I Think I Got Writer's Block, What to Do?

[Reiv]

I think after a year of endless creativity, I finally ran out of ideas. A month ago I found out that I'm struggling to make even a single character when 3-4 months ago I made worlds like sandwiches. Where's my creativity? Will it ever come back?
My incredible writing skills got stronger when I felt down. The worse I felt, the stronger/better my worlds and stories were. Now I'm feeling a lot better but now I can't think of a single good plot.

 

[CertifiedCervine]

I’ve heard people watching helps people get ideas for characters

 

[Reiv]

You mean, watching others and tring to understand them?

 

[CertifiedCervine]

You mean, watching others and tring to understand them?

Well, what I’ve heard as people watching is where people will watch others behavior, and apparently gives them ideas for characters and such, haven’t tried it myself though, so I don’t know if it works for everyone

 

[Reiv]

I'm really good at reading other's behavior and personality, even from movement alone. School just started for me and I got to a new school. So many new faces, new people, yet still nothing. I used to make worlds just from a simple thaught (for example, I walk down stairs and I see someone else who I don't know walking up. I was able to make a story element out of this simple meaningless situation), now there's nothing.

 

[Miles Marsalis]

@Reiv , if you can't come up with original characters and settings now, why not revisit some ideas you already had and try to develop new situations and stories for them. You may have new perspective now that you didn't before.

 

[Reiv]

@Reiv , if you can't come up with original characters and settings now, why not revisit some ideas you already had and try to develop new situations and stories for them. You may have new perspective now that you didn't before.

I'll try. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Miles Marsalis]

I'll try. Thanks for the advice.

No problem. If you're still struggling, don't hesitate to hit me up for advice.

 

[Foxy Emy]

I think after a year of endless creativity, I finally ran out of ideas. A month ago I found out that I'm struggling to make even a single character when 3-4 months ago I made worlds like sandwiches. Where's my creativity? Will it ever come back?
My incredible writing skills got stronger when I felt down. The worse I felt, the stronger/better my worlds and stories were. Now I'm feeling a lot better but now I can't think of a single good plot.

The RP community may get a bad wrap sometimes, but I have found a sudden burst of creativity by RPing with others here. It is particularly helpful to RP with other writers.

It is nice because you don't have to worry about the whole story or all of the characters and the responses of the people you RP with can take the story in directions you wouldn't have expected.

It had been almost a year since I wrote a poem before @Whimsycal wrote me one, and I had to come up with a poetic response. In the past few days now, I have written 5 or 6 poems, most of which I am super proud of.

 

[quoting_mungo]

Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way is very much about finding and allowing your creative self to thrive. While it didn't do for me what I'd hoped for it to (a lot of her advice just didn't feel applicable to my situation, as a large part of what has gotten in the way of my creativity has been mental illness and chronic fatigue), I know that a lot of creative types swear by it, and I've incorporated the tools of hers that I feel do work for me into my daily routine.

 

[SabreMutt]

I have been working on making a writing career for myself since August (I'm on vacation so I have time to spare) and I find that it helps to just sit down and wrote anything.

Even if I don't have good ideas and I think the story is rubbish, just write it and put it aside for later when I may revisit it with fresh inspiration. Working through a slow story or two helps me to get my inspiration back until I find something that practically writes itself.

 

[Whimsycal]

I often find myself writing endlessly when I just feel like wanting fun, try something just for the sake of fun in it. Maybe it helps.

 

[Reiv]

I just hope that my skills and inspiration doesn't come from mental illness. For example: The more mentally ill I am, the more and better I can write.

 

[Whimsycal]

I just hope that my skills and inspiration doesn't come from mental illness. For example: The more mentally ill I am, the more and better I can write.

Look for an anchor. Something that makes you work and gets you in a good mood.

My anchor are horrible puns

 

[Skychickens]

When I get into jams I stop trying to write totally original things. Like, what's helping me out now is I'm writing a fanfiction that follows my favorite game relatively closely so I don't have to think too hard if I don't want to. I deviate from the story a bit, give a voice to a silent protagonist, build relationships, explain my perception of the world, get into other characters' headspaces sometimes, etc. It at least gets me writing something to get the juices flowing until I can crank out the completely original stuff. Sometimes it even helps me build my characters having played with something else.

Maybe that can help.

 

[Minerva_Minx]

I draw maps of my worlds. then try and build parks, museums, places I think the world needs to understand itself and feel more alive. I also talk to myself and try to understand what I do and don't li me about myself. sometimes I try to talk like my characters and then record myself because it gets good. other times, I just need another artist in another field, like art. but vocalizations, running ideas off others, usually gets things right.
So, write out the problem form where you are stuck here and see what happens