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DokiDokiTsuna
Dec '18

It just dawned on me that I don't actually know. I tend to think of it as just...not being able to come up with ideas, but I've seen it described as a stress reaction to deadlines/possible scrutiny, and even as a symptom of perfectionism. It's all very confusing...

It's kind of like depression. Everyone talks about it and how to manage it, but very, very few people give a decent description of what it actually FEELS like. As such, you end up with clueless people like me who know that it's a problem but don't know why, and often end up giving unhelpful suggestions ("What's writer's block? JUST WRITE"). ^^;

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    Dec '18

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    Dec '18
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Pandastrophic
Dec '18

It's all those things. The reason why people haven't given a clear description of it is because everyone experiences it differently.
The basic description is:
the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.
(from dictionary.com) the reason then varies between people.

If I experience writers block it feels like I don't want to write, I don't have ideas to proceed with the writing, I start feeling stressed about my things I've already written and go back and make a lot of edits.The best solution that works for me is that I just leave writing anything important for now, maybe sketch a little and brain storm some ideas in my head until I find the inspiration to write about them again.

Draconic
Dec '18
1

Sometime, when you export your artwork from CSP, instead of showing the progress bar, the CSP went "the program not responding". You can only be waiting for it, then everything is okay and working again.

Your computer is working, but it can't show you that everything is fine and still running.
It's showing you that it's not responding. When that happen, you don't know if it's really a problem or not.

That's how writer/art block feel like.
Your brain is a computer, it is still working on that block, but you don't know it.

When you hit a wall, just put a pause on that and do anything else.
After time, you suddenly knew how to resolve your problem like it's came from nowhere.

--

Another example:
You stuck at a level in a video game. You stop playing it and go to bed.
A day later, you play it again. Suddenly you pass the level easily.

Swamp
Dec '18

I think there's two things people call writer's block

The thing I most often hear called writer's block is lack of inspiration. The insight I've heard into that is that... that's the normal state. The more writing is a casual hobby, the more you can just work on the project you feel like when you feel like it. You can wait for inspiration. Once you have a deadline, that doesn't work anymore. I think that's where some people find the 'just write' advice helpful. Sometimes you need to stop waiting for inspiration, and learn to grind through the scene.
Personally, if I'm bored with what I'm writing, I skip to something that does interest me. It gets me moving again, and often I'll realize the scene that was boring me.... is boring, and find another route to get to the good part.

Second, writer's block can be a symptom of a bigger problem. Burnout (spending too much time writing, fatigue, and depression can all be labeled as 'writer's block', but you can't push through them. If you're too exhausted, miserable, or isolated to write, the solution is rest, caring for your mental health, or getting out of the house, not writing harder. It turned out what I thought was "writer's block" was actually mental fog from a circulation issue.

It sounds like what you're having is... anxiety. Not feeling stuck on the next scene, but a general concern with not being good enough. The thing that's helped me most through anxiety is this "every first draft is perfect because all a first draft has to do is exist". Focus on getting it down, tell yourself you'll edit it later, and when you still hate it after trying to edit, push publish.

DokiDokiTsuna
Dec '18
Draconic

Nice analogy~. That's very helpful!

Although:

If the "problem" clears up after just a night, is it really a problem? I run out of ideas from time to time, and I take a break. But I just call that the natural order of things, not "writers' block". No one can produce all the time.

I don't know if the second example was just less accurate or what. Or are there people who call things like that "writers' block", too?

DokiDokiTsuna
Dec '18
Swamp

...Um...who is having anxiety, exactly?? Did you forget to quote someone...?

Draconic
Dec '18
2
DokiDokiTsuna

Yes, it is.
A problem is something to be resolved, a situation you need to overcome.
The word "problem" mostly being used in a negative way. In reality, not every problem is a negative trouble.
If you need a solution to deal with it, then it's a problem.

Writer block is not the only case that has the same situation. That's what I mean when I used that example.
Only artist and writer called that a "block" though. But it really is a normal thing in daily life.
Deadline and work ethic forced the "block" more depressing than it should be.

TL:DR; Most problem isn't a negative situation. :smiley:

DokiDokiTsuna
Dec '18

That's just the thing. In that case, a solution isn't found. You just give up, hit the sack, and try again the next day.
And sure, you could call that "solving a problem". But in that case, literally everything is a problem. But when someone says "I have a problem", that isn't what they mean. They really do mean something negative.

Draconic
Dec '18

The solution is "rest". :blush:

DokiDokiTsuna
Dec '18

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Draconic
Dec '18
3

Then the solution is try to stop seeing everything negatively.

The problem maybe hard to deal with or created a lot of trouble, but it's not a negative thing to be frustrated at.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

P/s: I blame how English users use the word "problem" as a negative thing.
In my language, the world "problem" has more neutral feeling, it's being use for pointing out a situation that needs a solution.

P/ss: I think I just found out why most English users hate math! :joy: because they use the word "problem".

Harmony-S-S
Dec '18

Writer's block is when you stop creating a story. You're stuck and come up with any other ideas.

storytimebiondi
Dec '18

Basically this. The most common form I see is 'blank page anxiety'. It's why some people draw a butterfly or bird in the top corner of a new sketchbook, for instance. Filling empty space feels fare more dire than it should.

Jenny-Toons
Dec '18

Personally for me, writer's block is not being able to write the story in the way that I would envision it.

Like yeah, I have an idea of how it's gonna go. I have the basis foundation for the writing. The outline's finished. But it gets hard to shape those words in a way that I want this writing to go.

It's kinda why I just write the parts I know for sure I'll use in my story and just slowly connect them.

MariMontoya
Dec '18

Writers Block for me can happen in several ways. Sometimes I'm just stuck on one story (I don't know how to progress it and get too stressed out) but I can write another story just fine.
Other times it's just I can't write or think of anything. it's like my brain crashed :sweat_smile:
Most times I just take a break go to sleep on it then the next day or a few days later I can write again. Before I would experience it for a month, but in that case I had not built up a habit of consistently writing so now that doesn't happen.
Other times I watch/listen/read music, shows, movies, books that helps me start thinking creatively. And I always make myself write at least a sentence a day it doesn't have to be on the story I'm struggling with but it builds a good habit.
Sleep is definitely a very natural, healthy remedy. Often times our brain just needs to rest.

ratscout
Dec '18
1

It's extremely rare when I get writer's block because I've been writing from a really young age and previously I'd been writing without an audience and just writing to please myself--so I didn't get the stress response a lot of people get when writing. When I get it though, I think it's because I'm a perfectionist and I just want to write a scene exactly how it appeared in my head and I get so frustrated about being unable to communicate the feelings that should be present in a certain scene that I just don't want to write at all.

However, and I know a lot of people advise against this, but I think the best cure for writer's block is... Writing. Even if it's not in the story you have previously been consistently writing in, just getting yourself back into a place where you can write is extremely helpful. Once again, our friend the short story is great at helping remove writer's block because it can help you capture the feelings you want to convey in a scene a little bit easier. <3 But the other suggestions on this thread are good too; play some videogames, watch some good TV and reading some good books can help remove that writer's block, too.