Battling Writer's Block

If there’s one disease, one sickness, one plague (if you will) that haunts every writer at some point or another it’s definitely writer’s block.  Sure you’ve got thousands of great ideas swimming in your head.  The plot is being molded nicely and characters are coming to life in the very facets of your imagination.  Yet, as soon as your fingers hit the keys (or pencil if that stuff is still going on), instantly you freeze.  Not a single word comes out.  You begin to doubt yourself soon after.  “Maybe the story isn’t good enough” or “It sounds way better in my head”.  Fear not friends.  I will share with you my tips and tricks that will help you get over your writer’s block dilemma.

To say that I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with writer’s block would be a bit of an understatement.  The 8 years it took me to bring Agent M: Project Mabus to life is a testament to that.  Like many of the problems we deal with everyday we have to start at the source.

1)                  What causes writer’s block?

-          The answer to this one is tricky because everyone will have a different response.  One of my biggest issues is scope.  The initial idea of the Agent M series was going to be short and sweet.  No more than 2-3 books in total but as I started developing ideas I began shaping and inevitably changing the world I’ve created before I ever started writing it.  As these ideas kept flowing, I put the writing the book on the backburner while the story developed a life of its own.

Some of you may be like me and find yourselves lost in the world.  Others might be still trying to figure out what to do with that badass antagonist they just created.  The sad thing is, there is no veritable solution I can give you to explain the cause of your writer’s block.  There could be a number of reasons (as I’ve explained above) that is stopping you from putting words on the page.  Your first goal is to pinpoint the source.  Once you’ve done that, it’s time to move on.

2)                  Set goals for yourself

-          This is something that is easy to do but hard to maintain.  Your main goal is simple; finish your work (whatever it may be). But that shouldn’t be your FIRST goal to attain.  Start slow.  This is a process after all.  Try and set small and easily attainable goals as you work your way towards the main one.  For the first week, why not start by writing detailed character biographies.  Then move on to a chapter synopsis.  Then a full novel synopsis.  Think of things that you can do to help motivate yourself to continue writing.

The methodology with this exercise is to get you excited about what you want to write.  If you get ten lines into the main character’s biography and start to hate what you see this is a perfect chance for you to revise and flesh out any and all details.

3)                  Stick to your goals, Get rid of bad habits

-          I know this should go without saying but in all actuality, it’s easy to say you’re going to do something then to actually go out and do it. You need to focus not only your time but your life into completing your goals.  Some of the very things you love could be causing a distraction that deprives the world of your work.

Allow me to regale you with a tale.  Before I buckled down and started writing, I was consumed by the furious grasp known as World of Warcraft.  I joined the online sensation in 2008 at the behest of some friends and was glued to it for the following 2 years.  Late in 2010, I decided that this is not something I wished to continue and made a precedence to give up this hobby in order to pursue my dreams of publishing this story.

I’m not going to say that was easy.  It took a great level of sacrifice to leave all of the great friends I’ve met online and the wonderful world I’ve been following since Warcraft: Orcs and Humans first graced store shelves.   But that’s the kind of commitment it takes.

One last major tip to help you achieve your goals is simple: MOTIVATION.  Give yourself a reason to want to complete your goals.  Have a friend help you out if need be.  Let’s say there’s a really big movie premiering this weekend that you’ve been dying to see.  Instead of venturing to the theatre outright, make that your next reward for completing a goal.  The key here is honor.  Of course you could just say “screw it” and see the film without doing anything.  Instead of shrugging off your goals look at it in a different way.  Ask yourself “How am I ever going to trust myself to do anything if I can’t even keep my own promises?”

4)      Never give up

-          This last one seems kind of preachy and in a way it is.  The difference between writer’s block and quitting is whether or not you choose to continue.  Believe me, in the 8 years between conceptualization and actualization, I never thought of myself as having writer’s block.  I quit.  Plain and simple.  I put the idea away and tried to pretend it never existed because I believed my writing skills couldn’t do this story justice.  And I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way about your own work.  But the difference between me then and me now is the determination I have, the sacrifices I made, and the goals I set for myself to see this project through to the very end.

It’s never too late to start but it’s always too early to throw in the towel.  If one idea you have didn’t pan through then take what you’ve learned from that concept and move it on to a new one.  A forgotten story is only a true failure if you didn’t learn from your previous mistakes.  Writing is an organic and growing process.  Even some of the greats today wish they could rewrite some of their more favored books.  They didn’t give up either.  The ball’s in your court.

Well, I hope this was an insightful and inspiring read.  If you’re still stuck after reading all of this don’t fret.  Writer’s block isn’t a rare disease.  We all get hit with it at one point or another.  In all truthfulness, it’s not really the writing part that gets most people stumped, it’s the motivation.  Achieving your goals is a great feeling but may not be as rewarding as some other activities that offer immediate pleasure.  No one is going to stand over you 24/7 and force you to write.  That’s a decision you have to make on your own and see to it until the very end.

Most importantly, remember to have fun while you’re doing it.  If it feels like work, then it probably is and no one is going to want to read a story that has the flavor text of a math book.  In the end, if you put the same passion in developing your ideas as you do writing them then I’m sure you’ll do just fine.  All of us hit speed bumps once and a while but still keep moving forward.  Pass the bumps, avoid the walls and cruise along with the rest of us.  It’s a truly magnificent ride.

Eureka! This is the greatest idea EVER!

Since I started these insightful tutorials and helpful posts about the realm of creative writing there comes a time where some people just get stuck at the worst part, the beginning.  How does one come up with a unique idea?  Where do you go when you've got the concept?  Will your audience understand what you are trying to accomplish?  All this and more on this week's From the Mind of Dr. Legend!  (Special thanks to my fiancé for suggesting this topic)

                So, you're sitting in front of your computer monitor, staring at a blank word processing screen and thinking "what the hell am I doing?"  Don't worry; this happens to the best of us at time.  Writers conveniently call this "writer's block" but the point is, everyone goes through it at one time or another.  Sometimes long, other times short.  Getting discouraged is out of the question.  We all can empathize what you're going through and we're here to help.

                Coming up with a unique idea from scratch isn't as easy as it sounds and sometimes it is.  The guys at Mega64 came up with their entire premise and show concept by writing 8 words on a napkin and now they've blown up to unfathomable proportions since.  Agent M, on the other hand, was a long drawn out process that took me at least 6 months of planning to get the premise firmly planted and another 7+ years to actually write and I'm still stuck trying to sell this concept to potential agents and publishers.

                What usually drives a creative writing project from concept to beginning is usually an epiphany of some kind.  Let's try an exercise.  Sit back, close your eyes and think about all of the books you've read, movies you've seen, and games you've played.  With all of those individual memories swimming in your head, try and think about something that is unlike all of those individual ideas.

                ...  Keep'm closed.  This might take a while.

                Still stuck?  Don't worry about it.  Nowadays, all of the good and original concepts have been taken.  The internet age has exploded everyone's creative since the audience is now easier and cheaper to reach.  So, what do we do about it?  There are still some ways to get around outright plagiarizing other ideas so you can call them your own.

                For example, there is something I like to do called "the opposite effect".  Let's take a high fantasy world as our setting and our main character is a magician that is trying to find a hidden relic.  Pretty standard, right?  Well how about this then.  Instead of our main character casting spells, what if he absorbed them instead?  The guy/girl can't cast a spell to save their life yet they can't be harmed by them either?  Why is that?  Who knows!  But you've got a great jumping off point from there by taking something that is already engraved in the minds of readers and created something unique to compliment it.

                Another method to jump start your creative writing endeavor is to start a concept you're already familiar with.  I created the Agent M series while I was working as a volunteer police assistant at my university.  Writing a crime story just came natural to me.  While this might not work for every profession, it can work to make compelling characters.  My theory in life is that no one in this world is boring, it's just that some can tell better stories than others.  Even while working a number crunching job that steals a part of your soul with each punch in, that could be a great segue into something more.  It's always the quiet ones that surprise you.  You show me a computer analyst and I'll show you a White Knight itching to come forth.

                Remember to always look within yourself and you'll surely find something interesting to write about.  If not, make something completely outlandish and out of this world.  Either way, find something that makes you happy and keep at it.  You may not strike gold with your first swing (more on that story someday) but as long as you keep driving, the creative writing journey never ends.

Plot vs Premise - The Eternal Struggle

                Alright boys and girls!  This week's lesson is on the essential framework of your story, the plot.  Or is it premise?

                Wait.

                What is the difference between to two?  That's a damn good question.  To answer it, I would like to bring up something my marketing professor would always ask:

                "Are we looking or are we seeing?"

                Another good question.  Simply put, one perceives the issue from the outside and the other from within.  This can be extrapolated to deciphering the difference between the plot and premise.  A story's premise is a vague description of what is to be expected and the plot has much more details.  When describing your story, normally someone would ask "what is the premise of your story" which pretty much means, "tell me everything about your story using little to no effort." 

                Now that we have this useful information...  What do we do with it? Knowing the difference is actually a crucial step.  If you are going to pursue the professional path to becoming a writer, then knowing how to efficiently and effectively convey your premise to your potential agent/publisher is a must.  I'm not saying I'm the authority when it comes to this matter, but it definitely helps to know the difference.  The best way to think about the premise is essentially everything you would write in your query letter.

                Agents and publishers alike read hundreds upon thousands of queries from young and hungry writers (like mine!) every year.  If you want to sell your story, then you're going to have to create the best possible query letter/premise that will steal their attention (and hopefully their heart as well.  More on that later).

                Once you've sold them on your premise, then they're probably going to ask for a synopsis, usually about 1-2 pages or so.  And so we've arrived at the second portion of our less.  A synopsis is where you're going to describe your plot in as much and little detail as possible.  Agents and publishers are testing you yet again at this point.  They want to see not just how well you can tell a story but also if you can do so with such little space.  The demands of creativity are unforgiving at sometimes but hey, if everything came easy, then nothing would be worth having.

                Once you know what an agent and publisher wants to read, it is up to you to craft it in the best way possible.  Time to you let your creative juices flow.  Crafting a query letter and/or synopsis can be just as taxing as writing your story.  Of course anyone would love to be able to sit and talk with an agent, pitch their story in person, and allow the passion of their thoughts pour through.  Sadly, this is not standard protocol.

                But a guy can dream!

                Since we are unable to sell our stories in person (or give an agent/publisher our 'word' that it's a good story) we must show them our creativity in writing.  After all, how can they believe you're a worthy writer if you can't even sell them on a simple pitch?

                Well, today's lesson is short and sweet.  I hope we all learned something today.  Always think about your readers above all else.  The premise is your hook and the plot steals the show.  Even after your story is written, there is still plenty of work left to do.  Creativity never sleeps.   Now we've all learned something today!

                "Remember your training...  And you will make it back alive!" - Starship Troopers

From the Mind of Dr. Legend - Learning the Creative Writing Process

"What's past is prologue" - William Shakespeare

As an added bonus to this little self started blog of awesomeness, I thought I would help those in need who could use a little extra boost in the creative writing department.  Thankfully, this isn't a trait you either "have" or "have not".  Everyone has an imagination (although some are more developed than others).  Oddly enough, it appears that most of us either repress it or flaunt it.  I believe this attributed to how we were raised as children.  Was your imagination reserved or flourishing?  With that in mind, we begin this week's lesson by talking about the history of our characters.

                Alright!  You've got a great idea for a story already scripted in your mind.  The plucky hero and/or heroine are ready to take your world by storm.  Soon, the battle is over and the day is saved.  Sound familiar?  Don't get discouraged.  Almost every element of fiction begins with this notion.  So what separates every story from one another?  That's right; the characters.  This little trinket of knowledge is just one of many lessons on how to bring your characters to life.

                One technique you might here about is to write out a character biography.  You know the drill.  Where did they grow up, how were they raised, key personality attributes.  This is the kind of this you'll find on the first page of Facebook; definitely not enough to truly know where your character comes from.  How can you really know how to write about a character when you're simply scratching the surface?  Your characters will be as flat as the paper they are printed on.  To really extract to true essence of the human being, you have to give it a little more than tapping a "like" button.

                So, now that you've decided I'm not talking completely out of my ass, let us begin.  Firstly (and honestly, the easiest method), take a page out of your book for inspiration.  Think about where you came from and any little quirks you have.  My brother, for example, has a hot blooded temper with a miniscule fuse.  This trait is something he inherited from my mother (damn that woman could scream) but developed over the years through countless disappointing losses in video games, sports, and life in general.

                And there we have it; instant inspiration.  All it took was a little drive down sweet memory lane.  Now we just need to focus this inspiration into something much more.  When your novel begins, the speed lane your character's history flies through stops dead in its tracks.  You need to know exactly what roads, shortcuts, and speed bumps they hit along the way.  That is why writing out your character's history, in as many details as possible, is an important element to effectively writing and humanizing said character.

                Now, don't think that I am recommending writing said history into your story. Far from it to be honest.  This is for your benefit alone.  Truth be told, writers forget things.  It's easy to say Character A came from a broken home in one book but then in the sequel you reference your character's mother dying from complications in labor.  Sketching a complete character history is a way to remind you just what your character has gone through up until this point.  Dive into the details.  Anything at all that inspires you should be put on paper.  As you move along through your book you'll find it much easier to decide and decipher how a character is going to act.

                Honestly, I can go on and on about the subject but I wanted to give you guys just a little taste on how to effectively use the creative process.  This method requires little effort but reaps maximum rewards.  So before you even think about writing line 1 of your new novel, try to remember what your characters have done to get you there.