Thursday, March 31, 2011

Writer's Block!

There are times when my need to write, bring pen to paper, is so overwhelming that I can't find the words. I am looking for that release to flow out onto the pages in front of me. I feel the need to penetrate deeper but come up with nothing. I have writers block. There is no simple cure at times and I am curious to find some solutions. Are there any exercises that you, my fellow readers and writers, have discovered? I was able to find a writing club here in Howard County. It is called "The Maryland Writers' Association", Howard County chapter. It is rather large though. I am looking for something on a more smaller scale. Please let me know if anyone has any suggestions.

Also, I am looking to start generating some ideas for my first novel soon. Does anyone have any beginner advice? any good brainstorming techniques?

www.mwahocowriters.com

8 comments:

  1. I suffer from the block quite frequently. I have read a million (well not quite) books on writing, but most of them tell you the same thing, just write something, anything, random, senseless, rambles…just write. Sometimes that actually works. I think that the block comes from over thinking; at least it does for me.

    Maybe you should go to a restaurant or coffee shop and just write about the other customers. Describe what you see. How does this person(s) look? If they are having a conversation, what do you think they are talking about? What is his/her body language saying? Can you identify any emotion….are they happy, sad, angry, frustrated, annoyed etc.? Before you know it you’ve got character that you can use in a story…
    You might also visit a few writing blogs that I have stumbled upon, good stuff:

    http://procrastinatingwritersblog.com/
    http://storyfix.com/
    http://writingwhilethericeboils.blogspot.com/
    http://writeforyourlife.net/

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  2. Stacey, thanks so much. I will definitely use some of these websites. I may find myself in a coffee shop tomorrow:-)

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  3. Hi Erica!

    I hopped over from Book Blogs and am now your brand new follower :) looking forward to more of your posts and good luck writing!
    My blog is over here, at Bookish

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  4. Hello Erica,
    I found your message on BookBlogs too. I'm an ex-journalist and novelist and my advice is very simple. Seriously, there's no mystery to it. You just have to sit down and start. But here's the thing: it doesn't have to be perfect. You can can go back later and make it the best it can be, but in the first instance just get words on the page. It's far easier to work on changes than face a blank sheet.

    So now I'm going to follow to see how you get on - good luck!

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  5. Hi, Erica! I got your message on BookBlogs, and thought I would stop by and check out your blog. Love the fact that you pose discussion questions. And your blog title... interesting, to say the least!

    About writer's block, though. It's a bitch, isn't it? I'm affraid we all struggle with it at some point in time; however, I must agree with the others. You must just sit down and write. Write anything... Write about your writer's block. As long as you are putting words on paper, you'll losen up and gain that focus you need. It's tough, I know. Nothing is as scary as the blank page!

    I'm following,
    -Gabby (www.gabriellenesiba.blogspot.com)

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  6. Hello Ladies! Thanks for all the advice. Expect a new post by the end of the day.

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  7. Well, I'm another book blogs gal checking out your blog. I'll expand upon Deborah's comment and say that the best thing I've done is NaNoWriMo. To sum up, you write 50,000 words in a month: November. National Novel Writing Month. The key is to NEVER edit. Just write. It's been incredible for my productivity and since then I find it easier to push through whenever I need to write the other 11 months.
    I have an exercise I intend to blog about soon. It's fun and a little different.
    I hope you'll check out my blog: http://mymotherstuttered.blogspot.com/ where you find more on NaNo and soon, the exercise. :D
    Cheers,
    Ellen

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  8. im just realizing what I wrote to you on this day did not post! Well, I was going to suggest - people watching....my class this semester talked about just sitting outside and observing your surroundings and watching people and just jotting down ideas without edits....gets the juices flowing.......

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