Overcoming writer's block

"Sometimes when I have writers block I sit down and just start writing in my journal, stream of consciousness writing. That's basically when you write the thoughts going through your head. Doesn't have to be sentences, just thoughts as they come to you, even if it's 'I can't think of anything to write now. this is so stupid. hey, i wonder what I'm going to have for dinner tonight...' etc. I do this for about five minutes or so." - Savia

"Inhibition is a bitch, and sometimes its sneaky enough to not make itself known to one's more logical parts. Its a three-way step for me when I feel like my creative process has been jammed this way: first, Let Go. I think this is the most important, and its been recommended by writers everywhere. Think about the preconceptions you have toward the work, and destroy them. They don't matter in the long run anyway. Shut off the inner critic, the one that edits while you write, the one that expects perfection from a first draft, and just Let Go.

"Second, Take A Risk. It doesn't even have to be a risk related to writing-- in fact, sometimes its better that it isn't. Perhaps do something you've never done before. Face a fear. Jump out of the window (um... carefully, kids). Take off all your clothes and try writing naked. Do something wierd, different, and especially something that frees the part of you that is essentially creative in the first place.

"Third, Write Something Else. Personally, I will have two or three pieces going at once. There are days that you just can't write that story-- even if you feel inspired to-- and it could just be a period of 'composting' that your mind is going through in regards to that piece. It helps to redirect the inspiration energy to something else. You can treat that energy like magic airplane fuel: you can use it on anything, even a grocery list, and the most important thing is that you keep using it. Using it seems to create more of it." - Alycen

"One thing that helps me too is just keeping a journal.. Whether it's an online journal, or a personal journal in a notebook at home, a writing journal is a great thing. You write about your life in it, your problems, your ddramas, etc. This can give you great inspiration for any number of story ideas, poetry ideas, etc." -Savia

"Another good exercise is to get up in the morning and the first thing you do is start writing. And I mean FIRST THING. Don't do anything else until you've written a few pages. I was amazed to look back on some of the things I wrote when I was doing that." -Jeffrey Earl Gullett

"One of my poetry books suggests making a list of the memorable things in your life. It could be as striking as the death of a friend or relative, or as silly as the time you and your friend snuck into the movies. Once you have finished the list, hang on to it. Next time you have writer's block, write about one of those experiences. Maybe not from first person, but as the basis for a story or poem. The possibilities are endless." -Savia

"But another thing that sometimes helps me is to engage myself in some kind of mindless activity. Something I can do with my hands without thinking. Now allow me to be a Zen geek for a second... Sometimes I'll start up an empty multiplayer game of Quake or something and just run around. It helps empty out the clutter in my mind. (Hey, it works for me!)" -jeffrey

"Use a tape recorder. You can get one of those little mini tape recorders for about 20 bucks or so. That way, you can carry it on you, and when you get inspired, you can just speak into the recording machine." -Savia

"Whenever I get writer's block, I do several things. Having the Internet is a great thing because I get many inspirations to write from it. I will sit in a chatroom that I'm in and instead of talk, just watch the flowing conversation. Sooner or later a word or a line of words reminds me of something on the preverbial back burner of my mind. I am not saying to copy what someone says, but maybe someone's conversation or just one or two words can trigger a whole poem or short story.
"If you don't visit chatrooms often and you often enjoy the reactions of people in real life (however stupid some people may be).. just sit in a public park and watch the passers by..or in a cafe, sit at a table and just listen to what people are saying about their lives." -Azrael Bourgeois

"Sometimes I get majorly frustrated because it seems like nothing I write is 'good' for a period of time, and that makes me want to not write period..however some of the best advice I ever got was actually from an art teacher of mine...'You have to do a thousand bad drawings before you can make all good ones'.This can apply to writing in so many ways as well- viewing 'failures' as an important part of the process...So I write anyway, even when it seems like it's shit, just because it's getting rid of some more of the 'bad writing',getting the bad writing out of my system to make room for the good writing." -Miss Bianca

"A little wine helps the freeflow. If you like wine anyways. Some writers use other inspirational substances. Depends on what kind of writer you want to be known for. Go for a walk breath in the air. Find how you are feeling. Find your thoughts. <~~~catch yourself thinking, is what my poetry teacher says." -Kim

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What to Write About

"Anyways, I know that most of you are aware of this fact..but the best inspiration of writing is life experiences. If you are into writing stories, you could take an interesting life experience and twist it around, embellish it, and it would probably be great. In my poetry, when writing about obvious or obscure life experiences, I am honest, though. But that suggestion was just for story writers, I suppose." -Azrael Bourgeois

"Something else I like to do is just talk to people... sometimes I will go to a cafe or something and find a person who is sitting alone and just start talking to them. Now, you have to be careful about this. You have to have an eye for who wouldn't mind being talked to, and who would mind. And Davis is probably easier to do this in (it being a small town) than SF. But hey, you never know. People live fascinating lives and have interesting ideas about things." -Savia

"Does anyone do this: take a notepad to them when they go to bed and write down dreams as soon as you awake from them? I do it all the time..it's easier to remember a dream as soon as you wake up than the morning after. I write down as many things I remember just in two or three word phrases...as well as words to remember the dream like..'melancholy'..or 'entrancing'." -Azrael Bourgeois

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Copyright Protection

"In general, you should always seek to protect your work before it goes into circulation. Circulation means giving it to anyone who is in any way connected to the entertainment/publishing business. You can always submit later drafts.
"The place to send it is the US copyright office, which is part of the Library of Congress. The fee is $20. It last for five years, at which point you can resubmit. The last time I sent them something, it took 6 months for the certificate to come back, but it was back-dated to the time that they received it. If you send your manuscript by certified mail, you'll know what that date is going to be.
"The forms you need are on-line: http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/ " -Tony Harris

"Actually, the writer automatically owns copyright over everything he creates, but if you think you might have to defend your copyright in court, registering it with the US Copyright Office is definitely the way to go." -Kali Nichta

"Should you wish to self-certify your copyright on the cheap, you can mail a copy of your work to yourself via certified mail. Don't open it when you get it back, because you now own a signed, dated, sealed copy of your work. :-)
"As for a book of short stories, the collection can be copyrighted as a whole. It's called a compilation copyright, and it's how things like the phonebook are copyrighted." -pmb

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