Revoltingly OT: Size of your colon

[dogscoff]

C, I guess. I know what needs to happen, and how I want to write it, but when I sit down to write, I just blank. Normally when I write, it just sort of flows, and I usually have a hard time typing fast enough to keep up with my train of thought, but lately, when I try to write, it just feels forced, laboured and just not natural, and I kinda feel like the writing reflects that. Which isn't good.

There's nothing wrong with 'forced' writing. You can go back and tweak it and improve it and smooth it out. That can work, so just write and don't worry if what comes out is utter crap. Then, you can go back to whatever you've written but didn't like and improve it.

If necessary, write down the necessary events as a simple list, or in screenplay format, or write it backwards (start with end events, work towards the beginning) or in some crazy *** style that you wouldn't normally even think about using. Hell, draw a storyboard if you like. Sooner or later you'll come up with something- a line of dialogue, a particularly vivid phrase or image or theme- and then you can build on that, and hopefully you'll find your normal style starts flowing again.

Alternatively, if you know what's going to happen that far in advance, skip a chapter, write the next bit and then come back to this one. I used to do that a lot with O&C. It's one of the advantages to writing a multi-threaded story, so use it.

[Hunpecked]

I agree with Dogscoff. If it's just a matter of translating your vision into words, I've found it helps to put down something, even if it's awkward, crude, and dull. It's generally easier to improve something once it's on paper and you can view the scene as a whole.

[Suicide Junkie]

The out of context award!

Subject: Re: Revoltingly OT: Size of your colon
Dogscoff: "There's nothing wrong with 'forced'"

[Renegade 13]

Suicide Junkie said:
The out of context award!

Subject: Re: Revoltingly OT: Size of your colon
Dogscoff: "There's nothing wrong with 'forced'"

That comment just made my day.

[dogscoff]

Actually, another good way to beat writer's block is to write *about* your story. For instance, when I started adding pages of information about O&C to the Malfadorica, i discovered a whole new inspiration, simply because I'd been forced to look at the different characters, the places, the plot, from a much wider perspective.

If you're stil struggling, I'd recommend you go create a comprehensive "Hell is for Heroes" page on the SE universe wiki. There are some fanfic pages up there already- check out the xenology one for a good example.