Writer's Block...the gateway to hell

I have recently come to a stand still in my most recent piece, and I was wondering if anybody had any advice or techniques that they have found helpful?

Sometimes if I try taking the story in a different direction it helps (add scenary, characters, etc.) Or sometimes, rarely I'll admit, a mind over matter approach works. Or sometimes I just drop it for a while and start something new. Or sometimes I just take a shower. (I do my best thinking in the shower)

Physical activity, or just taking a break and going for a brief walk- sometimes you just have to step away from it and let the ideas percolate...

Also, writing exposition about the characters lives outside the spectrum of the story sometimes reinfuses you with ideas about where you want the character to go- or using the setting of your story as an excersize - like, describing the characters desk in painful detail until it yields something pertinent.... I think someone else mentioned that...

There are all kinds of tricks Altho, I don't really believe in writers block, I think it just means you need a little bit of a break... when stuck in a particular story, I usually revisit something old in dire need of rewrites then take a day off to do something non-writing related to rejuvenate... It seems to work...

Thank you so much, all great ideas! You shalll all be on the thank you page.

I am surprised that I am the first to say this; however sex is a great way to get your mind off of work.

Ta,
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Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way.

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I guess I'm gonna sound weirder than I am for saying this, but I sometimesI roleplay out out the story with some toys that I have laying around, and discuss it with myself, or the dog. she helps me out with stories a lot now. actually when I had a fever, she gave me a new hope and inspiration. those soemewhat help with writers block, but not always, or you can jsut take your mind off it for a while then go back to it after a while. play a game, or go to the mall then get an inspiration, go to a an art show those can help too.
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Kilgore wrote:

I am surprised that I am the first to say this; however sex is a great way to get your mind off of work. Ta,

XD true, but then again, what doenst it do?
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Regina wrote:

Also, writing exposition about the characters lives outside the spectrum of the story sometimes reinfuses you with ideas about where you want the character to go- or using the setting of your story as an excersize - like, describing the characters desk in painful detail until it yields something pertinent...

Exactly and don't be afraid to through mud at a wall. In other words as an exercise write as bad as you can. Most of the time your talent sabotages you and you end up on a tangent out of which you free yourself from The Block. I think writers block is just your ego going "No that's not good enough." So your afraid to put it down. Thumb your nose at your ego and pretty soon your writing something great. Then your ego comes back and says "Hey, I'm pretty cool." Which is what he usually says.
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I honestly never thought I would live this long. Now I don't know what to do with myself.

Why am I blocked?

I ask myself why I am blocked.

I think that one gets "blocked" for a reason. If you figure out the reason, you can do something about it.

Sometimes it's just an energy issue: get some sleep, write tomorrow.

Sometimes, I'm holding myself to too high a stndard: just write something and then have a look at it -- it will either be good enough or I'll get ideas from it or I'll say, "Okay, at least I know that's not it," and try something else.

Most often, the writing bogs down because I've done something wrong leading up to it, usually in the storytelling department: look back over the past x number of pages and see where it went off the rails -- get it straight.

I resist the idea that getting "blocked" is "hell". It may be no fun, but sometimes it's your friend, alerting you to the fact that there's a problem, and saving you from writing a bunch of shit that you'll only have to throw out or heavily rework later.

I usually put down w/e I'm working on, pick up another piece of paper and start writing. I start writing random dialogue, (see "Some Brief Dialogues" on the fanfiction board) but you can write whatever you want. That usually helps me for some reason.
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You are not blocked, you are just stuck. Don't give it the respect of a name. Don't give it gravity or mass. Don't see it as anything but a point which you have to get past. It gets bigger, the more you acknowledge it. Go to the page again, and again, and again. Stare at the page until your eyes bleed, if you must, but you do not have writer's block because it does not exist.