Challenge Writer's Block Discussion and Challenge Thread- Block Breaker 7 - 3/15/15

You should be more concerned about Wampa attacks. They can be a wee bit nasty.

 

I posted a new response to my challenge thread, but I don't know how to link to the latest post or how to change the thread title to reflect that update. Anyway, scroll down to the bottom and look for the story called "Fortune".

EDIT: I think I figured out to change the thread title to reflect the update. I'm going to try and post the direct link to the latest post: http://boards.theforce.net/posts/52134072

Sorry, I was used to the old boards when it came to posting updates.

 

Give me five minutes, I'll help you out.

 

Yeah, I'll need the help on linking to the post. I screwed that up big time.

 

leiamoody click on this to get the correct link

 

Or, even better, at the number next to Like and Reply, as it will give you something you can copy and paste.

To edit the thread name, you need to pick "More Options" from the regular editing screen. Note that this will work only for the threads you created.

 

Okay, I'll try this again....http://boards.theforce.net/threads/leiamoodys-wordy-words-writers-block-challenge-2nd-post-week-1-prompts-han-oc.50026797/#post-52134072]Fortune[/url]

Thanks for your help, Chyntuck and Ewok Poet.

 

leiamoody Type the title of your story, select that bit of text, then click on the hyperlink button (6th from right in the 2nd line of the toolbar above) and paste the link in the dialogue box. Oh, and you're welcome

 

Opening the edit option in another tab will take you directly to the "More Options" screen.

 

Cushy's AU currently stands at 12,953 words. I know what I basically want to do for the final Interlude before starting Part II but the words aren't speaking yet.

 

Apologies for the lateness of this block breaker, as I said I was out of town on Sunday and then between work and getting home from work through the snow on Monday, there was little time for much else.

Block Breaker 5

Word Prompts:
Discipline
morals
spiral




Phrase/Idioms:
Knock on Wood

taping your knuckles on wood in order to ward off bad luck​

(FYI it wouldn't have to be that exact phase since this might be very Earthy to some, but the idea of it is what is important.)



Quote:
Common sense is not so common. - Voltaire




Photo:

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I just realized I forgot the character for last week. Oops! Apologies!

I don't really have a discussion for this week, but I've found some great quote from famous authors on writer's block I'm going to include one at the bottom over the next few weeks. Please feel free to discuss their thoughts and how it might help you/help others.


Block Breaker 6

Word Prompts:
oppression
tactile
evidence



Phrase/Idioms:
Method to the madness.

Strange or crazy actions that appear meaningless but in the end are done for a good reason.​

Idea:
Your character has to do something they really fear.
Could be something they physically fear (animals, doctors, etc.) or something like a fear of failure.



Quote:

One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life. - E.M. Forster



Character:
Qui-Gon



Discussion Quote on Writers Block:

“What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’” — Maya Angelou

 

Since there have been so many challenges recently, I've decided to do the Block Breakers every other week, unless people really would like them every week, let me know if that's the case. I know it's been a bit since the last one, I apologize for that, I wanted to get on this weekend because it's easier for me.





Block Breaker 7

Word Prompts:
Stalked
divided
vision



Phrase/Idoms:
Come Hell or high water

To overcome a difficult situation or obstacle.​

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Idea:
Your character(s) find out something previously unknown about a family member or friend



Picture:




Character:

Beru



Famous Writer on Writer's Block:

“The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck. Always stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.” — Ernest Hemingway

 

I've got another update posted for this challenge in my story thread. It's a weird little bit of stuff about Luke and...midichlorian infused wine: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/leiamoodys-wordy-words-writers-block-challenge-3rd-post-week-3-prompts-luke-han-wedge-etc.50026797/#post-52300764]Taste[/url] of Destiny

 

What happened to the Block Breakers? With the Word Race this month, now would be a perfect time to restart them.

mavjade

 

jcgoble3 Some of us still have to write responses for the previous ones. If you're inspired, each of them will be useful to you, new or old.

 

Sure, but if someone is really blocked, fresh ones might help too.

 

With all the other things I've got going on and no one using the past 3, I put it on hold until I finished other things. If people are interested in new ones, I can start back.

 

Weeeeellll....Block Breaker #2 tickled my fancy. Here's mine, it's a L/M:

Notes
Irish

 

Joining up. Planning to use one a day for the next week with a 500 word goal each day. Then I'll see what happens. Will update when I've posted the first one!

 

Sorta kinda back from the dead...which actually reflects my latest challenge response: Afterlife Reality

 

So this came up in the social thread, and it was suggested that the topic better belongs here.

I was recently at an event with a panel of SW profic writers. During the Q&A, someone asked about writer's block. Michael Stackpole's response went something like this: he feels that most "writer's block" comes from either not knowing your characters well enough to know what they would do in a particular situation, or from trying to make your character do something that s against their characterization (OOC).

What do you think?

 

I tend to agree in most cases. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Not knowing your characters is a definite block - you need to know them to know how they would react. The other thing I would add is not knowing the story well enough. If you don't know where the story goes, it can be awfully difficult to write in any set direction.

I think that even subtle OOC actions can throw us off as a writer, so it doesn't have to be something like Palpatine adopting orphans and taking them to the amusement park. It could just be a single sentence of dialogue, even.

 

I don't really disagree with what Stackpole said, but to me it's literally not telling the whole story (to be fair, he did say most writer's block)

Volshe nailed it, as usual. Yeah, sure, you've gotta know your characters to know what they'll do in a situation. But what's the situation? And what's your plan beyond that?

Imagine you're George Lucas. You've created your main character, a young farmboy from a backwater planet who seeks adventure and excitement. You've thought so much about the character, both as an archetype and in the context of the broader purpose you want him to serve in your story, that he's practically a real person to you. If somebody threw out a random situation, you could tell them exactly how this character would react to it. You even know where you eventually want him to end up—joining the rebellion against the Empire, learning to use the Force, and destroying the deadly superweapon.

But right now, he's just a young farmboy from a backwater planet who seeks adventure and excitement. How do you get him to that end point? I think that's where Stackpole's explanation falls short.

Q. What's the situation?
A. Luke's a young farmboy on a backwater planet. He seeks adventure and excitement.
Q. No problem. How would the character react to the situation?
A. Well, I mean, he's kinda bored and yearns for something more. He's heard of the rebellion. He wants to be a part of something bigger. Something that matters.
Q. Yes, yes. But how does he react to the situation he's in? Don't you know?
A. Uhh...well, I guess he'll probably do some moisture farming. Later, he might go to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters, if his Uncle allows it.
Q. And then?
A. Maybe drink some of his Aunt's special blue milk. It's pretty hot on Tatooine.
Q. And then?
A. Bed, probably. Moisture farming is hard work and you have to get up pretty early.
Q. That's not really a story, though.
A. w-wha o_O? What do you mean that's not a story? He's reacting to the situation!

You can know your characters incredibly well and still have no idea what to do with them. I'm guessing most of us have an interesting OC or two floating around who're homeless because we haven't found the right story for them. Stackpole's describing a form of writer's block and giving you a hint on how to solve it (and he would know), but if it was as easy taking your character out on a date and getting to know them better, I'd all be a lot more prolific than I am (don't you judge me!)

 

Here's another viewpoint, from Huffington Post, 10 November 2015

Every writer has been there: Staring down a blank page, struggling to write anything that feels right, cursing writer's block for impeding progress. But according to author Neil Gaiman, writer's block does not exist.

"I don't really believe in writer's block, but I absolutely believe in getting stuck," Gaiman told HuffPost Live on Monday. "The difference is one is imposed on you by the gods, and one is your own damn fault."

"If you turn around and go, 'I am blocked,' this is just something writers say because we're really clever. It sounds like it has nothing to do with you: 'I would love to write today, but I am blocked. The gods have done it to me,'" he said. "And it's not true. Cellists don't have cellist block. Gardeners don't have gardener's block. TV hosts do not have have TV host block. But writers have claimed all the blocks, and we think it's a real thing."

Anytime a writer is stuck, he explained, there are "dozens of things that could have gone wrong." It could be a wrong choice in an earlier chapter, or perhaps the story needs to dive deeper before it can move ahead. Gaiman's solution is to always keep a separate project on the back burner that can give him a break from the material troubling him.

"I always like to have another story, another introduction, another work, and I'll just go and work on that, while somewhere in the back of my mind I'm churning over why I'm stuck and what went wrong and figuring out how to go forward," he said.


What I like about his comments is that he acknowledges that sometimes we do get stuck, and then he makes a suggestion for how to overcome that. Has anyone else found that leaving the blocked fic to work on another one might just unstick the blocked one?