Fight Writer's Block with a Shower
Jul. 10th, 2023 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jajalalaI need to drill this in my brain that EVERY SINGLE TIME I get to a point in one of my works where I'm like "Hmmmmm uhhhhhhh idk..... I think I will Look Away From This and avoid writing for awhile" the solution is literally ALWAYS to attempt starting to write it, suffer, then go take a shower, and then WHAM! Every single time I get out of the shower like "Oh actually I know where I need to go with this!"
Probably the social-media addled brain... when I'm anywhere outside the shower I have something to distract myself with when thinking's too hard, like scrolling through tumblr or discord or whatever else.... but when I'm in the shower, the boredom of the wet box forces me to focus.
Hmm, perhaps I gotta enforce more boredom in my life.
There were several issues I worked out over not just one shower, but TWO showers. The first was a larger structural one, making a decision about how/where I want the fic to end. There were two candidates, and in the end I had to hone in and do like a pros/cons list of the options, then checked out the logistics for feasibility. I've made my choice now, and that's helped settle some of the timeline I need to prepare for and other details that are approaching. I had some fear moving forward in the fic without that set, but now that I've decided it I can forge onward without fear.
Another issue involved a particular scene, I wanted to make two characters argue about something and say some mean shit to each other... and I kept trying to write it as JUST an argument, just dialogue, and although I had a lot of hard-hitting stuff they say to each other, somehow I found myself getting bored while trying to actually write it out.
Then I realized: No wonder it's boring, they literally already had a small argument in the last scene with moderately low stakes (talking while doing a task in a room, so some physicality to keep interesting but overall low stakes), and yet in the same chapter I just wanted to continue/escalate the argument, but with them just in their room talking to each other? LAME. So I made one of them do a Big Action, which the other one catches them doing, which leads MUCH more naturally into a big blow-out argument with some strong physical components and has some actual stakes going on due to the Big Action.
And today's specific shower problem was literally just "I wrote [big mission then x happens] as my outline note but wtf should the big mission be?". What I was INTERESTED in writing was the [x happens] part, but it would be much too abrupt to skip to it without the mission setup. So I've been avoiding bc I don't wanna write the build up to it, bc idk what the mission should be and it's not the part I'm actually invested in, I didn't feel like it mattered so why would I want to write it?
Well GUESS WHAT instead of plowing through boringness, the solution was to add a particular character to the mission and turn it into an excuse to show interactions and reveal some things on the way! And I found a core concept to the mission that jives well with that additional character, so now enough details on the mission are settled enough for me to write on some rails. I love character interaction! Every "boring" but necessary scene I just need to figure out how it forces characters to interact in new ways and all of a sudden I'm bursting with ideas.
(Shh ignore that I'm now writing this post instead of working on my fic XD. I did get some writing done today, and now that I've worked out those kinks I'm ready to hit the ground writing when I next sit to write.)
Probably the social-media addled brain... when I'm anywhere outside the shower I have something to distract myself with when thinking's too hard, like scrolling through tumblr or discord or whatever else.... but when I'm in the shower, the boredom of the wet box forces me to focus.
Hmm, perhaps I gotta enforce more boredom in my life.
There were several issues I worked out over not just one shower, but TWO showers. The first was a larger structural one, making a decision about how/where I want the fic to end. There were two candidates, and in the end I had to hone in and do like a pros/cons list of the options, then checked out the logistics for feasibility. I've made my choice now, and that's helped settle some of the timeline I need to prepare for and other details that are approaching. I had some fear moving forward in the fic without that set, but now that I've decided it I can forge onward without fear.
Another issue involved a particular scene, I wanted to make two characters argue about something and say some mean shit to each other... and I kept trying to write it as JUST an argument, just dialogue, and although I had a lot of hard-hitting stuff they say to each other, somehow I found myself getting bored while trying to actually write it out.
Then I realized: No wonder it's boring, they literally already had a small argument in the last scene with moderately low stakes (talking while doing a task in a room, so some physicality to keep interesting but overall low stakes), and yet in the same chapter I just wanted to continue/escalate the argument, but with them just in their room talking to each other? LAME. So I made one of them do a Big Action, which the other one catches them doing, which leads MUCH more naturally into a big blow-out argument with some strong physical components and has some actual stakes going on due to the Big Action.
And today's specific shower problem was literally just "I wrote [big mission then x happens] as my outline note but wtf should the big mission be?". What I was INTERESTED in writing was the [x happens] part, but it would be much too abrupt to skip to it without the mission setup. So I've been avoiding bc I don't wanna write the build up to it, bc idk what the mission should be and it's not the part I'm actually invested in, I didn't feel like it mattered so why would I want to write it?
Well GUESS WHAT instead of plowing through boringness, the solution was to add a particular character to the mission and turn it into an excuse to show interactions and reveal some things on the way! And I found a core concept to the mission that jives well with that additional character, so now enough details on the mission are settled enough for me to write on some rails. I love character interaction! Every "boring" but necessary scene I just need to figure out how it forces characters to interact in new ways and all of a sudden I'm bursting with ideas.
(Shh ignore that I'm now writing this post instead of working on my fic XD. I did get some writing done today, and now that I've worked out those kinks I'm ready to hit the ground writing when I next sit to write.)
no subject
Date: 2023-07-11 05:08 am (UTC)That's an actual thing, iirc it's called diffuse thinking or something similar. The idea is that your brain is working on the problem in the background while you let your mind wander. I don't remember where I read about this but apparently several famous writers swore by taking walks, baths, etc to help their ideas percolate.
(Sorry if you already knew this! I just think it's super cool)
no subject
Date: 2023-07-12 12:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-12 04:59 pm (UTC)https://www.oakland.edu/cetl/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/2019/While-It-Simmers-Engaging-Focused-and-Diffuse-Modes-of-Thinking
no subject
Date: 2023-07-11 07:00 am (UTC)Very happy that you managed to resolve your problems, it sounds like a super fun time!! :D :D Happy writing!!!!!
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Date: 2023-07-12 01:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-11 11:47 am (UTC)I get ideas in the shower sometimes. And also right when I'm about to drop off to sleep.
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Date: 2023-07-12 01:16 pm (UTC)And oooh the dropping off to sleep time is so great.... the only problem is waking up the next morning not remembering XD
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Date: 2023-07-12 02:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-07-12 01:16 pm (UTC)