[stylist] motivating myself to write

[Finefrock, Melissa]

Hi, Vejas,

So, you're talking to a poetess and songwriter, but I've had my experience 
with prose, too. What I'm about to tell you, therefore, is a mix of the two 
worlds. Maybe write a diary about a day in the life of a given character 
through her/his point-of-view. It will seem more lyrical and personal that 
way, but you will have some experience playing with that character's voice, 
and maybe you'll come up with material to be included in the future story.

As to writer's block in itself, the way I deal with it is maybe different 
than most. Some aspire to write at least a little something every day, and 
while I admire the discipline it takes in order to pull that off, I've found 
that it doesn't work for me personally and therefore may not work for some 
others either. At that point, I just turn into a sponge. If I have time or 
feel so inclined, I'll read a novel. I'll go to deviantART's literature 
community and read my friends' writing. I'll listen to music, old and new to 
my ears, and daydream along with it to see if any little movies play out in 
my head (and they often do). I go for walks in nature so that I can think 
about the intricacies of myself, of others, of my relationships with others, 
of the world itself. I pay particular attention to interactions among 
strangers while in public places such as the healthcare clinic I used to go 
to. Basically, what I'm saying is to keep your inspiration radar active. You 
are teeming with ideas for your fictional characters, but as ever, look for 
inspiration around you, because you never know what invaluable gems you 
might find that can be incorporated into your story.

Lastly, I lied--I do write at least a little something every day, but it 
might not be a song or poem or story; I write reflective Facebook statuses 
or e-mails to friends, and sometimes, even that is enough to get my gears 
turning, inspiration-wise. Sometimes all it takes is for my best friend and 
me to unearth a new way to express or explain something, and bam--I have 
material to write publicly so that I can gauge the thoughts of others. An 
example is a status I wrote the other day, saying something to the effect 
of, "Perhaps there is so much variance within the human experience because 
we couldn't possibly do everything in one lifetime. Next time you find 
yourself thinking, 'They're doing it wrong!' stop. Change that thought to, 
'Aha, another approach to life.'" Suddenly, an idea. It might not have been 
the song or poem or short story I'd hoped to write, but it's something.

So, my conclusion: I would say not to force yourself to create each day, 
because when under pressure you may not necessarily feel the creative vibes. 
But always keep your eyes and ears and heart and mind open to things around 
you that might inspire future material. And if you already do these things 
... then be patient, because I think you're on the right track.

Good luck,
Mel

-----Original Message----- 
From: Vejas Vasiliauskas via stylist
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2015 9:48 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] motivating myself to write

Hi All,
I was wondering what you all do to motivate yourselves to write
when you feel stuck.
It was easy for me to write last year because I was in creative
writing class, so if I wanted a good grade I had to write, which
I thought was great!
I have lots of different characters in my head.  I conduct
stories about them all in my head as well, and know their names,
ages, personalities, etc.  But often when it comes to me wanting
to write about them, I open a document and just freeze.  I really
want to keep writing, though.  I just find it strange that I have
all the information about them in my head but when it gets to
having to write it on paper it's totally different.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Any suggestions on what I can do to get my creative juices
flowing in the written word?
Thanks,
Vejas

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