Writer’s Block

I have writer’s block currently. I’ve been busy, as much as an effectively unemployed man can be. You can thank my mum for getting me to not just skip this week. There’s no RWBY in this post. So if you were here for that, sorry. If you aren’t you won’t care. Or maybe you hated me talking about “that weird anime stuff”, and you’d prefer me talking about general writing ideas. I like anime, so I’ll be discussing it some other time. None of you have commented to say not to, so either you don’t mind or you just saw the LinkedIn post and ignored it.

I’d say I wouldn’t blame you for that, everyone’s busy, but it’s my post and I want it to succeed. I’m being selfish about it. So yes, please repost or at least read and comment on this. Thinking on it, I’ve people to give feedback of my writing, it’s just a matter of finding the right ones and waiting on them (finding an agent isn’t easy – it’s easter now so looking would be fruitless). I’m impatient about it, it seems (if my tabletop games are anything to go by). I want things now, I want to get to the point.

To give some useful advice about writer’s block: YouTube videos are the enemy. Funny stuff, podcasts, it all gets in your ear and you can’t focus on the writing. I know that’s a very specific distraction (distractions are the larger issue), but it’s what happens to me. I flit from one entertaining thing to the next. I’m doing this post right now while listening to music. But at least with music I don’t have to think about it.

Next, get a second opinion. You’re great, but another pair of eyes is needed. Writer’s block can be about a lack of motivation or not being able to work out the problem you’re facing. My mum told me to write about writer’s block, and now I’m up to [checks wordcount] 338 words. It’s great! Don’t have a mum on hand, go talk to people online. Or Google it! I’m not your mum, you can do it yourself. If you found this, you can do that!

Side note: having someone else to give feedback on your work is good. Harlan Ellison wrote I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream in one night, but not, I imagine, even he had an editor around when it came to getting that published. Hey, if you to read some old want old, half-baked ramblings of mine on him, go here. Okay, looking at it now… Jesus, I didn’t format it well. I put the link in as a full link!

For a third point, I’d say to take a break. If you’re working to a deadline, something like 10 minutes would be best as opposed to a whole day. If not, go for it. have a day off, it won’t kill you. But, take this with a grain of salt, because this can lead to you spending more time not writing than actually doing the work. Take this from someone who gets distracted easily and is between writing projects right now.

This is a shorter post than the last two, but not all need to be massive. Hope you found this useful. Writer’s block is a pain to deal with, especially when my job is writing!