The Australian Association of Writing Programs

Totally unoriginal but they help me:

1. Front up at the desk by 9am even if washing the floor  seems unaccountably alluring.

2. Write anything, even if it is unrelated, even if it is just my diary, in order to get the words flowing.

3. If the problem is not knowing what I want to say, push the keyboard aside and do a mindmap scribble of ideas and interconnections.

For an inspirational take on staying calm and staying with it, read Helen Garner's talk about not-writing, presented at the 2008 AAWP conference:

http://www.communication.uts.edu.au/conferences/aawp/garner-lecture.pdf

Were you the person sitting there making me feel inadequate byyping up the presentations on a laptop? Or did you get the transcript from AAWP or UTS?

Helen was a great help to me through her speech and afterwards at our Hotel. What a giving person who remembers what it is like to be riddled with self-doubts and delaying tactics.

Thanks Janene.

I generally end up slogging through writing drivel about what people are eating or the walls or something. I suppose I can always edit it later!

Anyone elses Top Three Ways to waylay writers block?

I remember being surprised when starting the M.A., and being told that writing is a lonely game, and facing the blank page was a daunting task. 

The characters are of your own creation, and you speak for them and listen to them, and place them in all manner of situations - how noisy and busy is that?  ;)

Whatever we write has some objective, a potential audience, a believable storyline and a style that holds the reader's attention.  Even work procedures and flowcharts need these elements.

Writing a "story" in any genre introduces moods, with empathy or loathing for characters and situations.

Whenever I need to start a writing period, regardless of where I am in a storyline, I imagine being that person, observing the characters and scene as if I'm there (as if it is right now), and allow my mood and empathy to attain and sustain the moment - quickly scribbling down what happens as it unfolds. 

Like life, the present moment is the only time you have available in which to do something - to write or just think about writing - for the past is gone, and future yet to come.

If you ever stare at a blank page and want to write, then you need to get into the mood of the storyline (music will do this), imagine the feelings of the characters, and just start writing what you "see" as if you are there right now.  As the action occurs, if you have not written what you see, then it is impossible to recreate the mood and moment.

Music, writing and imagery go together.  Films incorporate music at the end of the process.  Why not use music during the writing process, with imagery bountifully supplied by the imagination?

- Stefan 

I see no reason for the Muse not to respond to music! Also agree 100% that the best fiction writing also needs inspiration and creativity to produce the very besoutcome.

Thats for the tips. Thats a fantastic idea, music can be great inspiration and I have been mentally assessing songs for a chapter later on trying to fix a mood in my mind. If I can only get past the current chapter...

Any one know where I can find some quazi-futuristic, mobster, lounge music for an undercover cop and his assistant? .. or am I asking too much? : )

I have to lock the door to my study, pull out the phone, turn off the radio, flex the fingers, stand in my character's shoes and go for it. I can always edit later.

Glenice

I just stumbled accross an Interesting Writers Block Tactic.

Leave, give it a day or so, so your a bit fuzzy on the details and go somewhere else. Then just start writing an email to yourself with your bit of awesome-ness and send it off. That way you completely ignore the bit you keep chokeing on and move on then can patch it up later.

How do people tackle blocks with the exegesis or non-creative aspect of their thesis?

BTW love the animated avatar... you tech head you.

My most recent attempt to counter the balnk page of the exegesis was to draw up a structure/outline with dot points and red highlighted areas where i needed to insert the relevant questions/answers.

I am now ready to begin a draft, allowing myslef the freedom of writing colloquially and again just leaving the gaps where the lit.search material needs to be woven through.

After each chapter is 'fleshed' to a degree I owe myslef an nice glass of expensive wine. That should be motivation enough.

And once a month I am giving myslef an artefact writing weekend, without any technology, just old fashioned book and pen. Then as I progress my rewards are facials, pedicures, massages etc. I'm really just a recalcitrant toddler at heart who needs the adult version of the old traffic-light system. It's just my green lights and stickers cost al lot more than a Mars Bar!

I like it: a self regulated reward system.

Hi Stefan,

How close are you to completing the MA? I've been wondering how many people I might see at the graduation ceremony. I've got about 17 weeks to go for the MA.

Daniel.Z