Writing Exercises & Writer's Block

 So, in my post about generators, I mentioned the writing exercise generator found here and gave an example of one (Write for at least 3 minutes about a misstep, a cave, and a border. Focus on distinguishing characters through dialogue.) that was generated for me. This was one that broke me out of the writer's block I'd been dealing with. 

This exercise was generated at the time I was watching the donghua (Chinese animation, similar to Japanese animation aka anime) Mo Dao Zu Shi on YouTube. It's based on a novel of the same name by author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu and there is also a live-action version called The Untamed available on Netflix. I mention this because I am someone who takes inspiration from everything around me and, in this case, what I was watching flavored what I wrote for those three minutes, particularly the names. 

Now, I'm not sharing what I wrote, but like I said before, this broke me out of writer's block. As I wrote, I became interested in the characters I'd created. I wanted to know more about their cultures, why it was such a grave misstep, and exactly how far the one character had wandered to have crossed the border. I wanted to know more about the world these characters were in, but I didn't start working on that yet. No, instead I generated another writing exercise, this one: Write for at least 500 words about a newspaper, a firefly, and a romance. Focus on describing unusual details. 

For this one, I focused on the characters from the previous one, but clearly this was set at a point further in the future when they were romantically involved. I wanted to learn more about the characters and their world, and in this exercise because I needed to focus on unusual details, I learned that the one character is from a clan that lives in a cliff-side palatial home, very reminiscent in style to the Hengshang Hanging Temple (read more about it here) and there was apparently a war that both were involved in. Through writing, I also learned that the palatial home is hanging over a valley with a village which gets very foggy during rainy weather and the lantern lights cut through it, flickering like fireflies. 

This stuck with me and I began working on fleshing out the world. I created a map, using the map maker found here, and began figuring out cultural information for the world. Funeral practices, gender roles, marriage rites, coming of age, arts and entertainment, honor, trade, how to distinguish status--all of these are things I've worked on and figured out. Is this complete? By no means. I'm still working on figuring out all the details for the world and it's something I come back to on when I feel myself suffering from writer's block because the writing exercises all seem to inspire scenes in my head involving the two characters from that original writing exercise. 

Now, I mentioned earlier that writer's block is something I deal with. I know I'm not the only writer that's dealt with it. Writer's block is terrible. With me, I start feeling out of sorts if I don't write for a few days. I am always writing or creating in some fashion. If I'm not working on The Agency, I'm world-building the science fiction idea. If I'm not doing that, I'm creating a homebrew campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons. If I'm not doing anything related to writing, I'm antsy and uncomfortable. 

My significant other has noticed that writing is a good way of gauging how I'm doing mentally and emotionally. When I was going through a particularly rough time, I went a year without writing anything more than short roleplay hooks for World of Darkness: Innocents. My significant other pointed out that it was clear that my mental health had improved because I was writing again.

Writer's block isn't always tied to mental health, but it can be. The one thing that is important to keep in mind is that writer's block is not something to be ashamed of. It doesn't reflect poorly on you as a writer or on the project you're writing. It doesn't mean that you're a bad writer or that you're lazy or that your idea isn't interesting enough. Writer's block happens to everyone who writes and, naturally, everyone has their own opinions on how to combat it. 

For me, I've found that sometimes if I'm dealing with writer's block regarding one idea, it's best to take a break and work on something else for a little while. Sometimes, writer's block (and my own mental health) means that an idea has to be shelved for awhile, at least until I'm able to sort out my own demons, especially when the work hits uncomfortably close to home as happened with one project of mine. 

Sometimes, writer's block is best dealt with by not working on anything at all for a little while. Trying to force yourself to write can lead to irritation at yourself and your writing. What you write when forcing yourself to write may not be your best, which is fine, but then you may look at it later to edit and get disgusted with it. I've done that. I managed to salvage a character concept from one thing I wrote when I was forcing myself to write and am working it into another possible idea, though the rest of what I wrote is...meh. 

Another trick I've picked up for writer's block is listening to music, especially songs or soundtracks that make me think of a particular project or mood I'm going for. With music playing and writing exercises being generated, I was able to break through my writer's block this time and ended up creating a world I'm excited to learn more about. Each writing exercise I do involving these characters leads to me understanding a little more about the setting and a little more of their story emerging. 

So, if you're suffering from writer's block on one idea, maybe let that idea sit for a bit and write something else. Do a writing exercise. Write a scene from your project that you're excited about. Listen to music. Take a day or two to just relax. Don't pressure yourself to write. Eventually, you'll feel like working on your project again and you'll approach it with renewed energy.