Head? Desk.

[mhalachai]

Having a hard time writing. Feeling like my brain's dribbling out my ear, and not in a good way. So since I'm not really focused on anything, I thought I'd ask the crowd. Tell me what you want, baby.

[Poll #808991]

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Other...look in other directions for inspiration...for example trees...trees and nature have an empirical statistic of being inspiration to writers throughout the history of human kind.

Fortune cookie say: In other direction seek and you will find.

The above statements are true iff (if and only if) I used empirical correctly.

[eavling.livejournal.com]

Whoops! That's my comment.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

I voted for Switchback and Inevitable, in that order. I love me some Inevitable, but I've got to pull for my Switchback. I feel like I'm betting on a horse.
But seriously, you need sleep and coffee. In that order. Maybe beer.

[alydhe.livejournal.com]

It seems to me what you need is to completely get your mind off the fics for a while. With that in mind, here are some suggestions to go with my 'other' comment.

- Watch Seasons 1-4 of Smallville again.
- Ditto with all the seasons of Stargate.
- Diana Wynne Jones is an amazing author that can suck you in and leave you with you're imagination whirling. I suggest her Chrestomanci Chronicles and Howl's Moving Castle.
- Read an old classic. Treasure Island is my personal fav.
- Do you like Anime or Manga? Have a marathon fest.
- Have what my family calls a Wells Fest (Wells is our surname). This is where you get a bunch of family (or friends if you prefer) and have a whole night of movies, games, and food. We often have competitions to see who is able to stay up the longest into the next day with no sleep. ^___^

Have fun!

[lizey.livejournal.com]

In 'other', I said read goodfic, which is just a tad vague. I meant high quality, preferably gen, not hugely long or plotty, relatively original and sans a flashy plot device/crossover/whatever (yes, yes, easier said than done). It usually sparks my interest in writing as a craft.
If you haven't read Through the Vanishing Cabinet, and What Montague Found There (http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/after_the_rain/TTVCAWMFT01a.html), I recommend it.

[laney-1974.livejournal.com]

As someone whose brain is also dribbling out of their ear, I totally know where you're coming from. No real easy answers, I'm afraid. I have no idea how to get me back into writing. Are you still working 60 hour weeks. That could be the cause (it is for me).

[ccmom.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to mention that I think it's great that so many people mentioned chocolate as the "other" thing. Just goes to show you how much we all have in common. *grin*

In continuation for my reply of "why" for choosing other. . .

[needlessnoodles.livejournal.com]

You could just take a random saying, or something someone says on your favorite tv show, or just a random show/movie and use it as the opening to a random story that doesn't have to be completed or viewed by others.

[liz-ddraig.livejournal.com]

I picked Dawning Light and Switchback for stories, but I'd also love to know how Inara got better on the Sidhe world.... if you feel inspired, a Promises update would be good!

I picked coffee as a motivator, but I reckon that rereading/watching a favourite book/episode of any of your fandoms might help (while drinking coffee). It sometimes helps me.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

While of course I'd love a new chapter of Inevitable, I voted for Balancing Act and Dawning Light. Not only are they really neat, you might feel better if you finish a smaller project first. The Warm Fuzzy High of completion! :)

(And it now occurs to me that Dawning Light probably isn't a "small" project. It might help you work out any post-DM canon problems before you get back to Inevitable-Anita, though.)

[lunalovegoddess.livejournal.com]

I almost picked other... My response would have been that in order to stimulate your brain, you need to stimulate other body parts first... Being a cheeky little monkey like that, you might have spanked me. *^_^* (*inner voice* Spank the monkey, you know you want to!) But I might have liked that. And that wouldn't have helped your situation, but we both would have felt good about it... sounds like something Nathaniel might say.
Seriously? Sexual pleasure relieves tension, and stimulates your brain. So, therefore, scientifically, a little self-love wouldn't hurt. It might relax you enough to spark your creativity. Listen to music, eat a piece of chocolate, draw a nice bubble bath... if you want a shot of Bailey's in your coffee, by all means, go for it. The point is that you are doing something for yourself, that makes you feel good. (Instant gratification) You are not worrying about deadlines or frustrations of your normal life interferring with your writing. You're just going with the flow...

Then again, I could just be a pervert.

*blessed be*
your friendly neighborhood lovegoddess
Luna

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Do whatever you want, Mhal! Even -- gasp! -- original fiction!

[denitta.livejournal.com]

Someone else rec'd "The Dresden Files"! It's one of the series that Jim Butcher writes. I've been meaning to rec it to you Mhal, because I think you would like it, and because I can't rec it enough.

And sleep is always good too.

[shadowartemis.livejournal.com]

Almost every time I've gotten into a funk like that, the only way I ever manage to get out is by just sitting down and plowing through the writing. It usually ends with lots of re-writes, but at least I get back into the feel of things... Usually when I'm like that, it's because it's been a while since I last wrote. I tend to fall into the 'I know these characters, I can write them easily once I'm ready again' trap. Thing is, if I don't write often, I start to lose the feel of my characters and end up with a lot of useless OOC crap before I'm back in the saddle. :/ Sorry I can't really suggest anything...