💡
absolutely essential resource when your writing is giving you the ick
https://www.writing.upenn.edu/library/Mayer-Bernadette_Experiments.html
Related Recs
Apr 8, 2025
✍️
This might be obvious, but there are tons of writing prompts out there, and if you commit to doing them regularly, even if they're short, you'll start getting your flow back. (If anyone knows a good source, add it below!) It's nice to have the choice of topic made for you, so you don't end up feeling attached to much about it, although you might surprise yourself with what you come up with. I started a weekly virtual group a while back to do exercises as a communal accountability thing, and that really got me excited about writing again. Morning pages were also something mentioned here a while ago.
Basically anything that gets you into the technical habit of writing, so when you want to write about something specific, you'll be practiced and ready! I have found that inspiration has an easier time breaking through to the page when I'm not as rusty. Also, unless you want to submit a piece to a publication that fits a certain guideline, there are no rules. The fewer boxes you try to fit yourself into, the easier it flows!
Mar 18, 2024
✏️
at least for me, writer's block occurs when i feel like i've exhausted thoughts, ideas, motifs, etc. that used to fuel creative output previously – but changing your perspective (either by changing your influences, or your environment, etc.) will put more gas in your tank to write new, exciting things, and to experiment with how you write about those things
in the artist's way, julia cameron mentions how a core tenant of the program is "artist dates" where you go out on a solo excursion to give yourself more creative "input" like novel life experiences, new perspectives on familiar experiences, etc. that can then funnel into creative output
i think a similar effort is just reading more; for example, i like sci-fi as a consumer, but when i was reading parable of the sower by octavia butler for a book club, i was so inspired by it that previous projects in that genre i had parked because they felt uninspired became exciting to work on again. new sci-fi projects came to me and gave me some runway to outline / draft them. same for fantasy, non-fiction, etc
the more you're inspired (either by your experiences or your influences) the easier it will be to write more, because exploration will often take less effort than refinement. both are essential parts of the process, but if you're exclusively refining based on a body of work limited in scope, it's going to take more time / be more agonizing / feel less worth it; if you can expand that scope, there'll always be something to say on the page
Feb 10, 2025
Top Recs from @zibbytw
🏃
bonus points if u haven’t left the house yet
Jan 29, 2024
⭐
why wont anyone join me on here
Feb 26, 2024
🪆
i love a trinket! there is no joy like a tiny little mini toy
Jan 26, 2024