before. Something that takes you to a whole new place. You’d be surprised how it will flow backwards to the place where you got stuck.
Me? I personally find my brain works best in the shower, which is why I often resemble an old prune.. But then, at least you know I’m always clean!
And while you're at it, take a look at my new psychic romantic intrigued released by The Lotus Circle, Visions of Darkness
Dan Romeo CEO of the mysterious Phoenix Agency, has just completed a dangerous mission and wants some down time. But when his friend Chase Carpenters calls with an emergency, how can he refuse him? Someone is threatening to steal Chase’s brand new high tech robot about to be unveiled and all he’s got is an anonymous tip. Art historian Mia Fleming has battled with her precognitive abilities all her life, often shunned by a skeptical public and even more skeptical police. But the visions relating to the robot are so vivid she can’t ignore them. When Dan tracks her down as the source of the anonymous note, he wonders if she’s the culprit or a conduit for a message? Things get complicated when the electricity between Dan and Mia ratchets up into high voltage and they find it’s not something they can ignore. Then bodies begin falling, Mia’s vision escalate in horror and intensity and the tension at Carpenter Techtronics is off the charts. When Mia is shot and almost killed, Dan and his team race to locate the real robot and find the killers before they can strike again.
2 comments:
This sounds excellent! As soon as payday comes around, I'm gonna pick this up!
Oh, God. The dreaded Block. I've got a couple of ways to deal with mental constipation - I take a walk down town, sit in a cheap cafe with a large cafe latte, a notebook and pencil, and more often or not something appears on the page. Not necessarily the next bit of the blocked plot, but hey, it's something.
Or then there's the ironing... I hate it, but it's mindless and my brain can switch into freewheel. That usually loosens the blockage.
Or I turn to the continuing love story of Frank and Tom, a m/m which will never see the light of day with EC because the heat level won't fit their requirements...
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