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Breaking Out of Writer's Block
by Apryl Duncan
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• Use Real Pictures
Flip through a magazine. Cut out pictures, headlines, even certain blocks of text. Now write a short story based on your clippings.
For example, you might cut out a picture of a man riding a bicycle on page 14 of your favorite magazine. On page 22 you cut out a quote that says, "Anyone caught doing this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Your story could turn into one man's crusade. Perhaps this man's riding his bicycle across country because he's outraged by automobile pollution levels. His point is to raise people's awareness about the effects of pollution.
Meanwhile, police keep hindering his efforts because the man's riding his bicycle on the freeway, a violation of the law. So you have a man on his bicycle and the police quote, "Anyone caught doing this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
- Doodle
Yes! You were scolded in elementary school for doodling on your paper. Now you have full permission.
Free your mind while scribbling. No need to think about your character's next move. No plot structures to consider. Just a sense of connecting your pen to paper.
- Object Focus
Take a look around you. Does something catch your eye? Even something as simple as a stapler. Describe an object in full detail. Start with its size, shape, color.
- Building Blocks
Romance. Mystery. Thrillers. All genres have their own keywords. Build keywords from your own genre.
If you're a romance writer, you could come up with words like love, marriage, betrayal, lust, happiness. Jot down as many words as you can think of.
- Life Events
The birth of a child. Holidays. Graduation. Weddings. We all have our favorite life events. Pick one of your own and write down all your thoughts and feelings about that day. Turn it into a story.
- Network
Many authors beat Writer's Block or avoid it altogether by networking with their fellow writers. Bulletin boards, chats and writer's Web sites all offer you the chance to meet other authors and work your way through the many facets of fiction writing.
Think of talking with other writers as your own personal support group.
Writer's Block may attack you at some point in your writing career but always remember:
WB isn't fatal.
Overcoming WB is not impossible.
WB's only temporary.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
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