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 cjjeepercreeper
Commodore
Joined: Nov 27, 2006
Member#: 2665
Posts: 6146
Location: At the Mountains of Madness
   
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 Posted:
Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:06 pm Post subject: Writer's block |
 
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Who's experienced it? I mean those of you that write for your job, or are some sort of professional writer/author. I've been going thru this for probably a couple years now, and it sucks. I edit and write for a major online OHV magazine, have been doing so since January 2000. I used to write at least one column a month, usually a rant against eco-nazis, the government, and stupid people in general. I was pretty well known amongst my targets and my target audience, often getting threats or kudos and reprint requests. But, the passion is gone or something, hell, I even have trouble typing a post this long.
I quit drinking 3 years ago, I wonder if that had something to do with it? 
Anyway, tell me your writer's block stories, and what did you do to overcome it?
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 diginferno
Rear Admiral (Ambassador)
Joined: Apr 11, 2006
Member#: 1771
Posts: 3182
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Posted:
Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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| I quit drinking 3 years ago, I wonder if that had something to do with it? Silly |
Could be, I've read that Anthony Burgess was drunk all the time while he wrote A Clockwork Orange . He drank so he could write all those atrocities. 
Anyway, I'm a programmer, so I don't write articles or essays, just code. Nevertheless, several years ago I was bored and going nuts, couldn't care less about coding. After a while, I found out that my rejection came from interruptions. People often interrupted me with their questions, my boss bugged me with silly on-line management conversation... There's one thing about writing programs: when the coder tries to implement something, he's got to visualize the application he's working on. It's like a shimmering appearance in one's visual mind, and it pops like a soap bubble in the moment the programmer is snatched out of that mental context. And it's very annoying, because any number of paper drawings won't have the same quality as that fragile mental image of a program. Then I've learned to defend my work atmosphere, and now I'm happily coding again. Not to mention that I got rid of the splitting headaches that were included in the annoyance's package.
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diginferno
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 Pesadelo 
Admiral (Administrator)
Joined: Feb 18, 2007
Member#: 3090
Posts: 1955
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Posted:
Wed Oct 31, 2007 6:15 am Post subject: |
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Sensible question this of you, CJ, and difficult one.
As a programmer, I have few to add to Digi's claims (she shaped well this activity). Interruptions are the core of a serious programmer dismotivations. But to code has more to do with to solve a many variables mathematical problem or to paint a detailed picture. Programs are art pieces.
I have some experience as a writter too. I like to write!
To write to an audience demands inspiration, knowledge and belief on something. These three walk together, one feeding the others. And, for whose that are older, the believes are the great problem. We change day after day, our world vision changes together, giving us a "more understandable" world. Suddenly some believes are not so solid and what we would write about a matter, before with passion and conviction, now is full of doubts and criticisms. The world is not deterministic anymore! Everything has a "but" or a "what if".
As a result of this above, the writer feels the weight of his responsability as never before. The production is not so fast, the texts are not so good, sentences deserve be improved to become more clear, more exact.
The age (and the "wisdom") brings another consequence: our mind is not so open to the world as before. Our filters are more "intelligent", most of the events was seen before and, thereafter, don't deserve so much attention. We fall on a big trap: for know so much of the world, we stop to pay full attention to it. The no-observance of the world is letal for a writter.
Since 7 years ago I use my satudays and sundays morning to write about some thoughts. The last 3 years have been hard on job, so I am very tired since the begin of this year. My presence here (DFM) is a result of an escape, a way to less the pressure. I have not write a single line since february (2007). I'm becoming bothered by this and I'm charging myself to return to my thoughts and writings. I know that when I'm on this point, usually I do something positive. I'll rest on january (2008) and I want restart my personal duties on february (2008).
That's it. I have no formulae, no suggestion, no help for you. I just tell you some thoughts and plans, trying add some light to your.
Look for the kid inside you 
Last edited by Pesadelo on Thu Nov 01, 2007 5:28 am; edited 3 times in total |
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 Dami
Commodore
Joined: Feb 04, 2005
Member#: 87
Posts: 2567
Location: Stalag 13
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Posted:
Thu Nov 01, 2007 5:17 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, I know that too. I got one free day btw. that is why I am here  .
Digi and Pesa already mentioned many parts and perfidies (lol, that words seems kinda out of context but maybe you know what I mean).
My personal experiences:
As a musician I write many lyrics by myself. In the last months my output got lower and lower, there are many new works which aren't at least a bit finished (but well, they are here). There is a feeling that I have written about many things already and it is easier to write about something personal (for me, that is). There is a kind of "fear" to repeat myself in new works, so that I bug myself with the constraint to check everything over and over again just to have only few similarities. Maybe I'm a bit of a perfectionist in that matter.
As for the alcohol-thing: most of my lyrics were created "under the influence". Not all. There were good ones when I were sober, there were also good ones when I were drunk. It is easier for me to write if I'm relaxed by drugs or the medicine I have to take; there is more drive within me that creates the possibilty to write longer "stories" with metaphors, emotions and twists.
A few years ago I had a similiar "block" which went away after about one year. I had new ideas and really wanted to write something again. Maybe you only need some time (or another inspiration ?).
Hm well that's it for me 
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 Waffen
Captain
Joined: Oct 25, 2006
Member#: 2503
Posts: 1421
Location: England & Thailand
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Posted:
Fri Nov 02, 2007 3:18 am Post subject: |
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CJ I think you should combine Digi's idea of concentration with Pesa's idea of inspiration and Dami's idea of time.
If this still has no effect try thinking about other topics that run parralell with what you write about and try and apply them to your own subject.
For instance: I like horror films, porn and misfortune. Oh! and stupidity. Taking this on board I would write something like:
Imagine if Stephen Hawkings was in a porn film of female ejaculation but they squirted on him too much and his electrics fucked up causing him to malfunction and kill everyone like the droid from Alien!
Maybe a bit far fetched for what you write about but you get the idea. Find something new for inspiration. For me personally I look inwards and outwards and cross things i think of in my stoopid mind with real stuff.
I hope this helps you in some way.
good luck man
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