The Three Types of Writers Block & How to Combat Them

[@rev6215]

Dont I just LOVE the movies where the protagonist just gets an idea and writes a novel and becomes famous

[@williamshakespeare9815]

Writes a novel in a few days while sat in a silent house

[@Диана-я5э1к]

Whenever I'm stuck on a scene I write either only the dialogue or only the description, later on I put them together

[@maikenzupancicdanko9377]

Oh my gosh that's genius! I'm stuck on a scene right now where both things are very important but it's been really difficult juggling them. I'll definitely try this approach :)

[@jadenova397]

That is literally so smart, thanks for the tip

[@g.priyanvada608]

Definitely I'd try this... tysm 😊

[@nxtsoaveragejoe6644]

The hero we need 🤗

[@godstenrules]

As someone who's attempting to write my first book, I'm currently stuck. I've already written a good decent amount of the story my story has to plots, but they're connected with each. The prologue and good portion of Chapter 1. The prologue's plot has to do with the Crew of the ship Dove 1. Chapter 1's plot has to do with the Crew of the ship Dove 2. The part I'm having trouble writing is the important briefing on the bridge. I don't want to give too much detail. I'm doing something new that I have yet to see any author do. I'm combining the alien and space genre with the mermaid and ocean (sea). In my book, the world is divided by religion and magic. There are two forces, The Hope Force, who are the protagonists, and The Magic Elites, who are the antagonists who control the world. Chapter 1's plot takes place majority underwater.

[@funwithaiman]

Whenever I watch a movie, regardless of genre, it is a mandatory ritual for me to have a piece of paper by my side. Ideas bounce off the virtual world right into your mind!

[@morningglory.213]

Idk when I write something and if I have even got an inspiration from some movie I watched, I just feel bad like I copied and I probably can’t imagine things on my own.. idk it makes me self loathe more...

[@funwithaiman]

@@morningglory.213 Don’t fret my friend! Literally the entirety of our ideas take form from all the knowledge we possess; the ideas spring from the randomness of everything in our grasp. It is irrefutably important to take notes on everything, allowing your subconscious mind to take the ores of information, smelt them, and reform them to enable the creation of new ideas. That is how creativity flourishes. Originality, inevitably, is an unrecognisable form of imitation. Always read and write, for inspiration is the key to the chains of idleness.

[@morningglory.213]

@@funwithaiman thanks im working on all of this i generally give into my perfectionist tendencies

[@emmanuel_capricorn4033]

Thought I was all alone

[@francessheldrick908]

Perfect timing! I've been stuck...stuck...stuck... for some days, now. Have been using the strategy of "writing something" which has been as low as 120 words in a day, but I even cheated there, because some of that was rewriting and didn't do much to move the scene forward. It always helps to hear other ideas for dealing with these problems.

[@peniellatay6367]

😣😬. I know how it is so good luck.😳

[@Ritualfinancial101]

Mines the motivation piece but it comes from self-doubt and perfectionism. Just heard a really good bit of advice to make a first draft where you really don’t edit yourself at all, you just go for volume. Think that’s going to help!

[@chronicallyartsy]

"Write it as simply as possible." THIS. This is EXACTLY what I needed! Thank you SO much for this video!

[@raelyles8872]

The low goal is very helpful for me right now as I'm just getting back into writing. I've been battling depression for a while, but finally ready to dive in again

[@ingridfischer3432]

Same here. It's actually quite scary (in a way) to start writing again, after not writing for so long.😅

[@kayjay1909]

I often get stuck because I put all my ,,creative energy" in one project. Finally I found a method to stop that! Tysm that u are sharing ur whole techniques!♡

[@sergueiignacinskybenitovic3025]

One of my goals should be watching one of your videos per day, every night. It's like a routine. Really love your work.

[@brittaniboyd4199]

As soon as you said, "Write every other day at 50 words a day," I physically felt my body relax. Guess I found the problem. lolol I gave myself a deadline a couple days ago and basically stopped writing after that. This video was so helpful. Thank you!

[@ogunduman836]

you wrote everything I was just thinking. :)

[@maxwrigley6885]

Thank you so much for the video - I suffer from really bad writer's block (stuck project & severe lack of motivation). This has definitely helped me combat my worst enemy

[@justcallmemarcus]

1) I rarely have this problem. If anything, I have too many ideas. One way I found to deal with this is write something about having no ideas. 2) I usually go with either writing something else or go to another part of the project on this one. 3) The most common one for me. Setting a schedule with a relatively low expectation has worked wonders for me so far. I don't really do a word count goal, I set a time goal instead; 1 hour a day. Another block I found I was hitting a lot was distraction. I would keep rabbit holing myself with social media or KZbin (ironic, right?). My around that one was simple: I started watching KZbin videos about writing! Thank you Reedsy and Shaelin for existing and for your content! :)

[@tickedoffnow]

I can be really indecisive because I have so many story ideas

[@nocturnus009]

02:14 is so on point! This summer I made it a point to watch as much Turner Classic Movies (especially Noir Alley) as possible. The 1st half of July I was reading Save The Cat Writes A Novel & I have been gradually using the movies & mini film study class for the storycraft. (From Screencraft to Novelcraft)

[@arnulfoperez534]

i love how im not so experienced with writer's block. But you are so familiar and aware of it. i love it you make me feel right at home.

[@mikelopez6928]

thank you for all the advice you've given us over the years. i just watched a video that said we have writers block because we don't want to look stupid and i didn't find it helpful at all. So many videos with advice and yours seems to always be the ones that really help me in my journey to improve. you've covered so much. my problem right now is a mix of the first one even thought im like 20+ chapters in to one of my novels. then there's the motivation thing. its come to the point where i have had to truly isolate myself from people and most social media. anyway thank you so much for all your help.

[@kanden27]

I’ll run into a moment where I start a new paragraph and I’ll get stuck on following up with the sentence beforehand. So I’ll delete the last sentence/paragraph and I tend to take it in a better direction. Also my goal is about 350 words a day.

[@jakehopkins6989]

@Mangekyou I do 5k and that's my absolute limit. Typically takes me 30 minutes to do 1k. But I find that I'm never actually hitting the 5k, I'm usually either falling behind and doing less or catching up and doing more!

[@cadencev5572]

@RPSI It's different for everyone. I only write 560 words a day because I like knowing that it's a goal I can easily reach, and this motivates me to aim higher. And on slow days I won't feel bad if I don't reach my daily wordcount goal because I'll never not reach it. Lol did that make sense

[@michaelcain9324]

Thank you. This was great. Could see I’ve been or am in a lot of these. I’m a pantser, but my favorite author was a plotter, and I ended up (after already writing a few novels) plotting my novels just as he prescribed. Unfortunately, since I’m a pantser, plotting the novels out scene by scene made me feel like I’d already written them. So I have a few books plotted I never could get back into. I only just figured out why (because I’m a pantser, so now I’m trying to go back to that mindset and try and get writing more constantly.

[@JaidenConnors]

I have the first kind of writer's block. I have zero ideas on what to do and i think that what you said will be useful.

[@ariannestevens5289]

i have a tip...listen to music! but don’t just listen to it, really indulge in every word the singer is singing and invent a story off the lyrics. some songs i recommend are cigarette daydreams by cage the elephant, any harry styles songs tbh or me and my husband by mitski. hope this helped!

[@shrinidhiraja1245]

I recently started a reddit page to create a safe space to talk about writers block and the struggles associated with it. There hasn't been much of a discussion because it is brand new. But it has been helpful, getting myself out there.

[@takuiozbulbul4257]

I was having a blockage about this scene that I was writing and this is the first video that I've watched to overcome it. you gave me the best idea, im gonna write the scene in a very simple way and I will be coming back to that later. you gave my work a light now ^-^

[@leashaberri]

These are some fantastic suggestions. I love the tips about free writing or go back or simply work on something else. I'm going to try that right now.

[@nickrykert2572]

This will be a great help! Thank you!

[@mikeexits]

Out of the types the media I create in, music is the most annoying to get writer's block for. I've been stuck on several albums/EPs for a while. Thanks for the video.

[@AtoZmoms]

This was a great video. I especially liked this quote - "be patient, and the world will gift you an idea."

[@isadorasantanarubim]

i struggle most with the two last types of writer’s block, and what i usually do is come back to the piece/pieces of media that inspired me to write it in the first place for rekindle the inspiration. it almost always works pretty well. if not, i just take a short break from writing it to give my creativity time to breathe.

[@goodgirl5824]

Finally, a real solution for the type of block i’m dealing with. Thank you.

[@molasses3850]

I find that whenever I'm stuck in the middle of a scene, I stop, I take a break, and if I still can't get back into the flow, I start over. I don't delete what I already had, no I never delete things. They can be used later. But I either open a new document, or I just go down a bit, start on a blank screen, and I rewrite the scene. Or, like you said, write it in simple terms until I'm back in the flow.

[@ngamminpyehaokip1979]

I'm in love with the way you speak ❤️❤️

[@ClefairyFairySnowflake]

I've dealt with all sorts of writer's block, but hopefully i can push past it and get some work done! Thanks for the advice! Have a great day!

[@slutforkurootetsurou4544]

Something that helps me is trying to get more into the mood of the scene. rereading what I already had a few hours or days later can help get you back into the swing of it or maybe make you realize where something was very poorly written that was stoping you being able to continue. Listening to a song that you feel would be playing if it was a movie (or just songs that fit the overall mood of the story itsself) can help put you more into the mindset of the characters(s) witch is really helpful at times where it's more conversation based and not scenery based (though I suppose if the characters trying to describe something its also helpful.) I struggle with all these types at the same time. I can type sm in such a short amount of time with very little to go off of, but I'm stuck half way through a page I'm Wrighting because I have no idea what to write next. 🤔 make it make sense.

[@shadybeashooketh1911]

stuck project. i'm so motivated and determined to do it, i know exactly what it is that i want to do, i just literally can't do it. it's so frustrating. writing and creativity is my outlet and i'd do anything to access it again.

[@abstractbybrian]

Brilliant! Exactly what I needed.

[@Skinniest_Kween]

This is pretty helpful. Especially the motivation part.

[@aminam4547]

Thank you so much for making this video

[@daeliusdrake7810]

I have not been on KZbin for like two hours, and before that, I watched like 4 videos like this, but I am assuming that this is the one that inspired me, I have only just started working on a side story/second work while I am stuck with my main piece, and I am already feeling a lot less stressed.

[@Mark_Jonas]

Not having an idea would be impossible for me, I could look at your shelf and come up with an idea for a book

[@Sean-km2mh]

Thank you sm this video was exactly what I needed

[@danieltoyosi5824]

Thank you very much. This is helpful.

[@sophiacolleenlapu-os6013]

When I don't have an idea in mind, I usually just go on some word generator site and randomly generate three words, and I use those words to build a plot.

[@thekrayonkidsbookadventures]

thank you so much for your help ..you are great !!!!

[@raydea2247]

I've been in a writers block where I could not write anything for the life of me, and didn't had any idea because I was being so perfeccionist and thought nothing was good enough. Now I can write and have a idea, but I'm not motivated or have the energy to do it because all the months I've been doubting myself exhausted me

[@gladiator652004]

Having a detailed novel plan has helped me.

[@22CAJ]

These are some of the clearest, most helpful tips for writer's block I have ever seen. So much better than "just write". Thank you!

[@gracekim1998]

Can the stuck project part be being stuck on the actual plot like the main villain’s drive or goal?😅

[@tehsensei]

Thank you for this.

[@mck9485]

Oh wait is this just in reference to film writing/screenplays or would this video’s info/tips most likely work with other forms as well ? Either way, thank you !

[@Reedsy]

These tips would work for any form, though it was made with novels in mind!

[@mintee8638]

I like to have a framework and a language for ideas. One thing I can then do is compare ideas that match a part of the framework, as well as see if there is anything that doesn't fit the framework as well or if the framework itself can bend or overlap other frameworks.

[@godstenrules]

As someone who's attempting to write my first book, I'm currently stuck. I've already written a good decent amount of the story my story has to plots, but they're connected with each. The prologue and good portion of Chapter 1. The prologue's plot has to do with the Crew of the ship Dove 1. Chapter 1's plot has to do with the Crew of the ship Dove 2. The part I'm having trouble writing is the important briefing on the bridge. I don't want to give too much detail. I'm doing something new that I have yet to see any author do. I'm combining the alien and space genre with the mermaid and ocean (sea). In my book, the world is divided by religion and magic. There are two forces, The Hope Force, who are the protagonists, and The Magic Elites, who are the antagonists who control the world. Chapter 1's plot takes place majority underwater.

[@AhmedOmar-no1ci]

I find this channel quite helpful , Keep it up.

[@52Paulis]

Getting stuck happens most. I always have 3 projects in play which solves this because by moving away to something else it is still there in the back of my mind. I also have ADHD which means I can juggle more than one plate at a time. One of my projects always involves a co-writer which is a trick I leaned many years ago. Generally I work with a co-writer on a project that I have weakness in and the co-writers strength is my weakness. Comedy and Science Fiction are two genres where I tend to work with a co-writer. My other project is usually a re-write a second, third or fourth draft. Lately since having COVID-19 I find that motivation to write can be an issue. This is partly due to my energy level four months later and my energy level can dip for a day or two, I have also had recurring brain fog since I was sick. It happens every seven to ten days and it can also put me into a funk. Thank you for this video.

[@Reedsy]

Having multiple projects to rotate through is a fantastic strategy! I find having two projects on the go does wonders for my productivity.

[@amir.nouroozi.composer]

Very helpful tips.

[@rev6215]

First. Once again. I'm still waiting on my noble

[@fhetty]

Whenever I get stuck in the middle of my stories, I often find that it's because I get overly bogged down in the details. I have an obsession with making sure everything can be explained logically, since I detest plot holes. In so doing whatever scene I'm trying to write suffers because of my over attention to detail. Sometimes the simplest way is indeed the best.

[@arayaviolin6421]

Never out of ideas. But as a songwriter I get stuck on making catchy melodies or composing a piece. Makes me wanna scream

[@ssundaram1686]

If you're ever feeling demotivated and just want to quit writing your book, ask yourself why you started :)

[@leontineketting97]

I'm at work now but i'll DEFINTRLY gonna watch this because i have a writers block in most of the stories, not knowing how to start😬😬 I completed 7 stories so far, almost 8, but i'm stuck with some of my stories😨😨

[@ooi97]

My problem is getting too many ideas and struggling to focus on the theme of the story. If I lose my motivation, it's because I stopped writing what I wanted to in the beginning and I got distracted chasing other stuff that may be fun but doesn't have a place in this story. And if I don't know how to write a scene it's because I'm trying too hard. Usually trying to show other cool stuff when I should really focus on the main theme. Or trying to just show too much of the theme at once, knowing I have action, feelings, thoughts and some cool symbols or details in the background that all are important to the theme, but I just can't show everything at once.

[@madhurimadas2616]

Very helpful and practical. Thank you:)

[@booklanerecommendations]

I've noticed that part of the reason for my current writer's block comes from a lack of variation in my environment. Any tips to motivate myself to leave the house more and/or find inspiration in my own neighborhood? I already go for walks and read books (reading The Night Circus helped a little bit, because it's such a visual book that it felt like I was exploring a new place). I am going on vacation soon, so that may help :D I think setting a (very low) word goal could help me get back into the habit of writing, which may in turn help me start a new novel more easily. So thanks for that tip! I also struggle to come up with plot. Goals, central action, mysteries, conspiracies, solutions to problems. How do I think of something interesting, specific, and active enough? Sometimes I think of ideas or characters, places or objects. Plots are much harder somehow. Maybe I should try to combine various ideas into a plot, but I'm not sure how to do that either.

[@Reedsy]

This exact issue has been causing me problems as well! Even trying things like writing outside on my porch or in my backyard have helped just to switch it up a little has helped, just for a little change of scenery, but the lack of variation has been a struggle for me too.

[@booklanerecommendations]

@@Reedsy Thanks for the tip!

[@dennisa2693]

Once again Shaelin saves my ass in a pinch. Not the first time, and probably not the last time. Thanks. Ok, I'm off and back to my draft.

[@nikoo7832]

this was very helpful thank you :)

[@michaelcartuccio4851]

Take walk or read book and get a new idea. I agree with beautiful patience is the key

[@peniellatay6367]

Thank. I've been stuck at a page on a book I've been writing and I know this video will help me a lot. I've been stuck on several books and I'm glad I saw this video. For me every time I think of something I forget it when I'm about to write it , so please if you have a idea which can help me l would love to read your reply.😬😟😜

[@deancluley9483]

I'm not even a writer lol, I make music. This video was still very helpful for getting out of the creative hole I'm in. Thank you !!

[@nononoweeb3205]

0 dislikes, I love your content!

[@kallostiana]

it was helpful, thank u

[@squartkicks2182]

I’m using this for songwriting 😂

[@williamhgould1583]

Excellent vid.

[@thewritingdesk293]

Lack of motivation is killer

[@jayfromdaa_apk]

Good video helped a lot

[@francoanzalone4061]

Thanks so much

[@creativesoulelements]

Thanks so much!

[@JoVeda_xo]

I have ideas Im afraid of what I manifest but if its already in my head might as well put it on paper or screen? What do you think?

[@1HeroSociety1]

Hey im rare! I don't have an idea.... for about 3 months now

[@senink]

Okay so, I film what I write and can’t go back and edit 😅 I’m mainly struggling to write this next episode. Feels like somethings missing or one of my ideas for the episode feels out of place but I don’t know what? I have learning disabilities and struggle with certain things so I’m not sure how to combat this

[@mymessynotebook2207]

I definitely get stuck and sometimes unmotivated

[@wiggleworm5423]

I always have ideas but the hard part is coming up with the rest.

[@b.lloydreese2030]

I had a good flow recently for my story, but then i got to a part later in the story and went blank. I couldnt see the story anymore.

[@siphilangenkosidlamini1596]

This is awesome

[@taiho7777]

Thank you...

[@Korbanazuyo]

I've been trying to get to this one part I want to write, but the biggest problem is that I don't have the motivation nor interest to actually write up to that point... Any tips?

[@Korbanazuyo]

Bro I actually skipped the first 2, i checked out the second chapter and it's exactly what I wanted, thank you so much

[@francoanzalone4061]

Thank you

[@dr.jajabakagah5716]

Showed up for the writing advice, stayed for the qt3.14 narrator

[@Hdiwkendjodowendhiekwne]

What if you have a starting idea but you don’t no how to continue it or you don’t know how to elaborate on a proper idea because you just don’t have anything? Not even bad ideas.

[@leowong2613]

wow thanks a lot timothy chalamet

[@FanfiqueiraGirl-ni9sp]

What should I do if I disconnected from my characters? I like the plot, I miss them, but at the same time it's like I disconnect from them

[@zanemarion7211]

Facing all three right now. It sucks.

[@carol_dmolokoane9241]

I think I needed someone to explain what I was going through, I have absolutely no motivation and I think the reason behind that is because I don't know how to start the book, I don't know how to write the first scene, I have ideas like they are brewing in my head but whenever I take my laptop and look at the screen I can't write a thing, yesterday I started my book with my character at her workplace and then I realized I have not yet laid the foundation of her career, I deleted the whole paragraph and this morning I started the book with my character at her place and I realized it was absolute rubbish and boring so I deleted the scene and this has been going on for days now, add-in the fact that I am bad at naming characters and the person who normally names my characters is at the other side of the country. I am stuck!!!

[@____uncompetative]

If you are still having problems you could try thinking about how you want your reader to feel when they finish your novel. If it has a real emotional impact on them, or they were thrilled, or amused, then did it impact them enough for them to recommend that other people read your novel? Obviously there is no way to know this ahead of time, but it doesn't hurt to try to elicit good word of mouth by leaving the reader with an impactful ending. Sometimes there are many other weak scenes in a story, and it may even have a meh opening, but so long as it has a strong ending scene they may recommend it to others to read. Consequently, I think the end is more important than the beginning. I look at people in bookshops and many read the blurb on the back cover, and never read the first page. Some seem to look at a variety of books in a certain genre, like literary fiction, and buy one with a well designed cover. Really they just want to "look" a certain way when they are in a coffee shop. In a sense it is a prop. They may be going on a plane, and want to stop the man sitting next to them from starting up a conversation with them. I think that far too much emphasis is placed on crafting the first sentence. "You must have a hook!" people say, and every book that is like that just comes across as contrived and try-hard. People will read the first couple of paragraphs if they open the book at all, and they are looking to see if they can adjust to the style of the writer. They are checking most likely because they haven't read that author's work before. So, actually being clever and fancy with the first couple of paragraphs may backfire as it may not be as easy to read as the more settled prose narrative that you have yet to write midway through your novel. In a sense you may be lying to your reader by misrepresenting what your style is like, as you made a 120% effort over the opening and then did the rest at 65% Maybe you are premature with your plans to write about this character, or know a story you want to write but this character isn't all that planned out to be fit to be the right vehicle to tell that story. Often I think people have character-plot mismatches where they could take either one of them out of that pairing and make a new story out of the plot with different characters, or a new story out of a character having a different adventure. The first suits plotters, the second pantsers. Good luck.

[@carol_dmolokoane9241]

@@____uncompetative thank you for that and I completely overcame my writers block, I am still learning to write and I could use all I can get, my book is going pretty well and my editor is impressed.

[@____uncompetative]

@@carol_dmolokoane9241 I'm very pleased to hear that.

[@michaelchase5304]

No idea: patience, consume media/stories, revisit old project. Stuck: skip difficult part, go back a few steps, write as simply as possible, write something else. No motivation: find the root of problem, write at a regular and low output.

[@marisakennedy777]

it's not just writers, but all artists can have this problem

[@SUBHASHNISARTA-x3b]

You are smart of course small but not with mental you thinking very high even I do not think like that, So absolutely you are right matching with my mentality just I think like that, actually it was translation in English for me I can studied both languages and the theme which I wanted to know about it So it was also the story of other person but at the same time what I am thinking is important for me. Is it suitable for me? Or not. Why did it suitable for me? what is my next step is to be a productive myself all that stuff to do it with me.

[@lojysaleh3125]

Tell me I'm not the only one who has the first block alot cuz this makes me feel like I'm not creative enough

[@daniloapostolov-dacatv1536]

I think i have all types of writer's block........ But i must write a novel. I MUST!!!

[@MaxamedHaybe-uu3gi]

What is the history of writer's block

[@jmakowsky7715]

Lack of motivation is mine

[@omniframe8612]

Sometimes I write backwards so the ending then...{inset writers block here} 😂😂😂

[@milestrombley1466]

Sometimes I rewrite a scene to give it a better direction.

[@ItelA70-hk9nx]

What's the history of writer's block?

[@ryzikx]

AI is also very useful these days for writers block number one. I have written an entire arc after plugging in and reading a sentence or two from an AI and taking those ideas and expanding upon them