writer's block... how the heck to get rid of it?

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Well, I'm supossed to write two songs -one in english and one in spanish- but I haven't had too much of a life lately, and I have a writer's block, anyone here knows how to get rid of it?

It all depends on puts your mind at ease,
not tensioned. I for example may read
a book on the opposite topic, and put
the idea of writing something and let
events ride their course.

In my case, when I get fiesty, lookout!
All those accumulated thoughts come
together in mysterious to me tones
until they are conveyed and notorized
and I would say, "wow! I said that,
I must of had alot to say, and earlier
was not the right time".

Hmmmm? I hope this helps?
Ghosthunter

okay - try stream of consciousness. write any old rubbish down, and if you get totally stuck, just keep writing the last word you wrote, over and over again. this does work, i am reliably informed.

i've written song lyrics by using word association, too - just chuck out the absolutely ridiculous or obscene ones (!) and jiggle the others around.

as a preventative measure, always acrry around a little notebook, so you can jot ideas down when you're inspired, and use them when you aren't.

hope these are helpful - i do know they work, cos it's what i teach my creative writing undergrads! let me know if you want any more.

oh, and you can always get the book "taking reality by surprise" by susan sellers, which has a plethora of great strategies for all sorts of writing issues.

try hugging a loved one, that always helps me.

cure for writers block:

Walk into public area.

Strip all clothes from your person

Wait for the cops.

Fill out paperwork, go to jail.

Wait. Or write? Your choice.

It works 68% of the time for me.

(yes, this is a lame attempt at a joke)

did you learn this from personal experiences?

Just take a break. The mind needs to regenerate itself sometimes. Also, getting out and doing something (mow the yard, take a walk, etc.) relieves stress and helps you overcome creative barriers.

hadapurpura,

I see some pretty good ideas here about dealing with writer's block but sometimes it's just a passing thing that you let pass much like coming down with and getting over a flu.

I get writer's block at times too and deal with it by taking a break from it and focusing for some time on another hobby or activity. When I do that, it comes both as a pleasant and quick surprise when an inspiration is had seemingly out of the blue and I'm reaching for that pen and piece of paper I have on hand at all times.

Have you thought about just taking a break from it for some time? That could be especially helpful if you're not obligated to meet any deadlines.

Ah, Writer's Block. The bane of my existence. I have literally countless ideas, and they come to me quickly, but for some reason, whenever it's time to start writing them down, I usually get lazy. I think Syd Feild said that there's no such thing as Writer's Block. We're human, so we're master at making up excuses not to write. It's better to write 100% pure crap than to write nothing at all.

I usually just sit myself down, play some music, and force myself to write. I need to stop being lazy and do this sometime soon; hopefully I'll have the gumption to do that sometime this weekend. In my defense I'm currently taking 5 college courses, but honestly, I really SHOULD start writing again; I haven't done anything in a couple of weeks.

Another note here: I can force myself to write (as in, write when I'm not actually inclined) prose more easily than poetry, and structured poetry more easily than free verse. Anyone else's creativity/etc work similarly?

Write a song about a picture, like a painting or a photograph. When I am lacking poetic inspiration, this almost always works for me.

This article has some good tips too.

http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/farp/thew ... block.html

1. Obtain a kite (this may involving buying, borrowing or stealing one, i don't endorse the latter)
2. Find a big hill (the bigger and windier the better)
3. Fly the darn kite
4. Stay with it for a minimum of 14 minutes for best results

Benjamin Franklin was right!

Try and block it out. Alternetavely get a job you lazy scrounger!