Any full-time writers out there?

[Stoysluttie1]

If so...when you run into a writers block, how do you overcome the situation?

I currently have chapters 1 and 2 comlete for my thesis and am working on 3 and 4, with chapter 4 pretty far along since I try and avoid anything to do with stats (Ch3).

I've also completed my title pages, biblio (as much as I can), and some of my appendices but I cannot go on writing right without having troubles.

[Z]

If so...when you run into a writers block, how do you overcome the situation?

I currently have chapters 1 and 2 comlete for my thesis and am working on 3 and 4, with chapter 4 pretty far along since I try and avoid anything to do with stats (Ch3).

I've also completed my title pages, biblio (as much as I can), and some of my appendices but I cannot go on writing right without having troubles.

my only experience in writing term papers and such, but taking a break always helps me out when i get pissed/writers block...relax, clear your mind, and then come back and bring the pain....

[Stoysluttie1]

Exactly the problem...I relax enough...I go away a lot. Just came back from two days in some slot canyons.

[JMO]

William Stafford once wrote that there's no such thing as writers block for writers whose standards are low enough. Or, as Norman Mailer put it, writer's block is simply a failure of ego.

Anytime I've run into this problem, I just start writing whatever comes to my head. Write up a TR about your trip to the store or something. Anything to get the brain flowing.

My two cents.

[splat]

It's not in the write, Stoy, it's in the rewrite.

Walk away and come back to it later.

[basom]

The only thing that ever blew up the block for this non-pro was serious fear of miising the deadline. if the block was bad i'd just slck off harder untill it was obvious to my lazy brain that if i didn't do something stat my ass was dead. very dead. i often use fear of filure to make me do things.

sometimes this yielded good results. sometimes i rushed it too hard, and the work suffered. i always seemed to justify it with some 'epiphanies only happen to you under stress, be stressed and you will see the way' bullshit.

[Grange]

When I would write papers in college and go writers block I would get drunk. Sounds like an excuse to drink, which it probably was, but I could always write when drunk. Also math made complete sense when drunk.

[yogachik]

no such thing as writers block, just bad writing.
Anyway - I've got a bunch of great creative exercises I do that have nothing to do with writing and it helps the flow. Mostly, though, I only write when I feel the urge and usually the urge only hits when there's a looming deadline. I write my best at the last minute. PM me if you want any of those creative exercises - some of them involve yoga moves.. Anything to help open up channels...

[The AD]

- some of them involve yoga moves.. Anything to help open up channels...

Yoga moves opening channels, huh? Slow pitch

[FreakofSnow]

When i can't figure out what to say, i just post up FKNA

[shamrockpow]

The only thing that ever blew up the block for this non-pro was serious fear of miising the deadline. if the block was bad i'd just slck off harder untill it was obvious to my lazy brain that if i didn't do something stat my ass was dead. very dead. i often use fear of filure to make me do things.

sometimes this yielded good results. sometimes i rushed it too hard, and the work suffered. i always seemed to justify it with some 'epiphanies only happen to you under stress, be stressed and you will see the way' bullshit.

I got this same problem. Maybe its a mild case of ADD, or maybe I just can't focus on things that aren't mental priorities. What I would suggest (if breaks don't help) is a complete change of scenery.

Do you usually write at home? Maybe try the a coffee shop that has Wi-Fi. No laptop? Make a trip to the library and cut yourself off from all distractions - just write. Don't worry about what you're writing, just put something on paper. Once the juices are flowing you won't need to check TGR 5 times every hour

[bossass]

Completely agree. I had a couple summer classes to graduate college a few years ago and one was environmental philosopy. I would get stoned and write papers and I got an A on every damn one. It's not easy, but at least being under some influence can give you ideas to build on when sober.

[stoned bossass] If a dog and three people are in a liferaft with enough rations for three beings, you throw the dog overboard because human life is intrinsically more valuable then canine..........but, what if there is two humans, a dog and a fish? Not throwing the fish overboard would kill the fish. Therefor, the lifeboat example is flawed.......huh huh.[/stoned bossass]

When I would write papers in college and go writers block I would get drunk. Sounds like an excuse to drink, which it probably was, but I could always write when drunk. Also math made complete sense when drunk.

[schuss]

just keep writing, and then look at what you just wrote, say "this sucks" then rewrite it. I wrote a thesis last semester, and really the only thing that will MAKE you write is pressure or being in the mood. Since the latter doesn't come around very often, make yourself a schedule of when certain things need to be done. Even if you miss dates, you'll feel bad about them and write more often. Just keep the momentum going.

[Stoysluttie1]

Thanks for the advice...I normally write a hell of a lot better when its on paper and not on the computer. So I shot over to the coffee shop, grabbed a snakc a soy chai and collected the thoughts. Just handed in a chapter for revisions and a poster draft for a conference. Things just started clicking.

And YogaChiquita....are you saying my writing is bad? Wouldn't suprise me if it was.