Severe writers block

[MidniteRose]

I posted some tips earlier in this thread. In addition to those, I agree finding an editor & clearing the decks should help. Also finding a new writing venue. For many writers, place counts. Time to tour coffeeshops?

Thanks sirhugs, your right. I am trying to find a new place to right, while waiting for the new bookstore to come to our area. I haven't found any editors yet, and I'm hoping I will being here in the forums.

 

[kimberlee]

I believe I read somewhere that Isaac Asimov claimed he never had writer's block. If one story began to run into difficulties, he'd set it aside or the back-burner and work on another.

I personally can't make the same claim. Writer's block happens to me all too often. I should probably try working on an unfinished one just to try and keep the juices flowing.

I also try to do a little research to make it more believable if I can. Other times, I find inspiration in either reading or an occurance from the day-to-day.

 

[psiman77]

How much is writer block and how much is feedback?

This is a no holds barred, rip an author up anonymously site, so how can authors operate freely? If you have a bitch at least be honest to register and put your name up on your critique.

 

[psiman77]

I've posted before on this site under a different name. 4 OUTSTANDINGS are quickly eclisped by one "I really wish you would quit writing." I don't have writers block I have posters' block! My own initial story lines comes from listening to kids in a foodcourt because they have no clue others are listening, they are sexually active, and they have no clue others are listening.

 

[candlesfyre]

I like the idea of making a sequel to a story you have wrote before. I also like to use outside drama to make a story. Lets say your reading a news paper about a man that was murdered and his wife that was left behind and in the prime suspect in the murder. I speculate and figure out what would cause a woman to kill her husband? then I write his debatched tell or I write hers... the news is an endless supply of story ideas. if that fails try friends and family mix and match husbands and wives to someone elses husband and wife... it can be comical, erotic, horrifying whatever..

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Hear that? Smell that? Get used to it every time this dude posts.

I do a gig when you blow off good advice, it keeps you stuck where you are.

TO THE OTHERS:
If you have no story in your head try writing a story you do know. Or! Copy a story another writer composed, but make it a 1st rate story. Just write it as it is, then do it again. Or! Read a collection of fairy tales till it clicks in your skull what a story is.

 

[NikkiBastion]

I liked this on Write It Sideways = great site but this article was on how to jumpstart a stalled story...good ideas.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/11/need-jump-four-ways-to-fix-stalled.html

 

[werdsmith]

luckily I don't write for a living, but I've been published before. If I have a story in my head, it seems to find its way onto the screen/ paper. If there is nothing in my head that is trying to get out, I try not to worry about it. Unfortunately, work has gotten most of my mental "free time" lately, and there isn't much RAM left for writing. In other words, you can't really 'force' a story

 

[SydneyBlake]

I do a gig when you blow off good advice, it keeps you stuck where you are.

It took you four months to think of that comeback? That explains the expression on your face.

 

[lovecraft68]

It took you four months to think of that comeback? That explains the expression on your face.

That was fucking hilarious!

 

[SydneyBlake]

I appreciate a man who takes his time, but this is asking a bit much, even for a Texas girl.

 

[sapphicus68]

I believe I read somewhere that Isaac Asimov claimed he never had writer's block. If one story began to run into difficulties, he'd set it aside or the back-burner and work on another.

I personally can't make the same claim. Writer's block happens to me all too often. I should probably try working on an unfinished one just to try and keep the juices flowing.

I also try to do a little research to make it more believable if I can. Other times, I find inspiration in either reading or an occurance from the day-to-day.

i use the shelving and research processes as well. i also allow for shorter stories

 

[Thefamiliar]

What if?

Play the what if game, it works really.

What if men stayed home and women fought the wars?

What if we never heard of spaghetti?

What if a stranger offered you a life of luxery in exchange for sex any time they wanted?

What if we colonized the moon?

Dear lord, take a walk, go live life, creep ondating sites..a story idea doesnt have to start in the usual way.

I once compared my grandmother to a coffe mug...the challenge was to take an object in the room and turn it into a story.

The desk stood in the middle of the room fresly polished, the light scent of lemon tickled her nose. What if he came to her now? Would they get caught? Would they further polish the desk?

what if writers block was a figment of your imagination?

Ofcourse when all else fails I use google. One word or a phrase is all it takes.

For instance I just recently googled national nude day, read a few articles about nudists, then asked myself what if I went to a nudist beach? Who would I go with? ...ofcourse I may not have it submitted, but broke my barrier of how to incorporate "nudity" as the main theme to sex.

Everything has the potential for a story, just as everything has the potential to be erotic. Lol

Brainstorming with others helps too.

"just saw a turkey in the mall parking lot!"
"I'd do her"
"lol will bring her home for a threesome"

Yes, I have amazing friends. Lol The key really is to let go of all inhibitions when writing. Its your world anything can happen.

Your welcome to take the turkey idea...lol I couldnt do it without laughing, making it a very less than desireable read.

 

[Combat323]

Dialogue with your muse

What almost always works for me is a written dialogue with my muse. I usually use an unnamed caring counselor / mentor or an author I admire. Occasionally, I'll use a picture of someone I don't know, preferably in an interesting setting. I always let the other "person" start.

M(entor): Hi Jack. Long time, no see. How's it going? (mentor is informal and asks a lot of questions.)

J: Not so great. I'm gluing my ass to the seat and trying to write, but it's way short of inspirational.

M: Well, what are you trying to write about?

J: I've got this idea about an erotic story centered around two women.

M: Great, two women jump Jack and take him back to their love dungeon, right?

J: More of a one woman getting them both in trouble kind of thing.

M: Who are they? What's the conflict?

J: They're sisters, one about 5 years older than the other and very straight-laced. The older sister always feels a subconscious need to set a good example for her younger sister, but the younger sister sees it more as self-righteousness. She thinks her big sister acts like a third parent and is too judgmental and prudish.

The mentor continues asking plot, character, and setting questions. As I get rolling, there are usually a good number of "why" questions, and I find that those are the ones that keep me from painting myself in a corner, plot-wise, or having a character do something that's (ahem) out of character.

Other questions that come up often:
Do you have any scenes in mind?
Do you already have some dialogue or description you want of use?
How does that fit, or are you just trying to shoe-horn it in because you like it?
What other characters might find out about that, and how will they react?
Why do you think that will happen?

 

[Karessalot]

There are many ways I have gotten over writers block. I have taken little ideas from many different places over the years. One of them is to take a bag of skittles or m&ms and without looking at the colors, the first ten that come out of the bag are the ones that you use in the order you pull them out in order to use descriptive nouns and pronouns in the next few paragraphs of a topic of your choosing.

Another option is an app that does random words and the first three that it pics, learn what they mean and use them all in a few paragraphs.

Hope these help.

 

[Mrtouf]

Honestly? Go get the shopping in.

Yes, oddly enough when you're carrying a bag of groceries home that's the time when you have an idea that is way better than that idea you had originally.

It's not necessarily that you don't have any ideas at all, it's just that, having fixed some element already, you've limited your options before you needed to, so you don't consider some ideas because they are incompatible. Or perhaps you simply haven't yet got the idea that you need. That's then not the dreaded "writer's block" but an obstacle to overcome in one story-in-progress.

Having more than one story going can be helpful because although you may not make great strides on any one of them, you have less down time.

 

[ThinkerLover]

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but a writer taught me this trick years ago and I've used it multiple times.

Take the final action from a movie you like a lot and write out the scene that immediately follows it...

Quintus, leading Maximus' pallbearers away from the sand of the arena, summoned for his page.

"Carry word to the Senators still loyal to our cause," he ordered quietly, "Commodus is dead. The time to act is now!"

The boy compliantly....

Around 5-6 paragraphs into it, an idea always comes to me - almost always something completely unrelated. Sometimes you have to borrow someone else's characters to prime the pump.

Another that I find is that you put too much pressure on yourself to earn critical acclaim or good reviews or make your "big return to writing" or something. Read something popular-but-poorly-written and it will shake you of that pressure.

 

[JamieJ424]

For a new story, just write a sentence. Any sentence, the more random and convoluted the better. "In the back of the pickup truck in front of her, on top of a pile of newspapers and an old desk chair, she saw the perfect pair of shoes."

"It started when he saw that first, single gray pubic hair."

"As much as she hated the idea of being rescued, she couldn't help but feel relief when an old truck came around the corner."

A story is hard. A sentence is easy. Getting started is like bricklaying, but the story will shortly find its legs.

J

 

[CeasarBoobage]

Severe writers block for an erotic story? Easy - just have some crazy erotic drunken sex!!!!!

Everything that you're thinking should be written down, whether on your smartphone or computer, write it down as soon as possible, hoping that in the morning you can remember what you were thinking and seeing.

if that's not working for you, go shopping at the mall. Just shopping, not buying. Bring your mate with you, and turn every possible scenario into some kinky fetish you and your partner were working out.

 

[JonB1969]

KitKat -

I am a published writer and I have trouble with writer's block on occasion.

When that happens, I realize I am trying too hard and I deliberately make myself take a break from writing. I go read, watch TV, play video games, whatever, I make myself take a break from writing. The point is to do something that will help clear your mind and concentrate on something else for a while instead of the story you are apparently obsessing over too much.

Also going out and doing a mindless task, ie, going to the grocery store or just going to have coffee or whatever, getting some new stimulation, talking to a stranger can also help.

I've had ideas come to me at 530 am on the bus on the way to work, seriously. You just have to realize you are trying to hard and back off your story for a while. The ideas will come to you. Really.

peace, out, namaste
- JonB1969

PS - feel free to PM me for my twitter handle or what have you if you need further advice.

 

[tadams9]

"Summer of '77" hasn't been updated in 2-3 years. Will you add to this story?

"Summer of '77" hasn't been updated in 2-3 years. Will another author add to this story?


The author, natalieprendergast, has not added to their cfnm series (2-3 year). Will another author add to this story? I’ll leave the link to the earlier chapters:

http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=1099254&page=submissions

If you decide to contribute to the story, then please post the link to your story below.

The story began about a shy boy, Adam who lived with his his step mom, Natalie, and his step sister, Rachel. Adam is attracted to his step mom’s busty figure. Mainly her thighs & buns. Her daughter is described with similar features, like a younger clone of Natalie.
Thou the story starts with Adam, the first three chapters of the story are mainly centered around, Oscar, his parent’s long time friend & family handy man. More specifically, Oscar goes by a nickname, Dick, & Adam starts asking why he was known by the nickname. Apparently, a lot of people know already, including Natalie, Rachel, & Rachel’s friends. (So far the story only names one of Rachel’s friend’s, Nikki). Eventually, he is informed the reason everyone calls him Dick is, because of his enormous penis. Adam discovers Dick & Natalie have a cfnm relationship.

As the story continues, chapter 4 to 5, Adam is exposed. He walked-in on by his step mom. (My favorite part of the series). After initially feeling embarrassed, Adam eventually gets out of his shell & a little bold with her. They even had a cat-and-mouse game with his trunks in the pool. Which was fun until Natalie tossed the trunks over the fence & their neighbor’s dog tore them to shreds.

The story ends with Natalie and Rachel getting ready to go to the mall, after playing with Oscar’s enormous penis.
I loved the story, but it seems incomplete. In the series Adam overhears Natalie inviting one of her coworkers, Annette, about a potential cfnm barbeque at the end of the next month. The story did not get to it. Also, most the cfnm in the story centers around Oscar. I was expecting the next chapters to add more characters & have more of Adam. But they never came. The author stopped all activity 2-3 years ago. Which brings me to ask another author to build on it. I am looking forward to reading what other talented authors can create to contribute to the story. But to as some starting ideas;

1) Natalie hires one of her coworker’s daughter as an intern. One day most had off except the four, Natalie, adam, coworker, & the new intern. During the lunch beak, Adam has to make a run in the rain to the post box, a short walk from the office. He gets splashed by a car on his way back. Natalie tells him, as luck would have it, she bought him an outfit when she went to the mall. It is still in the trunk of the car. He undresses in an empty office room to dry. Everyones at lunch. Natalie should have plenty of time to take his muddy wet clothes to the car & get the outfit before they come back. The new intern & her mother come back early & adam gets caught. To make matters worst Unknown to Natalie, Rachel already took the clothes inside.

2)Natalie's going on a trip for three days & Rachel has plan's to sleep over at her friend's house.
Adam decides to be bold without Natalie and decides since he swam nude before, why not do it alone. Rachel's plans change and she comes home early with a friend or two. He desperately has to sneak around changing his hiding place. Eventually they leave, just a short walk to get her friends swim suit, but only for poor Adam to find out they had locked the door. He then gets caught by his step sister's other friends. Rachel called them over for a swim, under the impression Adam's not home & they'll have the pool & house to themselves. Rachel & the two eventually come back with the swimsuits, and see the amusing display. Rachel has the key!!

 

[StephenMiletus]

I believe I read somewhere that Isaac Asimov claimed he never had writer's block. If one story began to run into difficulties, he'd set it aside or the back-burner and work on another.

Isaac Asimov had hypergraphia, a compulsion to write. Consult Wikipedia for more about this condition.

For us mortals, there will be occasions when we can't write. Sometimes one has to simply accept that the batteries need to be recharged. Sometimes one has to figure out how to make the chore of writing into fun once again.

Thus spake Stephen Miletus. ;-)

 

[Acktion]

Well, for me...

I slap a word on a page and go from there. Perhaps obviously so for any who have read my "work", though I use the term loosely.

Typically, it has been my experience that when a person says they suffer from writer's block, what they actually mean is "I have a thousand and one ideas, but think they are all stupid and not worth recording while I wait for the muse to give me the next great novel of all time block". But "writer's block" is much shorter.

As this particular genre is erotica, try this if you have a blockage.

Step one: Get out your high school year book and find the picture of your first crush.

Step two: Pull up "you tube" and find "that song".

Step three: Open your choice of word processing software.

Step four: Hit play and look at the picture and remember what you felt when you first noticed him, her, or it back then. Forget the shit that happened after. Just that first moment is all you need. What did you notice?

Step five: Start typing the description of what you first noticed.

Step six: And this is VERY important. KEEP typing and don't even THINK about hitting backspace or delete. Don't look back over it. Don't think about what you are typing. Just keep typing for one hour minimum.

Step seven: Delete the first three paragraphs. Don't even read them first. Just scrap them.

Step eight: Read what you have written and decide if there is a chunk of coal you can heat and press.

Step nine: Polish or scrap and start over with a different lust interest and a different song accordingly.

Step ten: Don't get pissed if you trash it. You wrote something and shook the cob spiders from their roosts at the worst.

There really ought to be two more steps to make it a program, but there ya go. Words are on the screen. "Writer's block" solved.

Alternative to steps 1 through 4; Turn on the television for fifteen seconds. Turn it off and type the sentence they said at step five.

Edit note: If your nose wrinkled at the thought of writing for one hour and then trashing it, you are not a writer. You may be an author, but the questing heart of a writer lies not within thy breast.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

If you gotta a tale in your noggin youll find the words to express it. Like back in 1980 I witnessed a building collapse atop a crew of girls. I could write a book about it.

Writers block is simply the output of an empty head.

 

[bill4672]

Every writer faces times when the pen stills. Instead of fretting, embrace the silence. Take some time to try other things. Read, then read some more. Listen to audio readings by your favorite writers. Once you let go of the need to write, the words will come.

Or, alternatively, force yourself to write. Flip open a dictionary at random, and write a sentence using the first word you see. Take a news headline as a story source. Grab a book off the shelf, turn to a page at random, copy the first full sentence from the first full paragraph. Close the book. Write the next sentence.

Sometimes letting go works; sometimes dogged determination. See what works for you.