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Post by HDSimplicityy on Oct 18, 2020 23:47:41 GMT -6
I need ideas that do not involve more writing to awaken the imaginative part of my brain that forms ideas while writing. Its very much asleep. I was starting Chapter 2 in my book's second draft today, after a few days working in a game writing assignment. My writing brain was so just... asleep, I put out less than 200 words. I need it wide open!
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Post by bilance on Oct 19, 2020 8:43:09 GMT -6
Try upbeat music to boost that dopamine.
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Post by Alatariel on Oct 19, 2020 13:39:47 GMT -6
There's a variety of things I do depending on the type of block I'm experiencing. First, I have to identify why I'm not feeling the creative juices.
Is it from a lack of story planning/outlining? A structural/character/plot/world-building problem? Do I need to stop and let my brain work through the issue before getting to the business of writing?
Am I overwhelmed by the amount of writing that needs to get done?
Or is it this general feeling of malaise? Cotton-brain fuzzy blahness...static...dull roar of rushing water in my ears...
For the last one, let yourself step away and take a break. Sometimes a long one. For me, that's usually a week or two. Focus on other life things or binge watch a good show or READ. I find that reading books in the genre I want to write is incredibly inspiring. All kinds. Read the popular books and then read the bestsellers (not always the same thing) and then read the award winners. They all have things in common and things vastly different. Start for pleasure and then make it into homework, write down what makes you like a certain character, write down some prose you thought was particularly well written, make note of how plot is handled.
Also, make sure you're physically up for writing right now. I have stomach issues a lot, so on those days I don't do anything creative. I lay on the couch with my cat and barely move. If I'm having anxiety or feeling low-key depressed, I don't write. I give myself permission to heal both mind and body. Do some yoga, stretch, take long showers, whatever you need to just recover. We can't write when our bodies or minds are not able. That's okay to recognize.
One thing that really helped me recently was realizing I write SO MUCH BETTER at night. Late late night. Around 10pm - 2am. So When I can swing that shift, I try to make the most of it. I kept staring at the computer screen during the afternoon, beating my head against the wall, until I realized that was NOT my peak creative brain time. I'm a night owl. I get most energized at night. Are you a morning person? Find the time that works best for you. It might not be conventional.
Some people like music. I hate writing to music. I need quiet or just ambient sound (rushing water, rain, leaves rustling in the wind). Music really distracts me.
An easy way to get those juices flowing is to simply read your own work. Read what you've already written. Pull up an old story and read it. Honestly, I like my work and it inspires me to keep creating more.
You can also skip ahead in your writing. If there's a scene that's floating around in your brain that makes you excited, write it. It's okay if it's not exactly right later on, but it helps get you back in the swing of things.
Go for a walk. Seriously. If it's not pouring rain or snowing, getting out in the quiet world with nothing to do but walk and think....helpful. Or just sit in nature. Get outside for a minute.
Do something mindless. Wash dishes, fold clothes, color, knit, crochet....
Look at artwork. Go down the deviant art rabbit hole for an afternoon.
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Post by doublejay9 on Oct 19, 2020 14:28:30 GMT -6
On the music thing -- I'm the complete opposite. I always have instrumental music playing while I write, whether creatively or for work. 90% of the Friday Flashes I've got on my blog credit a piece of music as inspiration. Ever since I was kid, instrumental music has never failed to kickstart my imagination.
If it's more a case of being overwhelmed by choice or feeling unsure what should happen next, let dice rolls or coin flips do some of the work for you. You could say I had a "come to RNGesus" moment a handful of years back when I started experimenting with various forms of randomness in the plotting stage and saw how smoothly it went. Honestly, some of biggest bursts of inspiration came from figuring out how my characters would respond to out-there dice results. Here's the blog post where I outline a couple of methods. |
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Post by RAVENEYE on Oct 19, 2020 17:55:06 GMT -6
There's a variety of things I do depending on the type of block I'm experiencing. First, I have to identify why I'm not feeling the creative juices. Is it from a lack of story planning/outlining? A structural/character/plot/world-building problem? Do I need to stop and let my brain work through the issue before getting to the business of writing? Am I overwhelmed by the amount of writing that needs to get done? Or is it this general feeling of malaise? Cotton-brain fuzzy blahness...static...dull roar of rushing water in my ears... For the last one, let yourself step away and take a break. Sometimes a long one. For me, that's usually a week or two. Focus on other life things or binge watch a good show or READ. I find that reading books in the genre I want to write is incredibly inspiring. All kinds. Read the popular books and then read the bestsellers (not always the same thing) and then read the award winners. They all have things in common and things vastly different. Start for pleasure and then make it into homework, write down what makes you like a certain character, write down some prose you thought was particularly well written, make note of how plot is handled. Also, make sure you're physically up for writing right now. I have stomach issues a lot, so on those days I don't do anything creative. I lay on the couch with my cat and barely move. If I'm having anxiety or feeling low-key depressed, I don't write. I give myself permission to heal both mind and body. Do some yoga, stretch, take long showers, whatever you need to just recover. We can't write when our bodies or minds are not able. That's okay to recognize. One thing that really helped me recently was realizing I write SO MUCH BETTER at night. Late late night. Around 10pm - 2am. So When I can swing that shift, I try to make the most of it. I kept staring at the computer screen during the afternoon, beating my head against the wall, until I realized that was NOT my peak creative brain time. I'm a night owl. I get most energized at night. Are you a morning person? Find the time that works best for you. It might not be conventional. Some people like music. I hate writing to music. I need quiet or just ambient sound (rushing water, rain, leaves rustling in the wind). Music really distracts me. An easy way to get those juices flowing is to simply read your own work. Read what you've already written. Pull up an old story and read it. Honestly, I like my work and it inspires me to keep creating more. You can also skip ahead in your writing. If there's a scene that's floating around in your brain that makes you excited, write it. It's okay if it's not exactly right later on, but it helps get you back in the swing of things. Go for a walk. Seriously. If it's not pouring rain or snowing, getting out in the quiet world with nothing to do but walk and think....helpful. Or just sit in nature. Get outside for a minute. Do something mindless. Wash dishes, fold clothes, color, knit, crochet.... Look at artwork. Go down the deviant art rabbit hole for an afternoon. Omigosh, yes, all of this. What happened to the "yeah that" emojicon? B/c I'd use it here. Can't add anything to this list of things, so I'll just nod in quiet agreement. Careful of burnout, there, HD. Been there, done that, still trying to recover from it. It's not a good place to be. Heed the brain when it needs to rest (like I didn't), or you may spend years trying to reverse the damage done (it's a real thing, just ask me). |
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Post by HDSimplicityy on Oct 20, 2020 18:05:45 GMT -6
Bilance, I listen to upbeat orchestrations a lot. That has to be one solution.
Alatariel, great ideas. So I am not burnt out; its not having worked on it for a few days AND adding fresh words to a chapter split in two. I have a drive to write this. I write best not during specific hours, but when I am inspired, or driven, or excited, or needing to gush words. But I can choose hours to write. I have to as I work on this book and the videogame gig.
doublejay9, orchestra music makes makes my writing brain flare to life. Dice would help me with my indecision.
Raveneye, I let my brain rest from the first draft for two and a half months this summer... lol. Its very much time for more. Yes, that is important.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Oct 21, 2020 9:59:23 GMT -6
I write best not during specific hours, but when I am inspired, or driven, or excited, or needing to gush words. But I can choose hours to write. I have to as I work on this book and the videogame gig. Yeah, that sounds pretty common. It stinks that we can't call on that excitement/need to gush words at will. Jeez, would the writing life be easier. Nothing worse than staring at the screen with nothing happening upstairs. Makes me cringe just thinking about it. "Shitting bricks" is the appropriate term for days like that. Too bad brain laxative doesn't come in a pill bottle. Hmm... I guess for some people it does, but I'm not willing to try those things. Oh, well. The comfort is that we all go through it and have to find things that unstop the flow. Plunger? Draino? I guess my comparisons are making it very plain how I feel about bad writing days. Ugh. |
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Post by longhand.hearted on Oct 21, 2020 13:53:40 GMT -6
I find it surprising how just looking after the basics can help- is my desk/ writing area clean and tidy? Have I got some water with me? Am I the right temperature? But also trying different times. Apparently we're more creative in the mornings (and less likely to procrastinate) but obviously sometimes we can only just fit it in the evenings, so seeing what works for you and sticking to it is the way to go really.
Try to at least sit and think over your keyboard/ paper for at least 10-15 minutes every day. Read what you'd last read, make only MINOR edits and just go with what next comes to you. If you still want to crack a couple of words out and can't, try one of the fantastic suggestions above, don't sit and stew for longer than 20-30 minutes at a time.
Lastly, I saw someone mention binaural beats in another thread which is a great alternative to music if you're finding it too distracting at the time. The idea is that by listening to two specially chosen tones of sound, your brain hears/ creates the difference to make up for it which is ultimately (calculated to be) the "focus" brainwave. Fascinating stuff really.
I would also wholly recommend Brain.fm which creates background music along a similar idea too. Kind of like gaming tunes, they design it to keep you in the flow rather than distract you.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Oct 21, 2020 15:08:26 GMT -6
Apparently we're more creative in the mornings (and less likely to procrastinate) but obviously sometimes we can only just fit it in the evenings, so seeing what works for you and sticking to it is the way to go really. Lastly, I saw someone mention binaural beats in another thread which is a great alternative to music if you're finding it too distracting at the time. The idea is that by listening to two specially chosen tones of sound, your brain hears/ creates the difference to make up for it which is ultimately (calculated to be) the "focus" brainwave. Fascinating stuff really. I would also wholly recommend Brain.fm which creates background music along a similar idea too. Kind of like gaming tunes, they design it to keep you in the flow rather than distract you. What is the deal with my brain in the mornings? Definitely not my time of day. Zero creativity before 11:30-ish, and I spend the morning hours seeking things to wake up my brain, which leads to all sorts of procrastination. (Reading first thing is the best fuel, for sure, when I'm able.) I mean, I don't want to fit into a mold, but sheesh, it would be nice if this were true of my own silly brain. Oooooh!!!! So that's what's the big deal about binaural beats? Good to know. Speaking of which, I almost cannot write without something playing in the background. Tons of binaural-type stuff to be found at myNoise. myNoise
This ambient sound site was one of the gems mentioned in the last LF forum, and it's made a lasting difference for me. Anyway... |
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Post by doublejay9 on Oct 21, 2020 15:16:18 GMT -6
@longhand: This night owl is skeptical of your assertion that mornings are the most creative time for everyone, but I agree with your main point. Finding the schedule that fits best with your body's natural rhythms -- whatever they are, and as much as other people/obligations allow -- makes life easier on so many levels. It's also good to experiment every few years to see if that schedule needs to shift.
@hd, Raveneye: Your responses reminded me of a blog post I wrote this summer. TL;DR Those sudden bursts of inspiration are awesome, but they're unreliable. A skill I believe every writer should develop is a way to consciously generate inspiration when you need it. I really should write a follow-up post that goes into more detail. |
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Post by HDSimplicityy on Oct 21, 2020 17:52:07 GMT -6
Minor editing can be that drain unclogger.Binaural sounds a generator of ideas. I do need to discover the times I write best.
I found the answer: My narrator's voice needs a splash of cold water in the face.
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Post by DreamingoftheMist on Dec 6, 2020 14:53:36 GMT -6
Google things that interest you. Write mysteries, look for unsolved homicides. Write fantasy, look up cryptids. Write romance, look up exotic vacation options or dating sites. Write science fiction, look up the latest in sci fi discoveries.
Alien Worlds on Netflix is great for alien inspiration and offers scientific ways to design aliens based on mixing and matching Earth life.
If I need to clear my head, I take a shower. It helps with sensory processing.
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Post by HDSimplicityy on Dec 17, 2020 0:22:47 GMT -6
Google things that interest you. Write mysteries, look for unsolved homicides. Write fantasy, look up cryptids. Write romance, look up exotic vacation options or dating sites. Write science fiction, look up the latest in sci fi discoveries. Alien Worlds on Netflix is great for alien inspiration and offers scientific ways to design aliens based on mixing and matching Earth life. If I need to clear my head, I take a shower. It helps with sensory processing. In other words, go down the Google rabbit hole.
And watch the time disappear!
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