Writer's Blocks

I am always amazed when people say they are experiencing a "writer's block." Not that I can't sympathize; I definitely can. Although I do a lot of writing both in SL and in real life, I have often experienced times when I just couldn't find the right words or the right ideas to put on paper (or on computer, as the case may be). I am actually experiencing that right now almost halfway through my second novel (and I also experienced it at about the same point in my first novel). There are some "tricks' that can help, one of which is definitely not thinking too hard. The other is to keep writing no matter how terrible or silly you think it sounds and then worry about going back to edit later.

But there is something I thought of recently that I wanted to share on this blog -- the difference between "writer's block" and "writer's blocks." Everyone knows that writer's block is when an author is stuck and unable to continue writing a certain piece or even unable to begin writing anything. But the term writer's blocks is a totally different thing. In fact, writer's blocks can actually help a writer get over or through a writer's block. Writer's blocks are those tools a writer uses to build a story. Jenaia Morane, a Second Life friend, author, and writing instructor recently hosted a Story Quest that allowed participants to "search" for clues that were actually story prompts or blocks that they could use to create a story.

The common blocks that writers use are dialogue, setting, characterization, etc., but they can use more specific ones, too. When I was writing "Cloudy Rainbow," I used many of my own personal experiences at college working on the student newspaper as well as almost all of my experiences with my cat whose death was the impetus for my writing the book. I truly believe that fiction writing is more authentic when it is based on fact which, of course, is fictionalized but still has a stronger impact on the reader than if it is based on purely imagined characters and plots. As a block for writers, true experiences are important along with interests and feelings. If you like what you write about, if you believe in it, if it evokes emotion in you, it will do the same for the reader. Maybe not as personally, but you know, we all do try to relate to the characters we read about. And most of our experiences are similar. Don't we all experience the loss of a loved one? Don't most of us fall in love at some point in our lives? Don't we all grow in so many ways through our lives as the main characters grow in each chapter of a book?

So if when you experience a writer's block, try to think of how you can use writer's blocks for inspiration. Your writing will start to flow again before you know it.