You are standing on stage, the curtain is drawn, the lights down. You can hear the quiet talk from the audience, feet running for a cold drink and last minute calls to the ladies room. You smell the artist make-up, thick on skin. The dusty costumes lets dust fly with every movement and scratches against your armpits.
You've studied, practiced, recited, and played the part. You know every line by heart, every movement, every stage direction. There's nothing to be afraid of. Nothing to be worried about. Right?
From the right, the stage manage gives you the signal and before you can count to three, the curtain begin their soft ascent. This is it! Here we go!
and then...nothing. You are frozen. No words, no action. Nothing.
What happened?
Stage fright.
Has it ever happened to you?
Here's your manuscript. You've plotted. You've researched. You've organized. You've gathered supplies. You've got a great idea, a unique setting and an amazing MC. There are fill in characters, costumes, props, everything for a perfect novel. You are ready to write!
The curtain comes up, the paper is fresh and clean, and empty canvas waiting for you to fill with color.
And you freeze.
How do you inspire yourself? When you run into a brick wall, what is the best way to see light again? I don't recommend busting through it. That might hurt! But you can climb over it, or possibly dig under it.
New writers, as well as established authors, occasionally walk around in the dark, needing some creative light to spark their pen! That is not always easy. What can you do to motivate your thought process?
For starters, take a look around you. What do you see? Flowers? Old books? Cars? People? Billboards?
Your inspiration could be right in front of you~
Look for fascinating colors, intriguing art, peaceful lakes, or rustling streams. Your sight has the power of innovation through seeds of beauty. Or anger. Or fear. What scares you? Heights? Then take a look at tall buildings, or climb a mountain for views of height. Visit museums and look at the objects and artifacts on display. One small arrangement of jewelry, statutes, utensils, or tools might excite your imagination enough to pull you over that wall.
Writer's block. It can happen when you least expect it.
Have you ever experienced it?
How did you knock that wall down?
If you need some writing inspiration or how-to tips, I suggest you check out one of the following blogs.
Creative Playful
Sylvia is full of creativity and inspiration and she's not afraid to be herself and express her happiness!
Bethany Myers
Bethany has been on crutches for a while and althugh she says she's made good use of her time, I know what it's like to be on the couch with a broken foot (THREE TIMES!!) I thought she might could use some cheering up:)
Thanks for following Ink in the Book. I love your blogs and all your advice and tips. YAY! I created this award and I give it it to wonderful people who deserve a pat on the back, so
Sylvia and Bethany,
YOU'VE BEEN INKED!!
You've studied, practiced, recited, and played the part. You know every line by heart, every movement, every stage direction. There's nothing to be afraid of. Nothing to be worried about. Right?
From the right, the stage manage gives you the signal and before you can count to three, the curtain begin their soft ascent. This is it! Here we go!
and then...nothing. You are frozen. No words, no action. Nothing.
What happened?
Stage fright.
Has it ever happened to you?
Here's your manuscript. You've plotted. You've researched. You've organized. You've gathered supplies. You've got a great idea, a unique setting and an amazing MC. There are fill in characters, costumes, props, everything for a perfect novel. You are ready to write!
The curtain comes up, the paper is fresh and clean, and empty canvas waiting for you to fill with color.
And you freeze.
How do you inspire yourself? When you run into a brick wall, what is the best way to see light again? I don't recommend busting through it. That might hurt! But you can climb over it, or possibly dig under it.
New writers, as well as established authors, occasionally walk around in the dark, needing some creative light to spark their pen! That is not always easy. What can you do to motivate your thought process?
For starters, take a look around you. What do you see? Flowers? Old books? Cars? People? Billboards?Your inspiration could be right in front of you~
Look for fascinating colors, intriguing art, peaceful lakes, or rustling streams. Your sight has the power of innovation through seeds of beauty. Or anger. Or fear. What scares you? Heights? Then take a look at tall buildings, or climb a mountain for views of height. Visit museums and look at the objects and artifacts on display. One small arrangement of jewelry, statutes, utensils, or tools might excite your imagination enough to pull you over that wall.
Writer's block. It can happen when you least expect it.
Have you ever experienced it?
How did you knock that wall down?
If you need some writing inspiration or how-to tips, I suggest you check out one of the following blogs.
Creative Playful
Sylvia is full of creativity and inspiration and she's not afraid to be herself and express her happiness!
Bethany Myers
Bethany has been on crutches for a while and althugh she says she's made good use of her time, I know what it's like to be on the couch with a broken foot (THREE TIMES!!) I thought she might could use some cheering up:)
Thanks for following Ink in the Book. I love your blogs and all your advice and tips. YAY! I created this award and I give it it to wonderful people who deserve a pat on the back, so
Sylvia and Bethany,
YOU'VE BEEN INKED!!
pinterest and music helps, but so does just taking a step back from all those noisy stressful thoughts about not being able to write :)
ReplyDeleteId probably start drawing on the wall
I think a great way to get through writers block is by reading. An awesome story inspires me to want to write my own, to strive towards that. Also, a neat turn of phrase in a book can make me want to write something just as cool.
ReplyDeletePlus music. Lyrics make me think of characters and stories more than almost anything else. :)
A great analogy on writers block. I really enjoyed reading. I use collages to hep with writers block. When I'm starting a new project a make a big collage of pictures that relate to the WIP and add to it as I write. Then when I'm stuck I stare at it until inspiration strikes - which usually doesn't take too long.
ReplyDeleteI was stuck for the latter half of last year. Not sure where the idea for CassaStorm came from, but glad it did.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks missus for the Ink award! This is such a pretty blog to visit!
ReplyDeleteI find the best cure for writers block is to just write. I know, I know...it sounds redundant but seriously, just get the words on the paper.
DON'T edit as you write, that will slow you down and you'll never get anything done.
DONT'T worry about an upcoming scene. Focus on where your story is at that moment.
And here's the bonus, if all of this fails, write a kissing scene.
Cheers!
For me the best thing is to just back away and do something else. My mind sometimes needs time to digest things so if I take a break, even if I am not consciously thinking about it, my mind is still unconsciously. This actually happened to me this morning - suddenly a plot device popped into my head because I'd stopped writing anything for several days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for recommending those blogs - I'll have to check them out!
LOVE the comparisons between stage fright and writers block. So far, I'm only *seriously* stuck when I'm preggo... weird how that happens! And I love the "You've been inked" !!! Way fun! :D
ReplyDeleteI got stage fright once when I was eight years old and we were putting on a Halloween play at school. I had one line and I froze like a popsicle. Couldn't get the words out. :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my tricks is to always be working on more than one project at time, so if one dries up, then I just work on option 2
ReplyDeleteHave you ever written a blog post, then later went back and read it, all the while sticking your tongue out at the mocking words?
ReplyDelete