in which it is too hot

[kangeiko]

IT'S TOO BLOODY HOT.

The person to mention that fact that I'm used to heat much more intense than this gets a stick in the face. I always had an air conditioned hotel room to fall back on in Africa; here I'm suffering with the rest of the population. As well as dreading next week, when the commute starts again, boo hiss.

It was not hot enough to deter my mother and me from shopping, of course. We hit the Harrods sale and came out with heels galore. GALORE, I tells you. A pair of leather strappy sandals with a flower on the side, and a turquoise satin pair with a diagonal tie with ribbon. Gorgeous beyond belief, and also sky-high. One of these days I will promise to stop buying impossible heels and I will actually mean it.

Also some needed make-up and a lovely coral nail lacquer. WHAT? I am doing my bit for the economy. *sniff*

This is all because it's too hot to write, you know. I've been carting around a stack of prompts with me wherever I go on the off-chance that I'll be inspired, but so far there has been nary a sniff of a drabble, let alone full-blown fic. Given that I usually try to use at least part of my holidays to write, this is unacceptable, I tells you. I can't decide if I'm just unmotivated or if I'm blocked. (Maybe it's the same thing?)

So tell me, flist, how do YOU get over writer's block and start scribbling again?

Comments

[wingsmith.livejournal.com]

Depends on the block:

If i'm plot/structure blocked. I just sit and write something, anything, around my general idea.

If I'm word blocked, I write out the things I want the story to be about, the way I want it to feel. The atmosphere and the story elements it needs to have. Then I have a go, and give myslef permission before I start that it can be rubbish, and I won't delete it. Because even a crap WIP is better than a blank page.

[kangeiko]

I locked myself in Starbucks until I wrote watchmen/west wing crossover fic just to leave.

So clearly self-punishment via pastries and caffeine is the way to go...

[numinicious.livejournal.com]

So tell me, flist, how do YOU get over writer's block and start scribbling again?

I have no idea, because I am in a similar situation, so I'm just going to stalk this post and steal other people's ideas.

p.s. my icon is a lie

[kangeiko]

p.s. my icon is a lie

mwahaha, *pets* aww, poor baby.

I have overcome my writing block, sorta, help yourself to unblockyness. The key is clearly to lock yourself in a place with caffeine, sugar and not much else, and fic will result. In my case, that's Starbucks, although many other cafes have also worked well. (There's a really cool one in Edinburgh, where JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series. I used to go and sit there and write entire novels in one afternoon, there's something funny in the air.)

[numinicious.livejournal.com]

I need to fly to Edinburgh, clearly.

Unfortunately all I've done for the past few weeks is sit in my apartment drinking tea and staring at my computer, and unfortunately it hasn't helped at all. I tend to need internet when I write, if only because I'll inevitably come up with some plot point that needs interwubz-research, and I'm the type of person who can't move forward without researching everything immediately.

Yyyyyeeep, I need a kick to the rear. Ugh, writing.

[kangeiko]

I do that, but that's why I tend to surround myself with uber-handy books like Brewer's Phrase & Fable and the Seven Plots and a variety of other reference sources. Grab a poetry book or whatever, sit in a cafe, and read until one of the more twisted ones catches my eye. *shrug*

[numinicious.livejournal.com]

I shall attempt these things! ty :D

[amatara.livejournal.com]

Gah, you're making me jealous! I love heels, but can't wear any that are higher than a few centimeters; if I do (and I've tried!) my feet will be wrecked in less than 5 minutes. So wear those heels, girl, wear 'em with pride, and realize how lucky you are!! *g*

Re writer's block: as I don't write long stories, plot is usually not much of an issue; it's mainly the words that refuse to cooperate. If that happens, I try to just force myself to go on writing, block or no block. In practice, that means I will
- need at least an hour to put together five measly sentences, four of which are horrible, and disjointed, and far too long;
- make sure I have a dictionary with me, so I can at least look up a decent synonym of the things I can only remember the "standard", i.e. cliche, word for. (the fact that I'm not a native speaker only makes this part worse);
- when I'm starting with a new fic, choose whatever point in the story that seems simplest to write (usually smack in the middle) and work my way outward from there.

After carrying on for a few days in that hellish way, suddenly I will hit a point where inspiration comes bursting in. Kind of like spending a week trying to punch a hole in the wall, and suddenly you're up to your armpit in it. :) What I'll do when that point doesn't come, though...

[kangeiko]

*fails to wear heels*

le sigh. it's raining! or it's too hot! anyway, i need to break them in first. *resolves to wear them AT SOME POINT, otherwise it's an awful waste of money, boo hiss.*