anonymous 1732222953802

ally do you have a favorite way to deal with writer's block or just feeling stuck while working on a creative project?

ahh great question! for me it's usually one of two things, depending on what kind of writer's block I'm in, but they both involve some form of "not writing":

the first type of writer's block is when I want to write, and I have a lot of ideas and excitement for my project, but I'm struggling to get words on the page or the words that I do write feel very boring and gloopy (technical term). usually this happens because I've somehow lost my way with the story. so instead of blindly pushing myself to just keep getting more words on the page, I try to take a step back and look at the overall plot structure and character arcs, to figure out where I've taken a wrong turn. more often than not this involves going back a few steps, cutting the last few scenes I've written, and going in a slightly different direction. (this works because I write in a purely linear way from point A to point B; if you write in a more 'jumping between scenes' type of way, it may involve more thinking about which parts of your outline don't feel right to you.) usually once I work out where the problem is, and get myself back on a track that makes sense to me, the words start to flow again.

the second type of writer's block is when I feel disillusioned, demoralised, like I have no fresh ideas, like I'm creatively wrung dry. this involves take a BIG step back from writing to absorb inspiration - I see it as refilling my creative well, but that doesn't really make sense because you don't refill wells. anyway. where I go to to seek this inspiration depends partly on my mood, but I also try to inject a bit of intention into the process - seeking the kind of inspiration that I feel like I'm lacking. so I might pick up a science-fiction novel, or litfic, or an indie film, or a romcom, or a poetry collection. or even going to an art gallery, spending time in nature, seeing friends, etc etc. I'm not picky about genre, style, or medium! I strongly believe that inspiration can be found all around us, and that a big part of being a writer is being able to observe and absorb details from the world, and synthesise that into writing. so I try to blend "doing things that I enjoy" with "doing things that creatively excite me" - it's not about prioritising one over the other, but finding that sweet spot to revitalise me.

neither of this is a quick life hack, unfortunately! but both involve something that is very important to me, and that is listening to your gut and being kind to yourself. for me at least, writer's block is often a sign that I am creatively blocked, and so I don't try to push past that block - it's not a matter of willpower or grit. instead I treat the feeling as my intuition telling me that something is off, and that I need to approach things a slightly different way. these two methods are the things that have worked for me; you may have others. but the most important thing I think is to treat writer's block as your creative 'pain sensors', and to understand what it's telling you rather than forcing yourself to fight against it. hope that helps! sending you lots of creative good vibes~

#writing
ally 🖤 1732225371643

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