A positive post.

[liberta]

What inspires you? What gets you out of a writer's rut? What helps defeat the trolls, what gets the muse to take a break from her permanent holidays?

This is post to share strategies to get out of the hole of whines :D

Comments

[acchikocchi]

okay okay I will try to contribute positive things to this comm rather than just whine. :D

[liberta]

This is what I do to get myself out of the hole of writer's block:

*Write in a notebook, not the computer. It really helps.

*Lots of whining. Lots and lots of complaining.

*Music. Every fic needs a playlist, and the atmosphere of each fic is highly influenced by said playlist, so sometimes, listening to the playlist inspires another bit, or at least keeps WIPs in a consistent voice.

*Visiting inspiring places. I draw a lot of inspiration from conjuring up the memory of places, and sometimes I visit places just to incorporate them into fic. it's probably where the lack of characterisation comes from, because it doesn't work well when many other people are around, i just get too busy chatting or being socially awkward, as applicable

[dreamofthem]

I was once told to write three pages of anything every day, whether it's a journal, whining, nonsensical rambling, fiction, reportage, even just writing the same word over and over for three pages, just to keep you in that writing headspace. I find that if I don't write for a while I get a mental block on it, and this method really works. It doesn't matter if it's handwritten or typed. It doesn't necessarily mean that I find it easier to finish fic but it does mean that I gravitate more naturally to a google doc with a WIP that previously I would have been avoiding like the plague.

[acchikocchi]

Yeah, I think this is a good one! In a similar vein, I've been trying to write a certain amount of time every day - doesn't matter what as long as I'm writing something. Of course this why I have one million WIPs but writing has become such a central part of my life and self-identification since I started doing this, it's really interesting.

[liberta]

This sounds like a great strategy!

For people with an ounce of self-discipline. And a less evil inner critic than mine, possibly. ._.

[dreamofthem]

But you would be surprised how quickly you get into the routine of it / how quickly three pages get written. My approach is to not ever reread what I've written because the content is irrelevant - the act of writing is the key.