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dduane · 7 months

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Do you have any recommendations on what to do when you can’t write?

I’ve been struggling to write for years, but telling stories is all I want to do. I have ideas and plots and characters all figured out! But actually getting the words onto paper? I just can’t do it. There’s a mental block or something getting in the way.

I want to write, I so badly do. I want to tell my stories! But no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I love the story, the words never work properly. I can day dream scenes up perfectly, but as soon as I’m near paper the words all vanish.

I guess what I’m actually asking is: how did you defeat the blank page?

Well, first of all, I can confidently tell you that your storytelling per se is working just fine. You just told me a perfectly cogent story right there, in writing. So that's good to know.

Now let me put your mind a little at rest by telling you something reassuring about the Writer's Brain:

It's not the sharpest knife in the block, if you take my meaning. It can be tricked. It can be fooled. It can be bamboozled into working when it doesn't want to... sometimes with embarrassing ease. (And this approach is, by and large, far preferable to sitting around over-analyzing one's interior life to figure out what went wrong with your developmental process somewhere in the dim lost past. Just hornswoggle the silly thing into working and then do the analysis later, if you can be bothered.)

Sometimes just changing something basic in the process the Writer's Brain is expecting is enough to make it lose the plot (so to speak...) and let you get on with work. And in your case I'd say, more or less immediately: Have you tried telling the story to yourself out loud, recording it, and then transcribing the recording?

Because this problem is a commonplace among storytellers. Sit them down in the pub and give them tea or a drink and start them going, and you'll get half an effortless hour of hilarious prose about What The Cat Did In The Middle Of The Night or When The Neighbors Were Fighting In The Street Again Yesterday. But show them blank paper, or an empty screen, and (now that the pressure to perform is suddenly in place) they freeze.

So try doing an end run around your writing brain. Borrow or otherwise procure a little recorder of some kind. (Or if you've got a smartphone, add a voice recording app to it.) Go get comfortable somewhere and get yourself into that daydream state, and then—making sure the recorder's on—start talking.

It doesn't have to be perfect unblemished prose. The pursuit of that comes later, after draft zero-minus-one. Just tell the story... or some of it. Or a fragment of it. Even a few paragraphs is a triumph, in a situation like this. You may, during the recording, have to talk yourself into the story stage by starting out talking about something else first. Let that happen.

Then when you're done recording, listen to it and transcribe it (typed or handwritten, as you please).

And maybe a day later, do this again. And a day or two later, once more. And so forth.

You're going to have to keep at this, because your Writer's Brain may start suspecting what you're up to, and try throwing spanners into the works. (Its favorite being "Oh, this isn't working, I may as well give up..." Pay no attention to that nagging little voice behind the curtain. Just keep doing what you're doing. Persistence is a superpower.)

The thing to keep reminding yourself, as you settle into this process, is that sooner or later the WB's resistance is going to flag, because you really do want to tell stories. It does too. What you have to teach it is that—to coin a phrase—resistance is useless. :)

Anyway: give this a try. You'll need to be doing this daily for at least a couple of months to find out whether it works or not. So let me know how it goes.

(BTW: once you've broken through the barrier, you may well find that dictation is a good routine way for you to generate your first draft. At that point—should you feel inclined to go a little higher-tech than recording and hand transcription—let me recommend Dragon Anywhere. This is a month-to-month subscription version of Dragon's flagship text to speech program—the one @petermorwood and I got Terry Pratchett to use when he started having difficulty typing. I use Anywhere a lot, on days when it's easier to write stretched out or lying down than it is sitting up. It transcribes what you say, and then you can just email it to yourself and cut-and-paste it into your writing document. Very handy.)

Hope this helps!

#writing #writing advice #the Writer's Brain #storytelling

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theyoungwritersmind-aristanelson · 2 years

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#writers can relate #being a writer #the life of a writer #a writer's brain #the writer's brain #just writer things #writer problems #writer issues #writer obstacles #writing is hard #novel writing #book writing #relatable writer stuff #writing #writer #writers

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just-french-me-up · 7 months

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this is a PSA for fic writers who haven't updated in a while :

there are fics out there I'm subscribed to that have gone double digit months without updating.

rest assured the moment those babies catapult an AO3 email my way i'm dropping from the face of the earth to sink my teeth into them

i'll wait, and so will your readers

#writing #writing nightmare #writeblr #writers #writer's problems #writing problems #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic writers #this is a psa from me to me honestly #cause I have not abandoned my child #my brain is just suffering from my workload #mine

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maddie-zylophone-hatter · 1 year

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Me when I plan out a story and want to tell everyone

#writer brain #writeblr #writblr #writerblr #writblur #writer brainrot #writer woes #writerscommunity #ficblr #writerslife

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melodicwriter · 1 month

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When you finally won the battle of opening up your WIP to edit but your brain is fighting you on touching the document so you’re in paralysis like

#writeblr #writing #writer #fic writer #fic writing #archive of our own #fic writer memes #writing memes #ao3 #pls for the love of god BRAIN DO SOMETHING

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ivaspinoza · 2 months

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not me writing this giant synopsis of my own wip to myself so i can understand what i am actually trying to create

#and then my brain starts to give me lines #but it turns out they are for this other story that is not even a wip yet #shut up brain- oh wait thats actually such a good idea *writes it down #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writing

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stedesbonnets · 5 months

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i can't stress it enough how crazy the love triangle situation is. mizu and akemi have a slow motion romcom first glance at each other. mizu and taigen are enemies to lovers. mizu taunts akemi about taigen while wearing his scarf. mizu imagines taigen while seeing a threesome. mizu and akemi have sex scenes juxtaposed with each other. taigen and mizu's brawl is an obvious parallel to mizu and mikio. "this isn't over" "i know". both could happen. neither could happen. all could happen all at once. and i'm watching it all like this

#THE MOST BIG BRAINED WRITERS OF ALL TIME #blue eye samurai #mizu #taigen #akemi

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ionomycin · 4 months

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Forest Guardians

#artists on tumblr #starting off 2024 with my favorite totally normal size animal the moose #if you've seen a big one irl you know what i mean #the year is starting with seemingly every big corporation hopping on the A I train #depressing #keep on creating my fellow artists #and crafters and writers #and musicians and voice actors #don't let them automate the fun out of your life #i don't care if machines can make art more “efficiently”#i don't want to be efficient!#i want to be unhinged!#be unhinged about your art draw your blorbos draw the things that claw at your brain don't be civil about it like the machines #whatever you're creating i'm proud of you

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molinaesque · 7 months

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Astarion: I think he likes us. Tav: I like him, too. But I'd never say it to his smarmy face. Raphael has a crush on Tav and tries real hard to act cool about it.

#raphael #raphael bg3 #raphael baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #Raphael is that suave charming bad boy who tries to look cool as hell (heh) in front of his crush like an absolute nerd #meanwhile my tav also has a crush on him so we're both losers really #bg3gifs #korilla hearthflame #screaming at the “came out on top” line... the writers definitely did that on purpose and it makes my brain go brrr #because that definitely means he likes you carnally since we found out about HoH #Also look at Tav's faceeeeeee #They're like “OH”#Like it just hit them #Omggggggg

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excarow · 3 months

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Damian being raised to see himself only as a weapon and later being taught that he's more than that VS Tim being raised to see himself only as a tool and being reinforced of that belief by the same people that taught Damian to love himself is such a good parallel holy shit.

Like, both of them were told that they had to have Purpose™ by their parents, but only one was later told that he could be loved for the sake of being loved while the other was only proved that his parents were right.

#tim drake #damian wayne #batfam #please I'm begging foc writers to use this parallel more #IMAGINE THE ANGST #ITS WORSE WHEN YOU REALISE DAMAIN PUSHED AWAY THEIR LOVE BUT TIM ACTIVLY STRIVED FOR IT #ONLY FOR DAMIAN TO BE LOVED AND TIM REJECTED #obviously this isn't true to all the comics #Its tim and damian brain rot hours

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lazylittledragon · 5 months

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if they’re allowed to keep republishing the same booktok romances with different coloured clipart then everybody should be allowed to do magic school without being compared to h*rry p*tter. actually i think every queer writer should write magic school at least once just out of spite. take her out by numbers alone

#ramble #it’s late and i’ve got writer brain sludge #my book will see the light of day eventually but not today #magic school existed before the terf and it will exist after

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l0v3tast3 · 5 months

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ghost with a cute lil succubus gf :3

mdni! f!reader

simon loves having a succubus as his girlfriend. he loves when he's finally coming home from a mission and barely has the door closed before you're jumping into his arms— it's sweet and romantic at first, kissing him deep and slow and clinging to him, but it doesn't take very long to turn dirty. your legs are wrapped around his waist and it's just too easy to grind your soaked pussy against his growing hard-on, too easy to sink your nails (claws) into his shoulders and suck on and nip at his neck.

simon loves having a girlfriend with a long devil's tail topped with a heart and little horns poking out of the top of her head to match. he loves pulling your head back and rubbing around the bases of your horns, feeling you melt while he walks you both to the bedroom. you'll whine and beg for him to touch you more, more, more, and of course he obliges. simon lowers you to the bed and puts his hands and mouth everywhere. he sucks on your nipples while you're whimpering and (futilely) trying to push him down further. he leaves indents of his canines down your belly before he's kissing your thighs.

simon loves to get you desperate for him and especially loves how easy it is to do. it's basically your default setting around him— until he's rubbing the tip of his cock against your pussy. up and down from your hole to your clit and back, "y'think you deserve my cock? huh?" muttered while his free hand is keeping your hips from bucking up. you're nearly teary-eyed while you beg and plead until he shuts you up by finally pushing into you. you can take him, you're meant to take him, and still, by the time he's buried to the hilt inside of you, your eyes are rolling back and claws are leaving more scratches on him than he had gotten during his last deployment.

simon loves hearing your vocabulary reduced to whiney pleas and praise— "fu-ck- i missed your cock- missed it so much- ah-!"— and other mindless babbles. he loves how your capacity to speak noticeably diminishes with every new way he manhandles you; hunched over you with a hand on the headboard as leverage, then lifting your lower half to meet his hips as he kneels, then folding your thighs to your chest in a breeding press that makes you go nearly limp. "missed this cunt," he'll groan, "made just for me, right, princess?"

(ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ likes, comments n reblogs are always appreciated!!

#— lilly writes! ♡#i don't super like this but i like the concept #forced this out of my dumb brain to try getting rid of the writer's block #call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #cod mw2 #cod mw3 #ghost #ghost x reader #ghost x female reader #simon riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley x female reader #reader insert

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arcanegifs · 3 months

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#caitvi #arcane #me rn #life has been poopy recently but im glad i can daydream about caitvi as an escape LMAO #speaking of thank u to caitvi artists and fic writers bc every time i see any caitvi fanwork #serotonin just shoots up to my brain to remind me to be happier lol #ik its shallow but yeah...... it helps a lot esp with me being busy and tired irl #meme #type: gif #media: arcane #s1 ep5

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carnivalcarriondiscarded · 5 months

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a slightly scribbly Eddie for @akemima's promptlist, day one - cool outfit! well, i don't know if its Cool, but it sure is an outfit!

#mannnnn i forgot jewelry existed... could have slapped on some cute rings or earrings...#i forgor... outfits are not my forte... it shows in my choice of daily clothes as well...#i also didn't realize i didn't give him a full body until i was pretty much done so. No! Oopsies!#drawing eddie continues to be comforting and yet a total pain in the ass!#i love him! i hope he goes Through it! i hope he Dies Traumatically! i say this Every Time!#but yes cute prompt list. excited to do more #slowly though... writers brain perseveres rn...#scribble garnish #welcome home #welcome home puppet show #eddie dear #looking directly at the drag prompt. yes please yes please #eddie in drag is everything to me she's so gorgeous. augh. ough #i must find the perfect Dress...

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tinkerleaf · 1 month

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Protective Men

warnings: cursing, a little violence, creeps

✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

I can see Dazai as the type to carefully watch as the client you've been working with leans a little too close to you. He may be across the room but he still follows the man's every move. You wave off a few subtly flirtatious remarks and glance over at Dazai. When he sees the man 'accidentally' brush a hand on your back, he's had enough, leaving his chair and strolling over to the two of you.

"You need any help, sweetheart?"

Your client is less than pleased with his presence, "We're fine, thank you."

"You're flirting with them, aren't you?" His voice is calm and low, but his tone has a clear edge of warning.

The man scoffs, "As if that's any of your business."

"They're a little busy with your case right now. You should be focused on that."

"I don't think I was hurting anything."

"That's not the point. They're working. They don't need you to distract them." Dazai replies, still calm but firm. "Atsushi! Come take this case!"

The silver-haired boy comes in, a look of concern on his face. "What's going on?"

"Nothing" Dazai replies with a smirk, "This fellow has a case for you."

Atsushi nods and takes over while Dazai takes you by the arm and leads you out of the office. "I didn't like that at all."

"I can see that," you smile as you two walk into the cafe. "But now I've lost a case..."

"You didn't need it. I've seen his file. You're more suited for missions than simple tasks. It's good practice for Atsushi." He sips his coffee. "Besides, he was too comfortable with you, and I don't like random people getting too close to you."

✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

I imagine Chuuya biting his tongue to keep himself from telling off the man whose eyes were all over your figure. The Port Mafia had all kinds of weirdos come in and out, but this one in particular must not have known who he was dealing with.

When you get up to leave, the man grabs you by your wrist. "Where ya goin'?"

Chuuya instantly stands and swiftly places a knife up to his throat. The man lets you go, holding his hands above his head. "Keep your fucking hands off of them."

"I wasn't gonna do anythi-"

Chuuya interrupts him by knocking him out. The man has an important role for now in the mafia, so he couldn't kill him yet.

"Come on." You follow him back to his office. He shuts the door behind him and sits at his desk. "Look at me."

You sit down across from him.

"If anything happens like that again with anybody here, you let me know first, understand?"

You nod.

"That shit pisses me off more than anything, especially when it comes to you."

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desmond-the-queer-dragon · 2 years

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Came up with a great story idea. Can’t wait for my brain to make it so intricate in my head yet impossible to write out.

#my wtiting #writing reference #writing problems #wtf writing #wtf brain #fic writers #writers #ao3 writer #1k #1knotes

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