Home remedies for writer's block

[historybuff234]

Just a little curious as to what other people do when experiencing this. Oddly, it hasn't really happened to me much lately (thank goodness), but I'd  like to know what other people do.

There are a few things that I do. Take a break. Go outside and play with my dog, walk around. Or I listen to music. I'm mainly a classical music guy, but I like the Beatles sometimes during a block. My solutions may not work for other people, but if you'd like to know specific songs I could post them.

I'd like to apollogize in advance if I don't respond to your posts very quickly, as school, writing, and activities have been preventing me from posting for a few months. But when school is done I should be free to post in the summer.

[Clippership14]

I'll take pity on you and respond. =)

Writer's block eh? I think there are many kinds of blockage to get past. For myself I do some of the same things you do: step away from the project for awhile, listen to music, things like that. That's great for when I've just run out of creative energy and need a break. Other times I find that I hit writer's block and stew about it for a long time; unable to come up with anything. Times like these I take the scene, chapter (whatever it is) and blow it apart. I use opposites to come up with new solutions, I experiment with different scenes, situations, even people. Basically I know where I want to go with the scene but putting it down on paper eludes me. By blowing it up and just having some fun with it, I usually find my way out. More often than not the scene becomes one of the best ones in the book and opens up several new avenues of thought for other parts. Nothing is written in stone, including a story idea. If it doesn't work at one point (or at all) turn it inside out and upside down.

[Janice00]

What helps me write is when I either read a book that I've already read before, or read over what I have already written.

Mostly writer's block is when we have written ourselves in a corner and don't know how to write ourselves out. If we read over what we have already written we find the problem and we can fix it. If you can't see the problem then let a friend read it and tell them not to be afraid to hurt you feelings. Let them tall you the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. A real friend will do that. When, and if, they tell you, all you have to do is listen to their advice and their you go. Your writer's block will go away. But that's just my opinion.

[CousinMary]

<sigh> This isn't too high minded, but I have a drink.  Yep, a good ol' shot of hooch (okay, usually it's a glass of wine) but it'll start you writing again.  I find it gets me past the anxiety of "oh my god I'm stuck!"  On the other hand, most of what I've written will later have to be completely rewritten or thrown out entirely, but at  least I didn't spend my scheduled writing time staring blankly at the screen and letting my hand drift off to solitaire 

Other than that, I find taking a bath or shower works.  Washed the cobwebs out maybe.

[Yue]

Music helps alot when I'm writing. I usually listen to rock music when I do because usually they talk about going through life with your own power. I also try and read some books because it reminds me of the reason that I want to write - to share my story with the rest of the world.

[Evanescence2008]

When I write if I feel writers block coming on I'll either take a step away from his for a little while or work on a different scene.  I've also read from Nicholas Sparks that when he experiences writers block it's because his subconscious is telling him that something is wrong that he's written along the way and he needs to go back and rethink what he just wrote.