# How do you get rid of writer's block? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 29, 2002, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-writers-block/126101 "2002-08-29T15:11:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gomez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@Gomez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gomez)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-writers-block/126101/21 "2002-08-30T14:59:07Z")
While the OP may not have “real” writers block as she has loads of ideas to start with, I’m sure there are people in this thread who have had it and may have it again. Hopefully this advice will help. Here’s how I get rid of it: [ul] [li] Clear 3 days. Book them off work, cancel any arrangements you might have made. These three days are for _you_ and no-one else. [/li] [li] On the first of the three days (you want to do this on the first day because if you do it on the third day other stuff unrelated to writing will creep into your head. Don’t waste the first 2 days, then spend the third worrying about work the next day, or whatever) get up bright and early (Make sure you get a decent nights sleep) and go down to your local library. Take a notepad with you and several pens.[/li] [li] Find a table or study area, then grab about 20 or 30 art books off the shelves. Any style, any artist, it doesn’t matter. realism, surrealism impressionism, expressionism, cubism, photography, sculpture, wood carvings, whatever. [/li] [li] Look at all the pictures in all the art books in turn. Look quickly, never spend more than 5 seconds on one particular picture.[/li] [li] Faced with this rapid influx of visual stimulation, thoughts and ideas will instinctively pop into your head. Then your own natural creativity will take hold and you will get an idea for how that scene might look in a movie/story. You might just see a breathtaking picture and feel an urge to describe it. Whatever happens, once you’ve finished looking through the 20 or 30 books you will have a couple of pages of notes, many of which will be good ammo for future stories. Once you’ve done that, get _another_ 20 or 30 Art books and repeat the proceedure.[/li] [li]When you’ve filled that notebook with ideas. Go out for a slap up meal. You’ve earned it![/li] [li] On days 2 & 3, thumb through your notepad and pick the most promising looking scribbles. Then develop them into synopses (no longer than half a page each). Then, choose one and write a plan for it. Then write the first page of it, then just take it from there. If you can’t make it work, try the next synopsis. If you can’t get any of them to work, refer back to the notepad. If you can’t get any of _them_ to work, book 3 days off and go back to the library. Sooner or later (almost certainly sooner) you’ll come up with something satisfying.[/li] [/ul] I’ll personally vouch for this technique as it has _never_ let me down yet. The most important things to remember are (A) Writers block is pure psychology. Busting through it is _also_ pure psychology. Therefore, if you approach the Visual Overload treatment negatively it will probably fail, because you will walk in there already _thinking_ it will fail. This sucks, and it just wastes your time. Make sure you approach this technique in a positive and upbeat frame of mind. The second thing to remember is (B) Do not be overly critical of the ideas you get from looking at the pictures. You might end up with reams and reams of notes but if you just casually dismiss them, you will have just wasted your time (and a few very good ideas) by being overly critical with yourself. The quality and readability of a story lies far more in the execution than in the idea so don’t dismiss what you’ve come up with without at least working up a synopsis for it. I hope this works for any of you if you ever get stuck. Since I’ve started doing this I’ve never had writers block for longer than 2 days. Sometimes, I just close my eyes and think of the sort of pictures I typically like seeing, or pictures I saw the last time I was at the library and that’s enough to start me writing again. Personally, I find the most effective type of art is photographic art. Good luck crushing writers block! ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-writers-block/126101/22 "2002-08-30T16:08:37Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by Kn_ckers\* > > > [@](#): > > > > _Originally posted by gex gex_ > > Start writing something totally pointless - if you’re working on a sci-fi crime novel set in medieval times, write an autobiography instead. At least it’ll get you going. > > gex gex , you creep the living hell out of me. This very-freaking-morning, I had an idea for a sci-fi novel set in medieval times. I don’t think I’m going to write it, though. It’s too… weird. > > Kn(wondering how gex gex got inside her head… there’s a story in that!)ckers Well, unless yours had aliens in it, it’s only cooincidence. Cause mine had aliens. Weird aliens in clanking suits of armour. Ooh… and the other idea Douglas Adams suggests is to tell yourself you can’t have another cup of coffee until you’ve written another page/chapter/got an idea/etc ---
**Author:** ![Kn\_ckers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/96bed5/32.png) [@Kn\_ckers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kn_ckers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-writers-block/126101/23 "2002-08-30T17:31:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gex gex \* > \*\* Well, unless yours had aliens in it, it’s only cooincidence. Cause mine had aliens. Weird aliens in clanking suits of armour \*\* Nope, only time-traveling space men, \* sans \* armor. Just coincidence, I guess. Kn(_siiigh_ So much for my theory about a Universal Consciousness of Writing Ideas)ckers ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-writers-block/126101/24 "2002-08-30T18:25:05Z")
How do I get rid of writer’s block? With a chisel and a hammer. Problem is that it damages the desk.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-writers-block/126101/25 "2002-08-30T18:25:05Z")
How do I get rid of writer’s block? With a chisel and a hammer. Problem is that it damages the desk.🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-writers-block/126101.md?page=1)