I noticed a few people on here really have the same problem I get frequently:
The Writers Block.
So I figured I'd start up a discussion on how we all fight off writers block when its getting the best of us. Maybe it could help a fellow writer out. I know every now and then I need new ideas too. Sometimes my own methods don't work as well as I want them to, I constantly need to try new things to get over it.

I, personally, like using story boarding as a way to get over writers block. I usually don't map out my stories on pen and paper. However, when I'm not feeling creative enough to write as effectively as I like, mapping out my ideas on a sheet of paper really helps. It lets me reorganize my thoughts for the chapter - or maybe even the entire story - and then, with a hard copy in front of me, its suddenly much easier to go about writing the rest of the story. I think its mostly cause you have the main points but you can still experiment a little with how exactly the characters will go about getting through the new, more defined goal.

Another method I use would be research. Research can be a powerful inspiration that keeps myself writing. An example, I guess, would be that right now I'm writing my own story and posting it up on a blog (off this website) about how this group of video gaming kids now has to survive a real full on zombie invasion. As fun as the topic is, I do get bored with it from time to time and so I do my research on the history of zombie stories. I watch zombie movies, games, books and sometimes comics to see how the characters reacted during the beginning of the outbreak, how they go about reacting to other characters that appear, and how they go about finding new ways to kill infected dead. I'm not using their same ideas, I'm just getting a feel for how my characters should probably act and I'm now inspired to come up with my own new ways to murder the poor undead in my own story. In another story I was writing, I had to do research on Cults - for one of the characters in the story was caught up in the ugly business of a cult life and was trying desperately to escape it. It was an interesting topic of study, I got the information I wanted, and the inspiration to keep writing!

And one of my favourite ideas for getting rid of writers block would be story boarding through sketches. If you've ever seen a comic artists, or even people who write up scenes for movies, plan out their stories, you'd notice that they often sketch out how the scenes will play out. Drawing out the actions you want your characters to take can better help you describe what you want to write. Or even drawing out the different environments they find themselves in could help you find the words to describe how they look. This method works best for me because now I have an image in my head of how I want it to look and how I want the readers to see it. Its an inspiration to get that same image in their head that I have. And you don't have to be an amazing artist to use this idea. Its just sketches that you'd be using to get the over all idea of what you want to write and want your readers to see. So if you try this don't stress out over how the sketch looks so much. Just look at it and say, "Yeah! That's what I want my writers to see!" What your sketch lacks on paper can be made up with the detail you describe it in with your writing.

Well, now lets hear how all of you get rid of writers block! ^_^

They should make a separate forum or a permanent thread for this, shouldn't they?

I usually go away and come back later, or I go onto the next part I thought of. I also talk to my sister about it.

They really should. I think it would be a good idea anyways. But I figured since they didn't really seem to have one it should go here. ^_^ Its a discussion about writing method after all.

Yeah, I think this is the appropriate place for it. :yes:

We seem to practice the same methods :3

I love doing research - sometimes though, it prolonges the writer's block because I get so involved with the research that I'll focus more on that than the story.

And I love to do story boarding. Making thumbnail sketches really help me get my ideas out of my head so that when I need to come back to them, I'll have a good idea of what I'm trying to express.

A method I've found that helps me when I get writer's block is to do a one word prompt and just write out a drabble to that one word. A one word prompt is normally a noun of some sort. I'll give some examples.

Candy Corn
Hairspray
Dancing
Picnic

etc. etc.

The whole concept of just writing something completely unrelated helps just get your creative juices flowing and can help you with the actual story you're trying to write. And yeah, research is always a good idea, especially if you're doing a story that may be historically based. Like I have an idea for a story set in the old west, so I've been researching the time period and what life was like for people out in the old west.

I do the word prompt as well. Just sit down and start writing it helps. I also find that reading other books helps and reading other stories. I do booksie and have way to much fun there. I find it very hard to shut off my brain when I write. Starting a story is not the hard part its finishing it that gets me. I have to sit down and force myself to write on what I was working on. Try and remember that you can't edit what you haven't wrote. So if you think it sucks just keep writing and you will find a rhythm and can always go back to that spot and change it.

I haven't tried word prompting yet. But it seems like a really interesting method. I'll have to try it out next time I get writers block! ^_^ And its always neat to find out someone else uses some of the same methods as me.

I never much cared for story-boarding actually. Whenever I get the story plotted out too far in advance I lose interest in it and stop writing it. So now, on the rare occasion I do story-board I only do it for the immediate chapter.
Either that, or its so vague it's not really even helpful.

I do research too. What I love about researching for a rough draft is that I'm not really concerned if my research is from a credible source. When it comes time to edit, fill in plot holes, ect. I have to check for accuracy, but on a rough draft it's fun just to read about a topic and not really care if it's true or not.

While I don't draw out my own stories (my sketches are so painfully bad I can't even tell what's going on in them), but I do look for photographs and write stories from them. They're mostly landscape photos.

I really love to write detailed places without much concern as to what's going on inside. Completely forgoing plot for a while and just focusing on places, sights, smells and layouts of buildings is a lot of fun for me. And it also gives my brain a break from trying to keep up with an interesting plot. Lets just talk about how the red the leaves are for a page or two.
It might not be all that interesting to read, and most of it will probably end up getting cut, but man is it fun to write.

I also do those silly little Myspace surveys and things like that for my characters. They're stupid, but can be surprisingly helpful. They also don't take a lot of thought to do. Mind-numbing fun!

A big help is reading, watching television and playing videogames. A whole short story spawned out of a Penzoil commercial once. It wasn't the most unique thing in the world, but it got me writing at least.
I'll also admit to the terrible phenomenon of fan-fiction. It's a fun little exercise to throw a character of mine into a new world just to see what happens. Clichés and Mary-Sues abound, but it's so much fun to write that I don't really care. Besides, it's not like I plan on letting anyone see it.

Prompts are also helpful, especially when they come with a minimum word count.

I also do a lot of talking with friends when I'm stuck. Even if I don't get any inspiration from it, it sure is fun to gripe about writer's block with someone else. Hahah.

Haha! Yeah, I'm the same way. Actually, I'm currently working on a story that involves all of my friends... well a few stories. The zombie genre story I'm writing though, actually uses a few of my friends as characters, which really kinda helps with my problem with character building. I let my friends read over the rough drafts of my writing and if they think my characters aren't reacting right in a situation they let me know. Its really constructive. The only problem with it is that, being a zombie genre, some characters are going to have to die. Which doesn't exactly make certain friends happy but usually they're okay with it. I mean, they seem to enjoy reading the story and they don't take it too personally. I just thank heaven I have friends that are open minded enough to not take offense to something bad happening to their character in story.

When I first start out a story, I like to do a very generic plot graph: a few twists that I think might be interesting, sometimes a few quotes that just pop into my mind when I put these little points down, things like that. But often I stray away from that when I'm actually writing, or I don't know how to connect it from point A to point B on my plot graph. That's when I like to do my Writer's Block methods.

First and foremost, I revisit the plot graph. I make up different summaries of the story I'm writing. Sometimes something just pops into my head and I go into a frenzy of writing, trying to get everything down on my word processor before I forget.

I also like to do a chapter plot sketch if I get stuck. I sketch out each individual section of the chapter; it sounds painstakingly boring, and at times it can be, but it makes it SO MUCH EASIER to write. I like doing this at school a lot during my Writer's Craft class, since we have spontaneous writing and it helps.

I also like listening to music; I try to listen to music that I'm not completely obsessed with at the time, because if I listen to music I'm obsessed with at the moment, I tend to not write and sing the song instead, or mouth the words, etc.

My absolute worst habit when it comes to Writer's Block? ...starting a new story. It works every time, but then I end up with a lot of stories on the go which can be stressful. (Or a relief when you get stuck on one and can just move to a different one.)

My writer's block is actually a bit difficult to get through, because currently I am working on a series as a team. When I get something written, I send it on to the others and then look over what they've sent me and then we all talk things out in person or in this ridiculously long message thread we've got going on Facebook. *giggle* For me, I have more fun writing as a team like this because I love being able to bounce ideas and work out plot and characters and everything with everyone else.

When I'm blocked, though, I get stuck since we all seem to go through block at different times. So I get out of it by writing side stories about the characters. It's sort of like writing fanfiction, except they're my own characters. I run with the first random plot bunny that pops into my head, be it humorous or romantic or a random action scene or whatever. It's not something that will ever be included in the actual story, so I have fun with it. And it really helps me to get into my characters' heads. I can find out how they would act in different situations, situations I may not have considered before. And if I've developed my characters enough, they start writing themselves and I'm able to get back into my groove.

When I'm not writing random side stories, I also do research. The series we're working on combines a few different cultures and some supernatural lore, and I like to really know about a subject before I start writing about it.

These are really helpful writer block breakers.

I'm working on a vampire romance (Romance is my Achilles' heel. :sweat:)
I tried working on it for National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short, and I felt like I was already halfway through the plot but it wasn't long enough the way I thought it should have been. Does that make sense?

Consequently, I've been stuck on it. My bad habit whenever I get stuck is I rewrite the story. But so far, I'm having trouble doing even that.

I know when I get writers block I use a technique my Regional Director for NaNoWriMo taught us. The Writer's Block Rock. Go out at find a rock. Any rock. Look at the rock, talk to the rock, throw the rock, do anything you want to it. Look at the little guy and figure out a way something on it could relate to your story. Is that random crack a crack in your protagonist's life? Has the antagonist finally snapped?
That's my favorite way to get rid of it, I'm not sure it will be much help. Sometimes I'll also play music and use that as a prompt in and of itself.

I leave. With my story. lol Serious, when I get writer's block it helped to go to different locations with my story to write. (handy if you have your story in a notebook/laptop but taking a fresh notebook works too if you have your story well in mind) My best writer's block breakthroughs came from going up to work(last time I did this I worked at KFC) and just sitting in a booth to write. I think a change of scenery helps alot.


Recently I've been trying various tips from Laurell K. Hamilton's Blog.
http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/ind...novel_unstuck/

Nature strangely helps me. If I just take some paper and pen into the hills (or a park, but I prefer the hills), I find that ideas flow to me more freely. I think living in-town stresses me out a little bit. xD

Oh, and Roxxi, I do that so much too. xD I think I've written the three chapters I've got multiple times. When I'm stuck, it's like I can find all of the imperfections. That or I just become dissatisfied because I'm frustrated.

I just read my books or look at photos for inspiration, a person or object in a photo can really bring new life into my story.