Writer's Funk
I think all of us have gone through periods wherein nothing that seems to flow onto paper or into coherent ideas worth pursuing creatively. I've been at that precipice for a while now, going on three weeks by my last guess when I felt solid about something I put together. Which brings us to today's post. My b/f said to me that if I can't get figure this out myself, ask for commentary from my friends/blog readers. How do any of you deal with that frustrating point in writing where nothing seems to make sense or feels creative?
I know too, that mood has a lot to do with the creative aspect, some people do best when angst is heavy upon them, others when they have a completely serene focus. Which brings up a second question - what mood do you see as your most creative? Do you focus yourself to get there or does it have to build up on its own? This inquiring mind would like to know. Thanks in advance.
I know too, that mood has a lot to do with the creative aspect, some people do best when angst is heavy upon them, others when they have a completely serene focus. Which brings up a second question - what mood do you see as your most creative? Do you focus yourself to get there or does it have to build up on its own? This inquiring mind would like to know. Thanks in advance.
posted by JD at
5:04:00 AM
2 Comments:
Just as I gamble best when I'm poor, I write best when I'm pissed. Or when there's something more important for me to concentrate on.
My mind is always at least 70% in a story world. What do I do when I can't seem to form a complete sentence or that anything I write looks and sounds like crap? I write it anyway.
That bit in Scripta where Wombat and Mase talk about StarWyng is still stirring somewhere. Sonic Butterfly's story is stuck (because I want the story to go one way and the RP had gone another, and I'm trying to rectify or throw out the RP version). The purpose of Scripta for me is to 1) Show people what happens to my characters "off screen" so they know what they're thinking and 2) "Clear the way" of scenes and stuff that my muse whispers at me, scenes and bits that don't seem to make any sense, so that the "real" stuff comes through. I used to have a folder on my desktop called, "Bits".
Some of the tips/tricks/ideas I've heard and utilized when stuck:
Write in the morning. At least 1 page (200 words). It'll be crap, but it might spark something.
Watch TV or read a book or newspaper article and rewrite the story you just heard. Or continue it. Or use the same characters in your own story. Use our characters that you play with - twist them around in your head and abuse them. The rest of us don't have to see you make Rusty tip-toe through tulips. Just use it to get yourself jump started. I used E's character Styrm and he called me on the carpet for it; I explained that the stuff that was on Scripta wasn't engraved in stone, it was more like my junk drawer. Styrm was just too good a character for me not to play around with. And it jump started a few things I had languishing.
Keep writing. That's what I've heard mostly. Write about the fact you can't write. Write about someone who can't write and things that happen all around them. Summarize stuff. Write, write, write, even if it's crap, crap, crap.
If it makes you feel better, I went for eight years being unable to write anything. The ideas were there, I just couldn't get it out. But I kept writing, though it was like dragging a dull knife over my wrists. Looking back at some of the stuff in my old journals, I can see where some bits and pieces have crept their way into writing I do now. What got me out of my doldrums? I wrote down a dream, and that sparked me to finish the dream... for over 4,000 pages and ten years of history.
The simple point, just keep writing. Use my toons if you want; you might see something there that I don't. And it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when I see someone mention my toon's name. :D
I find that diverting myself to tasks that allow my mind to roam free usually frees the muse from her recalcitrant moods.
I find that I have some of my best breakthroughs come when doing some other, rather mindless, task such as showering, commuting, mowing the lawn, washing the car, etc. I also find that walks also help. (Remember how many of those I took when I was stuck during NaNoWriMo last year? :D )
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