The Dreaded Writers Block
Get-In-Gear Tips

Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything.  
                                     —Floyd Dell

I'm going through a writing slump. I have no enthusiasm, no passion and no ideas. When I think about revising any of my work I feel fearful. I know many people go through this and it will probably pass, but I can't seem to see the wood for the trees. Any suggestions for getting beyond it?   —Keziah Hill

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From Kathleen Bradean
I'm in that can't write phase myself. When I push it, I write crap, so I try to back off for a bit. I know that eventually a story will come screaming out of my imagination and demand to be put down. It's the time between that's frightening. It seems as if it will never come back.

That's when I read.

I also watch bits of movies for moments of incredible eroticism and try to figure out what led up to that moment that made it work.

For example - the movie Strictly Ballroom. Frumpy Fran has been chasing hottie Scott through the whole movie. She thinks she kind of sort of has him. Then he betrays her. She storms off. Scott, realizing that he does have some feelings for her, chases after her. It's an important turning point in the story. He is finally the one to chase her. When he catches her, they don't talk. They dance. She's in a horrible old lady dress, not one of the bikini numbers the pretty girls wear, but their simple dance, shadowed behind the curtains, is far more erotic than the strutting out on the dance floor.

I try to deconstruct why this scene works so well. It has emotional and visual impact. By then, you are fully invested in her (not so much him, because he is a git) and really want her to win. Then I try to create something that isn't the same story, but has the same emotional feel to it. Sometimes I only work on a paragraph, and it doesn't turn into a story, but at least I'm writing.

From remittance girl
Sometimes I think I have said all I have to say about people and sex. When I get a slump because of that, it lasts a long time. It's almost as if I have to learn something new about humans before I can get any good stories in my head again. I don't depend on writing for a living, so I just let it ride. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had to wait on this sort of thing while the bills were racking up.

Sooner or later, though, I see something or hear something that inspires me to look at it all from a different perspective again, and then I'm off.

It always takes a while though...I'm in one of those spaces now. So I do feel your pain.

From time to time, I've used Brian Eno's "Oblique Strategies". http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/oblique/oblique.html  or http://stoney.sb.org/eno/oblique.html 

They are just a list of randomly generated words or phrases designed to get you thinking down a totally random path.

Seldom do I get something directly from the cards, but they often send me thinking down a side alley...

eg "Lost in useless territory"

Which makes me think about people who get trapped in no-man's land. Which leads me to people who have a thing for barbed-wire.... Now I have a new kink to explore.

Lateral thinking helps a lot.

From Anne Marie Pernier
Have you tried Julia Cameron's Morning Pages? She recommends writing three pages, long hand, stream of consciousness first thing every morning. When I did that, I wrote them before I even got out of bed. That got me out of a terrible slump.

Her books The Artist's Way and The Vein of Gold (and I think there is a third) are really good block busters. The Vein of Gold offers some excellent exercises for mining the wealth of your life. In fact - I wish I had my copy! But alas, 'tis on the other side of the ocean. Though I am anything but short of stories to work on right now.

From Amanda Earl
Some writer in some mag I was reading recently reads for three hours a day. I do believe that reading helps me over my slump, and not just any old crap, but good books, like that Crimson Petal and The White. Read authors whose writing style is just so original and no nonsense that it makes you want to write. I've been writing total crap all day, so I went out in the snow, and hung out in my fav cafe and listened in on people's conversations. Also listen to some good music. My music list of inspirations includes Canadians Ron Sexmith, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Kirin Ahluwahlia, Andy Stochanksy, Leonard Cohen and non Cdns Jeff Buckley (dead), Martin Sexton, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, gosh so many...The Cure, Roxy Music...even some classical and soundtracks. Do something unusual like go to an art museum. Find your muse by walking. Some say write through it. Read Nathalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones. I find that trying to write when I write shit just makes me write diarrhea, so that writing thru it crap don't work for me none. Procrastinate. Bake. Have sex. Eat. Drink wine or tea. Masturbate.

From Kathleen Bradean
Watch Prizzi's Honor. There is a scene where Angelica Huston comes to her grandfather with proof the Kathleen Turner and her husband orchestrated the hit on one of their bagman. They are in the grandfather's opulent study. Scratchy opera plays on an old record player. After listening to her story, the grandfather offers Angelica a cookie - effectively dismissing her. She takes the cookie, and the way she bites in to it shows all her frustrations with a family who has swept aside the smartest, most capable leader they ever produced simply because she is a woman. You can see it. What I take away from that scene is how to show, not tell. It makes me want to write noir with character like that, and to be able to show how they feel only through their actions.

From Morgan Hawke
Yes! Yes! Yes! Go Jill! - That is exactly what I prefer to read (and write). Characters whose actions reveal their inner turmoil - not just boring internal (dissertation) dialogue that's all whining on how they fl.

I still think the absolute best test of an author's skill is writing a conversation between Jay -- a mouthy chatter-box, and his best buddie Silent Bob -- who never says a word. Silent Bob has these incredible facial expressions that display exactly what's going on in his head.

From Lisabet Sarai
First and foremost, try to forgive yourself. Nobody's inspired all the time, and you're allowed to have some down time.

Why not do something else, something completely different, something you enjoy? (Others have provided many suggestions!)

The other thing that I've found useful is to choose a CFS - or an ERWA theme - that is perhaps in an area I've not written in before, and let it roll around in my mind. Some of my favorite stories started out as "assignments" - some general topic area that I could use as a starting point for the imagination.

From Teresa
I've been thinking about your question on slumps. I do think it's a natural part of creativity; it can't be high tide all the time.

I don't know whether the "slump" you describe comes from doubt. I experience it that way. Here's a quote from Rilke that I find inspiring.

"And your doubt can become a good quality if you train it. It must become knowing, it must become criticism. Ask it, whenever it wants to spoil something for you, why something is ugly, demand proofs from it, test it, and you will find it perhaps bewildered and embarrassed, perhaps also protesting. But don't give in, insist on arguments ...and the day will come when instead of being a destroyer, it will become one of your best workers..."

From G. Gregory
I think slumps for you, me or anyone else on this list will be unique to the individual. I've been short on time, and I've not read any of the other replies you've received so forgive the duplication if there is any. Also, forgive the sports analogy, but trust me, there is a point that has nothing to do with sports.

I played baseball in school and was a pretty good stick...(aka batter). Being good at hitting a ball coming at you at 80 to 90 mph is all a matter of timing and wrist snap synchronized to perfection. Being off by a fraction of a fraction spells "not getting it done". Batters get in to slumps. I've been there, and the most frustrating thing is trying to get out of one. Seems the harder you try the worse it gets. Surprisingly, a large part of breaking out is mental...not physical. Even more surprising is not getting your head into what you're doing...but getting it out of what you trying to do. A good hitter can't think his way out of a slump...nor can a writer.

That's it...end of sports analogy...

Now here's what's exactly the same...at least for me. Slumps come and go. Maybe it's the gravitational force of the moon or the barometric pressure...who knows...but they come and they go. Blame it on a frustrated Muse or whatever you choose, but the bottom line is...it ain't happenin'. And the harder you try to break out of it, the worse the frustration gets. I've been to the point of just saying..."Fuckit" and go paint something or dig a hole someplace. Writing is not the ticket...at least not then. I had a slump last four months before I was hit out of the blue with inspiration to sit down and write. And it hit me like a ton of bricks...the result got published...and a week earlier, that's the last thing I thought would've happened.

What did I do? I got away from trying to write a story. I didn't stop writing...I stopped trying. I spent months editing stuff already written and reshaping storylines that needed reshaped and polished. I might say I spent my days in the "batting cage" going back over the basics and learn to swing and get my timing back.

When game day came, I hit one out of the park. Sorry...slipped back into the analogy. But then once a stick, always a stick...

Go spend some time in the proverbial batting cage, Kez...you'll get to swing at a game ball shortly.

From Shona Hamilton
I probably can't add much to this thread as so much has been said already, but here goes anyway! What works for me is:

1. Go read some erotic fiction that I haven't read in ages.

2. Go and watch some porn DVD - I always find myself thinking how rubbish it is and wouldn't it be better if... and then a whole new story appears in my head!

3. If really stuck out comes my clit kit and I go and entertain myself. I always have a clearer head after that. 

Hope that helps!

From Ann
Whether I'm in the middle of something & can't move it forward or I just can't get any words out, I take a break.

Sometimes my brain doesn't want anymore input. It doesn't want exercises & trickery. It just wants to float up there awhile without any noise. There's so much floating up there with it (data input, sensations, memories, visions, dreams, fantasies, smells, etc) that all it needs is some quiet time in order to find the connections.

So I just give it a rest. When it's ready to write, it lets me know.

From Stevie Burns
AH! Writing exercises. I love this stuff. Nothing better to clear out the webs clogging your brain.

First—sit down with a pen—PEN, not pencil—and a cheapo bound book with lines. This prevents you from editing your writing. Sit down, and write WHATEVER is in your head.

Example "Blah, blah, blah... I hate my hair. I can't write for shit. My elbow hurts. I think I'm going to stuff my face with chocolates for an hour or two or maybe for the rest of my friggin life because I'm just at such a loss I have no idea what else I should do except maybe do my nails. Maybe the fumes would do me some good."

So—do this until you feel that all the crap is out of your head and on paper. Don't try to think - this is just free floating blabbing on paper.

After you've gotten this out of your system—and trust me, you'll know exactly when you're done—you can then write.

When you're at THAT point, do this You're going to create the most interesting character on the planet, and by mistake. This is a Character Profile. First, list 25 specific characteristics of this person. How they actually look physically counts as one point. So what do I mean by characteristic? Has a choleric temper. Hates warm toilet seats. Has great affection for paperclips and is always walking around with a few in his pockets so he can fondle them or stick them in his mouth. etc, etc

THEN...

List 29 Steps of this person's life. From their birth to their death. You MUST mention everything - exacting details, from the day they were born, through 27 other stages that are important to their lifeline, and finally to their death. Here's an example of a single step:

Janet was born Nov. 11, 1976 (not only President's Day, but on the Bicentennial year) into the arms of her older sister Jody, who was at the critical moment the only person around when her mother went into labor and settled herself on the billiard table for what would be only 3 hours. Janet's mother would often remark on that day, and say things like, "The child always was impatient for the things she wanted, and from the first second she didn't cry at all, but simply grabbed my nearest nipple with both hands and suckled away. It was a no-brainer she would end-up being the president of *something."

-So. You might wonder why you have to write all the way up to the character's death. The reason for this is because in life, we tend to define people in part by how they died. If you write that the character passed on in his sleep, in the chair he always watched his favorite TV shows - then this expresses something quite different from - he bled to death from a slight scratch on his thumb because the alcohol level in his blood was too high to clot. Our death also defines us, at least in the memories of those who will survive our deaths and recall that as part of our life's story. We live and die anecdotally.

When you go through this exercise, do not think about plot, storyline—don't even think of genre. You are simply creating a person, and when you are done you'll be able to tell any story of any genre about them.

From Sydney Beier
Stevie has such great ideas to overcome writer's block! I've heard about these types of exercises, but have never actually tried any of them. My personal cure for this is to expose myself to things I've never seen to get the juices flowing. I look at pictures and paintings on the web or at museums or galleries, watch films I've never seen or have seen and loved, knowing they put me in the sort of mood I want to get into, or listen to a particular type of music to spark inspiration.

I begin to think in a new way when I do this and almost always come away with something I can write about.

Reading also helps generate ideas that take off in all sorts of directions.

I also find it is helpful to take a rest from writing, instead of trying to push myself. I've heard you shouldn't do this, but keep writing all the time, even if it's crap. For me, it gives time to observe things around me for a while without constantly being lost in my fantasy world. Allows the 'well' time to fill a bit.

From Jean Roberta
What works for me is simply paying attention to my stream of consciousness. (If I notice an attractive person passing by, could I describe her/him in a story? What other situations in my life lead to sexual fantasies?)

An even better method, IMO, is keeping a dream journal or just making an effort to remember your dreams. This enables you to bypass the internal censor or critic altogether and connect with your real wants and fears. Remembered dreams are often too irrational or scattered to make effective stories without editing, but that's where your conscious mind comes in. Once you have an image or the seed of a plot, you can expand from there.

Note that Stephen King once said that his novels come from his nightmares. Many scoff at his relative lack of writing talent, but he has a long list of books in print and a horde of fans.

From remittance girl
I actually made myself a male persona and joined a gay sex chat group and chatted - and DAMN did I get a lot of ideas from that! Kind of made me wish I were a gay man too!

Then I got thinking about Kafka's Metamorphosis and though - what would it be like if one morning I woke up and I was a gay man... and then I complicated it...what if I woke up one morning to find that I was a really ugly gay man....ahhhhh! that's a novel!

From Lindsay York Levack
Well, you've had a ton of advice. Here's my two-cents' worth.

1. Write. It may be crap but write anyway, even it's just for ten minutes, and even if it only amounts to a sentence. What you don't want is to end up depressed because you're not writing. It just makes everything worse.

2. Read. Read outside your genre. Read something different, wacky, and unusual. Read something awe-inspiring. Ask around for what books inspire others and take a look.

3. De-stress. For me, this usually means I have to spend a day catching up on housework and job work, so that when I return to the computer it's with a clean slate. Have a long bath. Get some exercise. Take a nap. Do whatever you need to do to clear out your head.

From Rex Gordon
I usually find that I'm blocked when:

1. I should be doing something else other than writing.
2. I should be writing something else rather than what I'm writing.
3. What I am writing is crap

But most often:

4. When there is something wrong with my current project and I can't figure out what it is.

The solutions to block 1, 2, & 3 are simple. Do what you're supposed to do.

The solution to 4 is more difficult, but here are some of the things I do:

1. Write something else and let my subconscious work on it.
2. Read through what I've written until the block and figure out what's wrong with it.
3. Instruct my brain at bedtime to solve the problem and wake up with the solution. Problem here is sometimes the brain doesn't listen.
4. Go to a movie.

Of course sometimes it is the personal side of our life that halts our writing. In that case, see if you can work out the personal thing.

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