Thursday, 02 November 2006
More Help For Writer's Block
Thanks to Vigo, today I read an article called Help For Writer's Block. In it, the author suggests four solutions:
- Stop Fooling Yourself Into Thinking You’re Writing When You’re Really Not,
- Figure Out What Your Interruptors Are and Quarantine Them,
- Stop Calling It “Writer’s Block”,
- Use A Model.
While I agree with the majority of the article and think that it will be very useful to many writers, I do have the following comments and criticisms to add (which are based purely on my own novel-writing experiences)...
- Yes, "writing" is the act of producing words and sentences. However, it is important to remember that the act of "writing a novel" (or writing a thesis or essay or article) does involve planning, research and time-out to gather your thoughts. Just don't get carried away with the research and planning, because without the actual writing, you have nothing to show for all your efforts.
- Leading on further from what is said above: it is important to research (and plan)! Yes, some people get very carried away (and I often fall into this trap myself), but without some form of research and planning, my novel can very easily meander off its intended course and languish in a dead-end.
I actually have 90,000 words of novel (handwritten!) that will gather dust for all eternity (or until the paper decays or is destroyed) because I did not plan and research enough and I could not overcome the plot problem that caused my Writer's Block. Don't do that to yourself!
It is possible that some research can be done later, when you've finished the core of your novel, but major plot elements can become huge obstacles to the writing process if you don't do any research or planning. It can be a tricky balance and you need to find what works for you, but be aware of the pitfalls of both too much and too little research (and planning). - What the author of this article calls "interruptors" I call "rewards". These are especially important to me when suffering Writer's Block.
When I find the words are not coming to me, and I struggle to write even a sentence, I make myself promises: "write another 300 words/for the next quarter of an hour, and you can check your email/see what's new on that web comic you like/chat to a friend/go for a walk, then write some more of the novel for the next reward." This is what motivates me to get through the scene that is causing my Writer's Block (and if what I write is a mess, at least I have something to work on and improve when I edit the novel!).
As such, quarantining these would be lethal for me; what I do is limit them and use them as motivators. I would highly recommend giving my method a try, if what I say sounds a lot like how you feel. - I like the idea of not calling this frustrating condition "Writer's Block" but calling myself "lazy" is not going to work (for me), either. It sounds too negative for me to take any real comfort in. And it is often not true when the real problem is that the words are just not forthcoming, no matter how hard I think.
I often find that saying "I am being too hard on myself" or "The characters are withholding vital information" (in which, case, it might help to interrogate them for a few minutes) or "The words aren't flowing" works better for me. By saying one of these phrases, I define the problem and can then seek a way to overcome it. - Using a model is also a good idea, as long as you don't plagiarise, of course. I would also like to note that, when writing a novel, the possible models are endless! Yes, read other novels to see how they handle similar themes and such, but also look around you! There are characters, settings and plots passing you by every day! GET A NOTEBOOK & GET SCRIBBLING!
La. There ends my comments and criticisms. Hope someone finds the above useful, and if not, well, the original article is a worthwhile read, so do follow the above link, if you haven't already. Perhaps it will help those currently undertaking the mammoth task that is NaNoWriMo this month! Good luck!
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One final point: I found the analogy of conversation in the aforementioned article interesting. If I need to communicate with someone I don't know very well (or at all), I would much rather send an email than make a phone call. This is precisely because I find it difficult in such situations for the conversation to flow - I have an aim and I find it difficult to achieve that aim on the phone. By email, I can craft my words to say exactly what I want before I send; on the phone there is not enough time for me to think about what I need to say.
Perhaps my problem is that I am over-analysing the conversation? I certainly have problems with shutting off the thought-processes when I'm trying to sleep, so this is quite likely. In that case, does anyone have a solution for people who can't help over-analysing conversations (or just can't stop thinking, in general)?
