What specific steps do you take when you experiencing writer's block?

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   Renee Abbottposted 11 years ago

   What specific steps do you take when you experiencing writer's block?
   
   I have found myself stuck in this lately. New ideas, and even the joy of writing seems stale to me. Have you gone through this, and how what proactivity did you use during this period. Thank you for your response

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2. 71

   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   Taking a bike ride really calms my mind and helps me focus on stories, or doing yoga. A peaceful mind helps new ideas come to mind. According to the latest Psychology Today magazine, when we are bored, we reach our best creativity moments.

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      Renee Abbottposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Iburmaster. Yes, going out to the pool today, seemed to help to bring back my creative juices:)

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      lburmasterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure if you are interested, but swimming laps helps too.

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3. 87

   Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years ago

   To be quite honest, I stop writing. This is not my job; I make very little money at it. I write because I like to write, if I have nothing to say, why force it? For me, it always comes back around again.

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      Renee Abbottposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Sherry for responding. Today, I have had to ask myself, if my writing has become effected because I decided to make some money here. It seemed to take the joy out of it.. I have been thinking about this all day, and think I need to change.

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   chrisinhawaiiposted 11 years ago

   Hi Renee, I wrote a hub about this last year, if you want to see:  http://chrisinhawaii.hubpages.com/hub/W … cle-Topics
   
   I often get ideas by revisiting my old hubs and looking for ideas in there that would make good spin-off or follow-up hubs.  For instance, if a hub has 5 main points, I could write an in-depth hub on each of those points and link them all together as a series.
   
   I also will just read more, and often ideas will come to me when I read and comment on other people's work.  The Hub Hopper is awesome for this.
   
   Rambling/journaling is also great for getting the creative juices flowing again.
   
   As a kid, whenever I felt stuck on a writing assignment, my Mom would always tell me to just start writing ANYTHING.  So you could just start rambling.  Write about what you did today.  Write about what you wanted to do but couldn't. Write about how hungry you are right now and what kind of food you'd eat if you could have anything.  Before you know it, you've "unblocked" your mind and you can get back to work more easily.
   
   Also, just get outside and clear your head.  Lately, I've been getting into knife throwing (yeah, for real).  Just today, I went outside and threw for a little while.  It's a great stress reliever.
   
   Good luck

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      Renee Abbottposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Chrisin. That is excellent advice and I do appreciate it

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   JulieBoydColeposted 11 years ago

   Easy. I read my favorite writer and this usually gives me inspiration.

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      Renee Abbottposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Jule, Yes, I am taking Illusions by Richard Bach today to the pool. Great idea

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   Jemice Crewsposted 11 years ago

   Hi! I try to take a break for an hour or two and just listen to music. If that doesn't work then sometimes it may two days of not thinking about the specific topic or thing i'm writing about before  any ideas start flowing.

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   Arc4lifeposted 11 years ago

   I read a magazine or a newspaper to see if I can get any ideas. Also, look on Yahoo News for the trending topics. You don't have to write about that exact topic, but it can give you ideas about what people are thinking about.

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   abt79posted 11 years ago

   Its simple: stop, step away, take a break, and come back to it in a few minutes.

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      Renee Abbottposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Abt, and everyone. Yes, I found just getting away from it was the answer. I am back to creating and enjoying it.

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      chrisinhawaiiposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's good to hear, Renee

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9. 0

   Sarra Garrettposted 11 years ago

   I take my dogs for a long walk to get the cobwebs out of my mind.  I also just sit and listen to the birds and maybe something will pop into my head.  I was going to write a story about dimentia but I forgot what I was going to write.  lol

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