Summary – 6 Steps to beat Writer’s Block
- Write 5 to 10 pages a day.
- Try different Genres, Characters, Settings.
- Have a Side project.
- Interconnect your Worlds.
- Have a clear Structure.
- Learn Other Skills.
- Drawing & Painting
- 3D Modeling
- Animation
- Programing
- Musical Composition
Volume & Velocity
- Process over Results.
- You have to create a habit of writing.
- That’s it.
- The habit, not the results.
- Qualitative results do not matter in the beginning.
- Do Your Best, For Yourself.
- Focus on the Process.
- And People will come.
- 10 pages a day.
- 90 to 120′ a day on your Main Project.
- This translate to 10 page every day.
- We recommend you not to do more.
- As obviously you shouldn’t do less.
- Writing 10 pages a day helps you to detach progressively from willpower dependency.
- It creates Automatism.
- You will write 10 pages every day because you’ve always did it.
- Focus on the Quantity.
- 10 pages a day translates into 300-310 pages a month.
- That’s the most important action you need to take.
- At least 1 Book per year.
- Writing a single 300 pages book a year is a good start.
- But what about 2?
- What about a 100 pages book every month?
- What about a 300 pages book every month?
- If you write 10 pages a day that’s what you’ll end up with.
Side Project & the 2 Rhythms
- 2 Rhythms.
- 90 to 120′ a day on your Main Project.
- 10 to 20′ a day on your Side Project.
- Produce more proportionally to the time frame.
- Managing 2 rhythms will make you more adaptable.
- Reduce Writer’s Block.
- You may be stopped, or delayed, in finishing your book/project by the fear of finishing it.
- And then Publishing it.
- The Side Project habits you to forget the fear of low quality.
- In the beginning, quality does not matter.
- Write more.
- With this 2ndary project, exaggerate even more.
- Propose more extreme ideas.
- Diversity & Cross-Breeding.
- A side-project allows you to try different Genres.
- A side-project allows you to try different Settings.
- It allows you to enlarge your Frame.
- It allows you to merge Iconographies.
- It give you the potential to generate more Ideas for your Main Projects.
Learning other Skills
- Drawing
- That’s the single most important skill you will need as a Writer.
- If you’ve been writing already you know that visualization is not enough.
- Start drawing a Character.
- The Graphic representation will present differences with your ideal.
- These differences are Crucial.
- They will helps you create more Diversity.
- Mistakes you make while drawing will help you create more Diversity.
- We’re not advocating that you force mistake to happen.
- Only that you capitalize on them when it is thematically pertinent.
- Side Projects:
- Comic book
- Illustration book/Concept arts book
- Animation
- The Follow-up to drawing.
- Animation teaches you how to draw Life.
- This understanding of Life rhythms & cycles will fluidify your writing.
- It teaches you to sequence as well.
- As you have to process through frames, you have to choose the essential ones.
- You also have to add missing frames.
- Images that describe a smoother move.
- A more Coherent & Consistent flow.
- Side Projects:
- Promotional Videos
- Book’s presentation
- Music
- Music is the Most efficient way to convey emotions.
- The best way to start is to write Character themes.
- It will invest you more into the character creation process.
- As will, drawing the characters.
- Music defines Environments & Settings’ Atmosphere.
- It condense the sensation into a short piece of audio information.
- You could also compose themes for critical Events.
- Rhythming your story through music is the best way to manage your writing pace.
- You could also listen to your pieces while writing.
- Side Projects:
- Album
- Collection of soundtracks
- Programming
- Programming as a Writer is a hidden essential.
- Clearer phrases.
- Shorter phrases.
- More comprehensive Instructions.
- It will boost your writing as a whole.
- If you integrate Game theory or Strategy elements in your stories, programming becomes even more beneficial.
- Algorithmic & Logic will make a better Strategist.
- It will clarify your decision process.
- And allow you to think more Horizontally.
- Think about all the possibilities you possess.
- Programming does not equal Coding.
- You do not need to learn a programmation language.
- You can Design Programs & Patterns on Paper.
- Side Projects:
- Image classifier
- Cultivates your sense of design & visual contrast
- Image classifier
- Game Design
- Do you like Games?
- Why not make 1?
- With 10-20′ a day for a whole year you could end up with a satisfying game.
- Games teach you Satisfaction.
- Not Strategy.
- That’s Programming.
- Do you want to Satisfy your public?
- Implementing Game Mechanics in your books could be a great way to do so.
- Learn about Reward Cycles, Balance & Replayability.
- And make people read your books, and re-read them, and re-read them, and re-read them…
- Just looking for another extra bit of information that would help them understand the Story better.
- Side Projects:
- A simple Board Game
- A simple Card Game
- A simple Video Game
Try, Experience, Rotate
- Diversity & Consistency
- Write Alone?
- Write with others?
- It’s more difficult to write in a group for most people.
- In the early stages.
- But it’s the opportunity to create a more Diverse World.
- While maintaining organic Consistency.
- Diversity will always be an Advantage.
- It allows you to create Surprise & maintain Engagement.
Genres & Diversity
- What is your favorite movie?
- What’s its Genre?
- Who are the most memorable Characters?
- What are the most memorable Settings?
- What are the most memorable Events?
- What is your least favorite movie?
- What’s its Genre?
- Who are the most detestable Characters?
- What are the plainest Settings?
- What are the most pointless Events?
- Do you enjoy/dislike these movies because of their genre?
- In which genre are they traditionally categorized?
- Do you think it’s a proper categorization?
- How would you recategorize it?
- Do you have favored genres?
- What are they?
- In which genre do you write most often?
- With which genre are you the least comfortable?
- Write a new story every month, whatever the length.
- If you’re beginning, start with a 50 pages long book.
- Once you get more comfortable with the process go for 200 pages.
- Every time pick a new Genre.
- Pick a new Frame.
- Out of them create a New Context.
- Write down a different Ending every time.
- After the 3rd month, compare.
- How do the stories differ?
- How do the characters differ?
- Did you put the same characters in different situations?
- Are they too similar?
- Was it voluntary?