I am in the process of revamping my novel to resell to a larger publishing house. Just have to wrap my head around the fact I need to come up with
100,000 extra words. Yes dears you read that right. Currently my novel is at approximately
74,000 words but to catch the eye of a larger company I
need to be running with the
big dogs and it means upping the anty just a
little bit.
Sitting in front of a PC seems harder than a laptop. At least with a laptop I am not constrained to sitting in a chair and facing away from the activities of the house.
So what is writer's block (glad you asked). I found this information---of course on the net---and wanted to share:
Definitions of writer's block on the Web:
an inability to write; "he had writer's block; the words wouldn't come"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwnWriter's block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer's blockThe author acknowledges his inability to complete this paper due toa "dearth of ideas, a state of self-dissatisfaction, and an inability to organize" (Polking 434);
he "knows something is wrong, but can't identify it" because he has reached a "technical impasse" (Banks) and is experiencing "a time when the words just won't come together" (Vialle);
he once received "thoughtless" and "insensitive" criticism and is unable to maintain the fragile balance between "motivation and enthusiasm in the face of continued self-doubt and self-criticism" (Ballon);
is self-conscious about the writing situation because he has failed to do any "preliminary work such as brainstorming or outlining" (Purdue University);
feels "pressure to be brilliant in the first try" (Wiesner) and "fear of failure, self doubt, and depression [have] become heavy loads" (Rosenbaum 142);
has no established schedule for writing and "writes only when the muse strikes" (Reid), yet has only this one project to work on and can think of nothing else (Banks);
has conflicted feelings, wanting "the writing to be perfect" and wanting "the damned thing done as soon as possible" (University of Illinois), yet fears deadlines and plans to postpone working on this paper until the last possible moment;
fears that he lacks original ideas but can't stand to "write down an idea until it is perfectly worded" (Purdue University) and this stifles his creativity;
has no imagination, has not been inspired and, because he believes everything he writes is drivel, he worries heavily "about what [his] instructor or other reader[s] will think of [his] paper" (Purdue University);
fears that to be "original, insightful, profound, [and] funny … requires some mental digging" that he finds "uncomfortable" and because he knows that "writing something down [is] exposing a part of [himself] in an exceptionally public way," fears that what he writes is "unprofound, unfunny, uninsightful, and uninteresting and that putting [his] name to it is signing a confession to [his] un-ness" (Pelt);
is having difficulty with the assignment because it is "restrictive" (Bly)
Overcoming Writer's BlockExperiment -- Try to write in different places, at different times, and with different writing instruments.
Freewrite - Choose one sentence in a paragraph and write a paragraph about it. Then choose one sentence from that paragraph and do it again.
Cluster - Choose key words and ideas; then write associated ideas and words in clusters around them. This process often forms new ideas.
Be flexible -- Be willing to throw out sections of text that are causing problems or just don't work.
Follow a routine -- Follow a routine to get into the writing mood. Try activities like wearing comfortable clothing, using a certain pen, or listening to a particular CD or type of music.
Move -- Physically move around, stretch, or walk.
Take a break -- Get a snack or drink, talk to someone, or just relax for five minutes before starting to write again.
Concentrate -- Focus on a different section or aspect of your paper. This sometimes leads to new insights in problem areas, while allowing you to get work done on another section.
Re-read -- Read a print draft of the paper and jot down ideas while reading.
Relax! -- The more you worry, the harder it gets to think clearly.
Websites:http://www.transaction.net/web/tutor/text/dissolve.htmlhttp://www.sfwa.org/writing/block.htmhttp://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/block.htmlhttp://fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingroadblocks/tp/block.htm
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