Writers Block

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

In order to avoid the pitfall of always finding myself writing from the point of view of Lister, I've been trying to force myself to write my second bit of fic from Rimmer's point of view. I've been mulling over a few different scenarios in my mind and I think I've finally settled on what I want to do. Unfortunately when I open up the document window and intend to start typing. NOTHING happens. I can see the scene in my head, and I know what I want to happen, I just can't seem to get it started. Quite annoying.

For those of you who have been doing this for years, do you have any tips, tricks, or exercises to get you over these humps? When you write for a character who doesn't come to you quite as naturally, was there anything you did that helped you to get into character more?

Comments

[missflibble.livejournal.com]

I guess, first and foremost, don't force a POV that you're not yet comfortable or inspired to write. If it's not coming then don't force it.

When I have to write Lister, I have to 'listen' to him. I imagine him talking in my head and or/revisit scenes from the show that makes me 'hear' his voice. Then I just write down what he's saying I guess. That sounds like an artsy fartsy faffy way of describing it, but it's really hard to nail down in words!

[metalkatt.livejournal.com]

Don't try to do it in order. Listen to what they say, even if it's complete bollocks, and just write. It's as if they need to feel comfortable before they're willing to play along.

[kronette.livejournal.com]

It took me a long time to be attempt to write Lister's POV, and it was a struggle the entire way. What helps me is setting the scene. Where is he? What is he doing? Is he annoyed or happy? What is he looking at? Holding? Is he whistling? Chewing on his hair?

You see the idea. It helped me to see him, which in turn helped me to 'hear' his voice. For Rimmer, I always 'see' out of his eyes, so it's almost no trouble at all to write him. Maybe that's a good way to start; what is Rimmer seeing? Try describing that, or how he feels. Probably smegged off, as that tends to be his normal default :) If you're writing him interacting with Lister, you could have him thinking of what Lister looks like or describe what he's doing. That will get you in the feel of how Rimmer sees the other characters.

I write a lot of 'junk' when I'm fleshing out a character. It's not stuff that makes it into the story, but more character pieces to help me understand him. I just remembered that, and it's not a bad idea. I guess it's like creating a brand new character; you have to know them first, fully understand them, before you can describe them to the world.

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I don't tend to have a problem with that, because I'm a combination of Rimmer and Lister. Both POVs come naturally to me, but I'm not sure whether I always convey them perfectly to the reader; that's obviously a matter of opinion.

I tend to struggle more with plot. I usually know roughly what I want to happen - it's the getting there without being repetitive and being clear to the reader which can be hard.

None of which is especially helpful to you, of course. Maybe try telling it partly through the character's thoughts? :)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Pick a song you like that is the mood you're going for and listen. Listen more than once if necessary, until you can write a few sentences to it.

Think about what makes the character relatable to you, even if it's just 1-2 things. Try to write their POV on the trait or incident by imagining how they felt. Examples - Rimmer, mortified by the cold soup reveal; Lister, finally realizing as an adult how poorly he'd treated Lise; Cat, dubious at hearing Lister claim he is Cloister the Cat God; Holly, forgetting a major chunk of data and panicking but trying to quash the panic; Kochanski, frustrated at being stuck with a bunch of relative Neanderthals who don't like anything she likes.

[felineranger.livejournal.com]

Don't worry if you can't write in sequence - I very rarely do. Start with writing the bits you do know, the bits you can see/hear in your head and then flesh it out as you go :-)

[laurenthemself]

Watch eps that relate to what I want to write about them, even if it's a bit of a stretch. Switch points of view if I really get stuck. Reread my own fic (um. not so much for RD because it is all SO OLD. I do it for TBBT thought). Reread other people's fic. Panic halfway through the scene because I think I've plagiarised someone else.

[sallycandance.livejournal.com]

I'll agree with most comments here and advise you not to force something. You said yourself that you're new to fanfic writing, so take it slowly and start with what you feel comfortable with. Fanfic writing (or anything else we consider a hobby) should be fun, not a chore.

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the input everyone, this was all very helpful! I always try to write sequentially and I think going out of order and just writing what comes more naturally first will help. :)

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I've thought of another tip actually. Sometimes I find it helps to read what I've written so far just before I go to sleep so that my subconscious gets to work on it. If you haven't written anything yet, maybe try just jotting down the ideas in your head without trying to make a story out of them and your brain might do the work for you. :)

[kronette.livejournal.com]

I can attest to that :) A SMEGGING YEAR this story has been in my head, working itself out. I'm trying to get it done by the weekend. We'll see.