Writer's Block Options

[Kim3rz]

I currently have had Writer's Block for almost three months now and I was wondering for those of you who have had it what do you normally do to get your inspiration back?

I've had Writer's Block before (13 months) and it always makes me stressed out and very, very irritable.
I'm a Screenwriter and my mom thinks I get it because I always write more than one screenplay at a time, but I can't help it because whenever an idea comes to me I HAVE to write it down before I forget what it was; so I have notebooks with more than one screenplay mixed into it. . . .i'm gonna have to find a way to find which pages go with which.

But what are your techniques for dealing with Writer's Block?

[Jackaroe]

I read books. Usually, when reading books, I start thinking about what I could have done differently than the author. Or, since you're a screenwriter, maybe watch movies?

I also do some weird stuff. Like, I'll skim through the dictionary for words I don't know, and then they'll inspire me to write so that I can integrate them into my work. Hmm... I also just write snippets of conversations between characters if I can't get a whole written product figured out.

I can't really think of anything else though. Oh, and if you usually write through typing on the computer, try writing it down on paper. Or the other way around. Sometimes on paper I can get my thoughts done better.

I'm not sure if that helps though.

[wishforhelsinki]

I very rarely use paper and pencil to get anything written down. I guess I'm those typical romance writers, so I find anything about troubled relationships that might inspire me. Usually being the car for a long time gets me thinking of things.

[alysaphobia]

I go out.
Just going to a restaurant and seeing a lonely old lady eating a big dinner alone, for example, sparks ideas and images in my head. There's so many interesting kinds of people out beyond your house... and all of their stories are yet to be told. :) I cannot, I repeat, I CANNOT get away from writer's block if I just sit at home waiting for something brilliant to strike me.
As soon as I think of even the most insignificant idea, I write it down in a notebook... so that I won't forget. Eventually, I use the notebook to inspire me and little words and fragments become polished to form the beginnings of a writing piece!

[motherdahlia]

There's great advice about this in the book Writing Down the Bones. I suggest looking through it. One of the exercises is to go out into public and dress like someone else. Pretend you are someone else. Change something. Go into a cafe wearing sunglasses, wear a leather jacket, wear high boots, anything that is different than what you wear/look like now. Being separated from your true self by changing something about your looks, I find, really liberates my writing. New ideas come to me.

The advice from other people is very excellent too, but I find one of the most simple ways to get rid of writer's block is to freewrite.

But seriously, change of scenery works quite well.

[RiddleMeWonders]

It depends on what you write.

I recommend going into a chatroom by yourself, or with a crowd.

www.teenchat.com

What is more important to be said than what you're wanting to say?