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Creative Block

cwest on 2002-08-22T20:29:30

So I've had creative block on some writing I'm doing. I got past it today a little bit. I wrote, I'm not sure how good it is, but I wrote.

First I tried to disconnect from the Internet, something Dan often says helps him. It did not help me. Then I turned on some music and *bam* I'm off and writing. Music must be my stimulation.

Getting my act together was good thing for me, I was starting to doubt my ability to write. In any case, I'm off and running, we'll see how long.

I'm trying to figure out what time of day is best for me too. I really don't have any idea yet.

Music hath charms

petdance on 2002-08-22T20:38:38

What music works to get you down the road again? Examples for me:
  • early 70s Stones: Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed, Exile On Main Street
  • Either of the first two albums by The Muffs, or Punk In Drublic by NOFX.
  • Most any good disco comp, like Rhino's The Disco Years series

Re:Music hath charms

gnat on 2002-08-23T01:27:06

Today I listened to some traditional Uillean piping and The KLF's "Chill Out" as I worked from the comfy chairs at Barnes and Noble.

--Nat

Re:Music hath charms

petdance on 2002-08-23T01:33:54

<jarring chord> The comfy chairs?

Thread capacity

lachoy on 2002-08-22T20:58:27

I haven't written a book so I'm not sure how applicable this is, but sometimes when I'm stuck it's just because I don't know what to do yet but the urge to do something is overwhelming. This frequently works out with distractions and time.

Talking to other programmers I've found that while working on the distractions (reading, exercise, walking around, working on something completely different, etc.) you're actually still working on the problem. It's a low-level thread (so to speak), but it's still churning away. So when you're mowing the lawn and then bam! it hits you how to solve the problem and the floodgates suddenly open wide, you can liken it to that low-level thread finishing up.

Or maybe not :-) I've just tried to stop beating myself up over these blockages and look at them as normal occurrences for non-guru programmers like me.

blockage

KM on 2002-08-22T23:13:52

I found that when I found myself staring at the screen with my mouth open not knowing what to write next, I took some time off. I would just not write anything for a day or two, and completely forget I was writing a book. Then, when I got back at it, things seemed to flow since I wasn't as consumed with it.

I generally wrote listening to music.. Phish, Miles Davis, Dead Can Dance, and Rusted Root were probably what I found most useful to listen to.

I don't think I had a time of day which worked best for me. I would usually jot down some notes during work, then do writing at night... usually after 9 when my daughter goes to bed.

When I was starting to write, and I think I told you this, Joe Hall said there will be a time when I wake up and think "My Lord!! This is shit!! What am I doing?!" That did indeed happen, and I took, geez, about 3 weeks off from writing. Luckily, I was ahead of schedule anyways :)

Anyways, you will get into your groove.

Re:blockage

gnat on 2002-08-23T01:29:25

In novel writing, I've heard the "My Lord! This is shit! What am I doing?!" moment described as the Chapter Nine Blues.

It's the role of the advance to say "finish it, shit or not." It's the role of the editor to say "it's mostly not shit, and the bits that are shit can be fixed."

--Nat