much as i love to put my vivid imaginations down in forms of works of fiction, i get totally dried up mid-way (especially at the most juicy parts) .
i always have the zeal to move on, but i can't seem to find the befitting continuation and every thing i try to add always look mediocre or plagiarized.
pls house, is there a way to overcome this horrible disease of writer's block pr i should just accept that i'm not cut out for writing?

My sister writes, but it does take a while before she finishes a very good one!

Maybe you need to be patient,

patience is the key , most good books/scripts/films etc. take a long time to complete, except you want something as sub standard as most nollywood movies which are done in a rush (I hear some even take a few days)

dominique:

much as i love to put my vivid imaginations down in forms of works of fiction, i get totally dried up mid-way (especially at the most juicy parts) .
i always have the zeal to move on, but i can't seem to find the befitting continuation and every thing i try to add always look mediocre or plagiarized.
pls house, is there a way to overcome this horrible disease of writer's block pr i should just accept that i'm not cut out for writing?

Oh gosh, seeing your post felt like a punch in the stomach.

I do not write ( I wish I could) but I paint. I am so blocked I feel like I will never paint anything original again ., all I do is copy.

I have been advised that when blocked you should stop working on this project and find another outlet for your talent.

Hopefully you will miss your writing so much that it will all come flowing back to you.


I hope to read a best seller written by you in the not to distant future.

i am not a writer, but i am a programmer. I think programmers too get this block the way you see it. Sometimes when writing
some projects for myself or something i want to sell out to people, i get the ideas and start working on it, before you know it
i get stuck for some time. But i noticed that when i added some socials into my life, it somehow improved the flow - maybe because
these dayz my mind is more relax. And something i general do is to try live a balanced life and avoid things that will cause me to
be sad or depressed (i suspect emotional instability kills you creativity overdrive) - that is all i can say in this situation.

It is very simple, just take a walk everyday of about three hours, each time you return, try to write something, but try no to walk to the same place everyday, what you will see or that happened on your trekking way, is always an inspiration to write. On each of the trekking exercise if, possible don’t jolt anything down, just put it in your mental hard dick. Best of Luck

use a sledge hammer to knack d block one time- den write about it

What u need to do is isolate urself from the world. If u got , say, a countryside home or a cabin in the woods u can go there, be one with nature and let the ideas flow!!!

the block for programming is not as thick as the writers block. when you have the programmers block it means u either need more information or need to do more thinking. For writing, you can think think think and read read read but it just wouldnt come

I was once told by a middle aged man in Central London that '' Writing is the most difficult task in the world ''. Honestly, stringing words together and hoping to make sense with it is not easy. Writer's block can be conquered through a variety of methods. One of the ways I combat the phenomenon is to listen to cool music. I always listen to the tracks of Tunde Baiyewu, The Orange Lights, and Lighthouse Family when I'm writing. It spurs on my creativity. I make sure cool music is playing in the background as I write. Another way to fight Writer's block is to read a short article in the newspaper or a magazine before getting back to the writing task at hand. I hope this helps. Cheers.


www.vibes-extra..com

jeffman:

the block for programming is not as thick as the writers block. when you have the programmers block it means u either need more information or need to do more thinking. For writing, you can think think think and read read read but it just wouldnt come

Yeah you got that write, writing is a tougher biz. 'cos in programming i know what i need to do, just that, the best method for each scenario
changes. In my own case, i think i need to do more thinking (cause i am not new to programming - about 10 yrs now and i am pretty vast and with internet to help too), but then you face new situations and you need creativity to create something professional.
But all the same, i think doing stuffs that will make the mind relaxed like taking a walk can aid the mind to help writers out (only tryin to do backward thinking). Hey where are the professional writers? let them come and tell us the trick to it.

*dhtml:

i am not a writer, but i am a programmer. I think programmers too get this block the way you see it. Sometimes when writing
some projects for myself or something i want to sell out to people, i get the ideas and start working on it, before you know it
i get stuck for some time. But i noticed that when i added some socials into my life, it somehow improved the flow - maybe because
these dayz my mind is more relax. And something i general do is to try live a balanced life and avoid things that will cause me to
be sad or depressed (i suspect emotional instability kills you creativity overdrive) - that is all i can say in this situation.

Well. . I am a programmer too and I write as well. I'm into poetry. So i experience the block in two ways. .

I overcome my blocks by strolling or just watching taking a drive aroud. . .Go visiting or berra still i leave the project for days or weeks. . .

javalove:

Well. . I am a programmer too and I write as well. I'm into poetry. So i experience the block in two ways. .

I overcome my blocks by strolling or just watching taking a drive aroud. . .Go visiting or berra still i leave the project for days or weeks. . .

Yes I agree with you, this worked for me before (painter). Hopefully it will work for the @Poster's "block".

take a very long breakand dont even think of writing at all.
go out or something
hang out with friends,

@least it is generally agreed that relaxation is very important for creativity works, be it painting, writing, coding. . .
@madlady, is been a long tyme, so we meet again eh?

leave it for a bit, or start something else. sometimes the a-ha moment comes up when you least expect it.

another thing is to plot out the novel. like have a conclusion planned (you can change this later, like not killing off a character cos you love them too much) or have key points you want to hit in the novel, so at least you'll be building up to those points at the very least. it will help you keep on point.

"Writer's block" happens to EVERY good writer.

Don't worry about it and don't give it too much importance. Some of the following may help:

- When it happens, don't force it. Stop writing and change to other tasks.
- Take notes during the day, with a notepad or if you have a PDA, same
- Read widely
- Have a healthy curiosity about the meanings of things. Ask questions, check up the dictionary, etc

Above all, if you want to be a writer

---Write a little everyday. No matter how few the words.

Write all the time, whether you feel like it or not. That makes you a better writer. Never write when you don't feel like it. That makes you just an author. I hope you understand.

If all else goes to hell, write about your writer's block.

*dhtml:

@least it is generally agreed that relaxation is very important for creativity works, be it painting, writing, coding. . .
@madlady, is been a long tyme, so we meet again eh?

@dhtml, such a long time, I wanted to reply when you 1st gave your advice (good advice, I will take it on board)I just did not want to go off @topic. I hope you are well and are not experiencing your own block. Your a programmer, I did not know that. .

well, i did not know you are a painter too. guess we are seeing our serious sides now. some ppl call me a medical programmer (but that is off topic),
we will talk later. I find this writer's block very interesting. . .

[size=13pt]If you "dry up" according to you, at the most interesting part of your work then you're not cut out to be a writer. Often the most interesting bits keep you going. They are the reward for the graft it takes to complete the boring bits. Pertinently though Writers Block is another word for laziness. Think of writing as 90 percent hard graft and 10 percent talent. 

Try to finish what you are writing. Resist the sly excuses your mind conjures up in order to save you from the boredom of having to work at your craft. For example, no you do not need to wait until you buy a new computer to finish what you are writing. No you don’t need Dragon Naturally Speaking software to enable you to dictate to your computer instead of typing. No you do not need another soft drink. No, you do not need to go out to get fresh air or and inspiration since because you’ve spent too much time at home and your brain has become addled. Do not stop to clean up the room to make it more breezy. No excuses, write!

Put down the bits you think of as worthy of your talent as well as the bits you fear are mediocre, try not to keep going back to reread your work until you finish it. Do not play at being a writer, swooning ‘woe is me’, suffering artistically and admiring one wicked piece of line you wrote.  Finish, finish, finish (that’s the key) finish what you are writing no matter how dull you think it and only then return and rework what you have done. A finished work is a blooming piece of marvel and no mistake. Much can be done to improve a finished work. At the very list, a finished work teaches you many things about writing, about yourself and gets you into a good habit.



One of the most helpful thing to do in writing, you have already ruled out, but I have found that it sometimes helps to write down all the most interesting parts first and then return and link those parts with the boring bits. 
[/size]

Litmus:

[size=13pt]If you "dry up" according to you, at the most interesting part of your work then you're not cut out to be a writer. Often the most interesting bits keep you going. They are the reward for the graft it takes to complete the boring bits. Pertinently though Writers Block is another word for laziness. Think of writing as 90 percent hard graft and 10 percent talent. 

Try to finish what you are writing. Resist the sly excuses your mind conjures up in order to save you from the boredom of having to work at your craft. For example, no you do not need to wait until you buy a new computer to finish what you are writing. No you don’t need Dragon Naturally Speaking software to enable you to dictate to your computer instead of typing. No you do not need another soft drink. No, you do not need to go out to get fresh air or and inspiration since because you’ve spent too much time at home and your brain has become addled. Do not stop to clean up the room to make it more breezy. No excuses, write!

Put down the bits you think of as worthy of your talent as well as the bits you fear are mediocre, try not to keep going back to reread your work until you finish it. Do not play at being a writer, swooning ‘woe is me’, suffering artistically and admiring one wicked piece of line you wrote.  Finish, finish, finish (that’s the key) finish what you are writing no matter how dull you think it and only then return and rework what you have done. A finished work is a blooming piece of marvel and no mistake. Much can be done to improve a finished work. At the very list, a finished work teaches you many things about writing, about yourself and gets you into a good habit.



One of the most helpful thing to do in writing, you have already ruled out, but I have found that it sometimes helps to write down all the most interesting parts first and then return and link those parts with the boring bits. 
[/size]

Spot on! Except for your first paragraph, I agree 110% with all your points. Writing is hard work.

"writer's block" is not necessarily laziness. It becomes that when you do nothing to overcome it.

My problem is not writers block, I have great ideas but when I start putting it on paper it starts to follow patterns of other books I've read, Maybe I've read too many books ?

kadman:

My problem is not writers block, I have great ideas but when I start putting it on paper it starts to follow patterns of other books I've read, Maybe I've read too many books ?

Which is not particularly a bad thing. Most authors, if not all, are influenced by previous experiences - be they from books or from life. In fact, in the script writing industry, many movies now winning awards are based on epic stories of old times, from Greek mythology or even from the Bible itself.

You need to read many books to be a good and convincing writer. To then make your writing original, add something of your own - experiences, perspective, etc and you're good to go.

Write at the time your brain is at its best, you know when your brain is very active to me i write mostly in the night. do that and lets know if it solves your problem.

agboifo:

Which is not particularly a bad thing. Most authors, if not all, are influenced by previous experiences - be they from books or from life. In fact, in the script writing industry, many movies now winning awards are based on epic stories of old times, from Greek mythology or even from the Bible itself.

You need to read many books to be a good and convincing writer. To then make your writing original, add something of your own - experiences, perspective, etc and you're good to go.

Thank you, that's really solid advice.

Writer's block is very natural. It must be dealt with, and patiently too.

I am a writer and this is how I deal with it.

I just get a fresh sheet of paper or open a new Microsoft word document and "doodle" in words, the way a nursery child doodles with lines that make no sense on a piece of paper. I just write without pausing to see if it makes sense, I write as i think up words and sentences and scenarios, without correcting typos, etc, anything.

And then after doing that for like 30 minutes, I take a break and go and do something else like take a drink or watch TV or play around on the internet or hang out with my pals for an equal amount of time: 30 minutes. Then i return to my doodle and edit it, make corrections, add and remove stuff. Most times, I get ideas that I can infuse into the current story/poem, or ideas that spawn future stories and poetry.

The feeling of spontaneous generation of good content often makes me happy, releasing endorphins that allow me to continue the main story, most times with fresh vigour, the writer's block thus removed.

P.S. I also throw out ideas to some of my friends through my facebook status message. Their responses give me further ideas.

I hope any or all of this works for you as it does for me.

Cheers.

InesQor:

Writer's block is very natural. It must be dealt with, and patiently too.

I am a writer and this is how I deal with it.

I just get a fresh sheet of paper or open a new Microsoft word document and "doodle" in words, the way a nursery child doodles with lines that make no sense on a piece of paper. I just write without pausing to see if it makes sense, I write as i think up words and sentences and scenarios, without correcting typos, etc, anything.

And then after doing that for like 30 minutes, I take a break and go and do something else like take a drink or watch TV or play around on the internet or hang out with my pals for an equal amount of time: 30 minutes. Then i return to my doodle and edit it, make corrections, add and remove stuff. Most times, I get ideas that I can infuse into the current story/poem, or ideas that spawn future stories and poetry.

The feeling of spontaneous generation of good content often makes me happy, releasing endorphins that allow me to continue the main story, most times with fresh vigour, the writer's block thus removed.

P.S. I also throw out ideas to some of my friends through my facebook status message. Their responses give me further ideas.

I hope any or all of this works for you as it does for me.

Cheers.

Thanks for this, very nice. I too will find these tips useful.

thanks all for the tips, i'm gonna try and put them in practice. i've decided to start a new work fiction(thriller genre). i actually have a lot of ideas, but the problem is putting the thoughts to words, i can't count the number of times i reviewed and rewrote a single sentence, and i did that for almost all the sentences!! but the whole thing is beginning to take shape, i'll post the first chapter when it's done .