How frightening is Writer's Block? Share your stories, please.

So you want to hear about our experience with writer’s block, offer advice for us, or hear our stories for your personal project?

I want to hear your story and hope that we can offer each other advice

OK. Your description is hard to understand though. I’m not sure if what you are describing is writer’s block…

Artists are supposed to struggle – isn’t the memtic view of artists (and I include writers) that if art were easy, then it wouldn’t be special and wouldn’t be artisitc – it would be assembly line.

So struggling for ideas ought not be something to be avoided – rather the struggle (and overcoming it) ought to be welcome and embraced. It’s a crucial part of the writing process. Art without angst isn’t really art.

I’ve written short stories (fiction) and book and article chapters (non-fiction) -non-fiction is easier to write than fiction. But to me at least, both are the result of arguing with myself what I want to say and how I want to do it.

I . . .

It was a dark and stormy…No, It was a cold and snowy…No, it was a hot and muggy… oh the hell with it. Hey, was that a Monarch?

@ThePinkWriter1: Are you gathering materials or research for a book?

@Mimishu1995, @jca2 Exactly my questions.

Oh it’s simply terrifying! Almost as bad as facing the enemy in Afghanistan! I just don’t know how writers live through it!

Well, the OP hasn’t replied yet, so I doubt they really just want to exchange advice.

Not to mention I don’t even think what they describe is writer’s block at all. It just sounds like they were too involved in the book that they grew attached to the story they wrote. That really makes me suspicious whether they want to exchange advice or just want our story for whatever project they are doing.

But I’m going to share my serious experience with writer’s block anyway. At least this is for the regular members.

I’m drafting an outline for my story, and I get serious writer’s block. Sometimes I feel like I’m writing the worst book in the world and the entire world would kill me if they know about my book. Sometimes I just can’t stand even looking at it. I can open the document and just leave it there to surf the web to avoid having to work on it. On one hand I want to finish it, but on the other hand I’m really scared of what people would think of it.

So yeah, that’s my experience. Since the thread is about sharing advice, do you have any advice for me?

I just kept writing until the block lifted.
I wouldn’t call it “terrifying,” tho.

Well, when I was working on a long story, I kept a writing journal alongside. I put down notes about my research and questions I had to solve and stuff like that, but I also included some thoughts about the writing experience. And when I got stuck and couldn’t write, I’d put that in my journal, how I felt stumped and frustrated and bogged down. Did all my complaining there. I kept my daily word count goals up that way. And then eventually I would break out of it and go on with the story.