Writer's Block and Plot Bunnies
 

Anyone have any tips on getting over writer's block? I've a got a bad bad baddd case >.< Nearly 63 WIPs and these Plot Bunnies keep jumping out and attacking me every time I turn my back:rolleyes: I have about 10 stories I haven't even started! and About two stories that I've actually finished.

Is the problem that you don't know/can't think of what to write, or that you just can't get in the right frame of mind to do so?

I have the latter problem, myself, though thankfully I don't have quite as many projects as you do waiting for completion. That's... an impressive amount of unfinished stories. :p

I find that removing distractions (read: Trisphee! :D) helps me get into the writing zone more easily. And helps keep me there, as well.

I think it's a bit of both. Sometimes I can just sit down and pop out 25 pages in one go and other times I can try and nothing comes to me. Right now I have one that's almost finished I have maybe 3 more chapters and I have no Idea how to wrap it up.


Lol. Yeah the WIPS have been a problem for me. Those plot hit me at random times and I tryyy to ignore them but it's soo hard. Most of them are barely 20 pages long and I've been having them just sit there a couple years.

Hmm I think that might help I mostly just blast my mp3 player to drowned out everything else.

When I absolutely have to write, I usually listen to some particular music that I've found helps me get motivated. Pushing away distractions help too, sometimes :p

Hi also sweetness ♥

I haven't found a song that I can really get into lately and Hi Sweetie~

I do the same thing Serra. If music works for an inspiration for me, I can usualy name the specific song involved. Sometimes I stick it on repeat and see where I get.

Removing distractions helps, even if I'd rather not because I like what is distracting me. I find what does help is working when I feel like i can work. I don't do that as much as I used to so I haven't finished much at all.

I find I also get stuck on the language I want to use. I'll have the mood or feel of a passage in mind but the words just wont come. I havent' yet figured out a way to get around that except for just grinding my way through it with and dealing with the frustration.

I'll add, for me personally, I find that having a deadline helps a ton. If I know that I absolutely have to have something done by a certain time, I can get myself to work on it a lot easier.

It's tough to impose deadlines on yourself, though, when they don't actually exist. A lot easier to break a promise to yourself than to someone else.

Most definately. My fanfic for the appreciation event is one such example. I delayed and not doing much at all from day one, then as soon as a deadline appeared I had the piece worked through in a couple hours. Rushed the ending a bit but it got done.

Deadlines are both useful and a hindrance for me. I reference my college paper with the last one. *Chuckles*

Music helps me come up with ideas and get me in the right mindset, but often I come up with more ideas then fit in a particular mythos/world.

One idea I've been implementing is twisting the original idea so that it fits into an already existing storyline or world.

If you come up with more ideas than can fit in what you have in mind (and good job in recognizing that in the first place) then you just have to pick which ones to use and which ones to save for later. I have that problem with some stories. I have these ideas and want to use them all but sometimes I need to be patient and hold off on those that just plain wont fit until I can work them in to something else. It's easier said than done, unfortunately.

Generally, I tend to forget certain ideas if I don't implement them. Being patient is also difficult. *Chuckles*

Right. I did take to writing things down when that happened but I end up with a massive pile of scattered ideas and I find myself overwhelmed at times trying ot decide which one to go with. Now I don't bother, going by the philosophy that if I forget about it, it may not have been that important in the first place. If I really liked it, it will pop up again eventually.

I don't know if this would work for other people but I either A) listen to music and ideas crop up or B) ask another author to read, review and start bouncing possible ideas. With the second idea I hardly ever use those ideas but just having someone else there bouncing ideas can get my thoughts flowing. I find it even more helpful if they don't usually write in that genre.