Writer's Block

"Move Damn you! Stupid wall!"

Yup, I know the feeling. I also know that screaming at your figurative wall doesn't do a hell of a lot of good, unless you're in a psychologists office(in which case, go for it!).

With writing, however, the problem is that the more you push, the more you try to force that barrier away, the less successful your efforts become. In fact, you eventually get to a point where just sitting down to write your next paragraph becomes a daunting prospect and all the joy and love of writing has turned into something resembling a great, big, stinking pile of... well, work.

(get your head out the gutter!)

I've been facing a little bit of a block myself this last week, and needless to say its been driving me crazy. something about not being able to do the one thing you most want to do probably has something to do with it.

So I decided to post a little on the topic after trying a few suggestions. Now, obviously different things work for different people so this isn't too definitive but it was a fun experiment nonetheless.

1. Exercise.

This one didn't work so well for me, being that i'm not a particularly athletic person it only made me more irritable, and sweaty to boot.

2. Get Out.

I'm not too sure how this is supposed to go, so i tried a few different approaches. I went out with my sisters one night... but that ended up in exhaustion and a severe headache in the morning.

So after that failed first attempt I went out for lunch with a friend and some social interaction. It worked wonders! The main goal was simply to forget about my project, about writing, about deadlines and pretty much anything to do with writing. when i got home i felt refreshed and filled with creative energy!

3. Inspire yourself.

You know what inspires you. There are certain movies that get you angry, or rip your heart out. Those are great for trying to channel an emotion that isn't readily available to you, which may help you write from that emotional perspective.

Songs are especially good for this since you can write and listen at the same time, never losing that emotion. If you're more visually inspired then download a few songs that remind you of a special scene in a movie that tugged at your heart. If not then create a couple of playlists for different types of scenese: Angry, Sad(romance), Sad(family), beautiful, adventurous, sexy...

It works!

Snippet of "Mercy Blood Bank"

Carter was proud of his new position at the blood bank, a fantastic career opportunity. He enjoyed learning the industry and skills of his superiors, how to handle the customers, finances and everything in between. In fact, the only thing he disliked about the job was the humans.

“Filthy, base creatures.” He said as he walked down the isle of cages marked “Adolescent Males (5-10)”. Each of these cages contained a single young human boy. Carter didn’t bother whispering his insult. Barely any of the humans could speak or understand a word, anymore. For the first few generations in the camp all newborns were removed from their mothers at birth so as not to learn any language. it had turned out to be quite brilliant for business: pitiful pleading was extremely annoying, especially when one was trying to feed. Customers far preferred wordless screaming.

He stopped at one of the cages, grimacing as a young boy of around eight scrambled away to one of it’s dingy corners, seeming to be under the illusion that he could hide there, snivelling and shivering, averting his gaze. None of them ever made eye contact. Cowards.

The boy’s day would come, sooner or later.

Some customers liked the taste of the younger humans, mostly the extravagant and wealthy. It cost a pretty penny to have nine or ten for the night, as one simply wouldn’t make a meal, and even more if one of them died under your hand - or teeth. Yes, there were steep financial penalties for that, indeed.

Unless you paid beforehand, of course.

in the beginning...

Oh, The disillusionment begins!

In February of 2009 I started writing my first novel. Now, obviously that wasn't the first time I had attempted this: throughout school I wrote a few short novels/long stories, but for better or worse they always found a way to get away from me, be it a laptop sinking to the not-so-tech-friendly depths of a bathtub or a loss of dedication on my part.(well, if not even I was still interested, it couldn't have been too thrilling a story, eh?)

In February, i didn't have either of these problems(thank the administrative powers that be!).

"A Tainted Freedom" took shape in the space of two and a half months.

After typing the last word i sat, taken aback for a moment by the fact that I'd actually finish it.

As you might expect, I then did an extremely enthusiastic, if slightly(very) odd little jig of joy around the entire flat, screaming my head off and nearly scaring my mother to death.

After all the commotion and a calming cup of tea with mom, I sat back once more and thought quite differently: "Isn't this the part where the(very corporate chic) publishing fairy flies through my window and waves her wand, making my novel appear in exclusive books with a pretty cover? Instantly selling millions?"

Apparently that's not exactly how it works.

I know, it shocked me too!

But, all is not lost! Over the past few months I've met a virtual smorgasbord of people who, though not sparkly or publishing wand endowed, have helped me discover "the next step" in my little adventure.

So, slightly disillusioned but never better off for it, I continue taking notes and cautiously tip-toeing forward.

I hope to share some of the lessons I learned with you, and that you might share yours with me.