bèlla

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Daily routines are helpful. Julia Cameron covers this in The Artist’s Way. Consistency is the key. Some people use writing exercises, journaling or brain dumps to warm up.

Having an accountability partner helps. Ideally you’d have several for the different phases/areas of writing. For example:

Pitches
Emotional cheerleader
Short stories/Fiction/Non-Fiction
Editing/Revising
Queries
Feedback

Having a small circle of writers you keep in touch with is helpful. Joining a writing group can be useful if you find a good one. You can have a combination of online and real-time connections. Meetup is good option for local gatherings. And private communities on the Internet can work too.

Facebook groups are hit and miss. You’d be better off in a paid community. Check out Carol Tice. She has great writing resources.
 
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Daily routines are helpful. Julia Cameron covers this in The Artist’s Way. Consistency is the key. Some people use writing exercises, journaling or brain dumps to warm up.

Having an accountability partner helps. Ideally you’d have several for the different phases/areas of writing. For example:

Pitches
Emotional cheerleader
Short stories/Fiction/Non-Fiction
Editing/Revising
Queries
Feedback

Having a small circle of writers you keep in touch with is helpful. Joining a writing group can be useful if you find a good one. You can have a combination of online and real-time connections. Meetup is good option for local gatherings. And private communities on the Internet can work too.

Facebook groups are hit and miss. You’d be better off in a paid community. Check out Carol Tice. She has great writing resources.

Thanks!
 
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Gregory Thompson

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I recall writing my most surrealistic work in Physics class during high school.

Sometimes it's the contrast, and sometimes sheer boredom that inspires.

Yeah I had some of best short story ideas in middle school!
 
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Gregory Thompson

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Yeah I had some of best short story ideas in middle school!
I'm still looking at that thing I wrote of a Dog reading a prophecy off of an Orange peel, and I just can't stop laughing.
 
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I'm still looking at that thing I wrote of a Dog reading a prophecy off of an Orange peel, and I just can't stop laughing.

Nice! I had thought of many different science related superheros that could have easily been novels.
 
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Nice! I had thought of many different science related superheros that could have easily been novels.

As a matter of fact, they were all awesome.

I called them the "Platinum City Heroes."
 
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Jonaitis

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JAM2b

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I use the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. I sometimes answer it is small, short sentences, and then build from there. Other times the answer to just one or two of them can get me started on lots of thoughts for that answer.

I don't always know what kind of person I want to write about, or what kind of story I want to do. Just starting with answering one or more of those can sometimes trigger creativity. Also add story generator or Character profiles can make a spark. Reading prompts is also helpful to me. If nothing else, it can push out everything I don't want to write.
 
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Ophiolite

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The issue, perhaps, is not that you are unable to write, but that you are unable to write about your chosen subject. So, don't try. Just start writing. For example you were able to write the opening sentence of this thread. Imagine if you used that as a seed. The early result might look like this:

How do I cure it? I want to cure it. Curing is important. Curing hams is important if your are into food processing. I had a food processor once. it just churned round and round, chopping and slicing. Dan Evans, the British tennis player, has a mean slice. Take it on the bounce. Watch it drift. The North Atlantic Drift is an extension of the Gulf Stream. I have flown in a Gulfstream several times.

Just stream of consciousness stuff, but periodically drop in a word or phrase or a sentence that relates to your target topic. Don't push it beyond that - let it come naturally. I have no idea if this would work for you, but it might be worth a try.
 
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As a fellow writer, I too am often stuck in my writing. Like now. But I always believe that the best ideas come to us when we let the characters tell us their stories...not the other way around! Hope this helps!
 
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dms1972

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With reference to the OP's question, I wonder would reading books on the creative process, not meaning to suggest the OP doesn't know about it - there plenty, a few that come to mind would be:

The Mind of the Maker : Dorothy Sayers
Walking on Water: Madeleine L'Engel
Real Presence: Leanne Payne

I don't know if reading any of that would remove the OP's block, but Leanne Payne talks about a block she had and how she came to understand it, and it was removed (in her autobiography Heavens Calling) - but I don't mean of course that everyone's block is the same - still her account of working through it makes an interesting read.
 
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JesseBassett

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Writers block I have found is just something that is in the mind. It simply does not exist! If you think it, it is according to scripture. So believe you can write easily and you will make it happen!
 
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1. Pray (Ask God to open the doors of creativity to you.)

2. Read other books or watch other shows/movies. (Often times inspiration comes to me thru these venues a well)

3. Use writing prompts (Some of you have already posted about these already. They work.)

One of my secrets to getting the creative juices flowing is to put on a movie or TV show and muting the volume to it. Then I will write out what I think the characters are saying on the screen. I know this sounds stupid but I've produced several pieces by doing this. And I never run into the issue of plagiarism either because all the writing I do is Christian and kingdom based. I love it.
 
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