Block Busters: The $6 Solution

[ladyseishou]

Perhaps outwitting your writer's block can be as simple as moseying on down to your local dollar store...

- Jenna Glatzer, Outwitting Writer's Block



...and stocking up on these six items...

As suggested by Jenna Glatzer in her book: Outwitting Writer's Block and Other Problems of the Pen, these are six, inexpensive items that can be found in local variety stops around the world (Dollar store, Dollarama, Poundland, Euroshop, 100 yen shop...) that could be part of a well-planned arsenal to take on writer's block!

A Calendar

...pick a dollar store calendar; your choice - horses, clowns, butterflies, frogs, or daisies on the front - and use it to outwit your writer's block. Use it any way you wish. You can fill in the blanks with the various writing exercises you're using to beat that nasty block.

A (Really Neat) Pen

Just like your (really ugly) notebook, there's something to be said about a (really neat) pen. Especially for a writer... It's a special pen, just for writing... Use it to add a little much-needed color or fun or whimsy to your writing.

A Mascot

...an inanimate object designed to cheer you on, help you through your frustration, make you smile, sit there quietly, and never, ever ask a silly question like, "Aren't you done writing that yet?"

Bubbles

Blowing bubbles is a long-forgotten art and one of the cheapest cures for writer's block I've ever come across.

A Snack

...there's nothing wrong with giving yourself a little treat now and then, and there's no better place to get treats (and a whole lot of 'em) than the dollar store.

A Book of Word Searches

Creativity is the key when fighting - and especially beating - writer's block, and mind games like this one are the lifeblood of creativity.

These are all great suggestions - some of which Nano Writers already know about and that we've looked at this past month.

As for calendars, for an even cheaper alternative, Nano Writers might check out the special calendars that fellow writers post on the NaNoWriMo forums (note: the current forum is scheduled to be "archived" this week) or searching deviantART for the latest 2009 calendars/wallpapers.

For pens - color, color, color! If you aren't making story notes in color, you don't know what you're missing! If nothing else, using color is a great way to visually organize your notes - red for characters, green for setting, blue for scenes... the possibilities are endless. Especially if you mix in highlighters and index cards in bright colors!

And mascots... where would we be without our lucky mascots and totems? As for me, I have a Japanese doll dressed as a Heian era noble woman (very similar to my Lady Murasaki icon). What does everyone else keep nearby to ensure the favor of the muse?

Well, that wraps up our month-long look at writer's block. Next up... we'll look at ways to get ready for November, a quick review of genre, character, and story structure with a dash of worldbuilding! It's going to be a busy month!

Comments

[theserubyshoes]

I'm not even participating in nanowrimo ^^;; but after reading over some of your posts awhile ago I couldn't resist joining. This is my favorite comm of all time, and I'm so grateful for all of the upbeat inspiration and fantastic ideas. Thank you so much.

...and I really, really, REALLY want to go buy some colorful writing stuff and a mascot now =D

[ladyseishou]

Thank you! Your comment has made may day!

[shiny_crystal]

Blowing bubbles? Never occurred to me, but sounds as if it might work ... will keep that in mind. Also, I definitely could do with a nice pen, now I have the perfect excuse, heh.

Mascots, well, I have a black Nici raven (like this one, only as a key ring) which my Mum gave me for secondary school. It's been in every exam with me ever since and it's always sitting on top of my desk, so I guess it counts as mascot :D

I second the NaNo-specific calender, I always use one as wallpaper.

[ladyseishou]

For me, bubbles connect to my childhood and things that are magical - a time and place where all things are possible! Of course, the adult in me says that bubbles can be messy when they pop...

Your raven most definitely counts as a mascot! Very cute! And the to-go keyring size is definitely a plus!

[cheyinka]

I don't like blowing bubbles (I don't like being around when anyone else is, either; for that matter I am displeased when the dish soap container generates bubbles when all I want is soap)! For people like me, I suggest dice, at least two. These can be bought at the dollar store, or one can go to a comics or gaming store and usually find very pretty (or very ugly, if that's your desire) dice, even dice that aren't six-sided. (I am a big fan of twelve-sided dice.)

What do you do with the dice? Well, you can roll them around in your hands, or roll them a few times on your desk or table or notebook and watch them move around. You can say "if the dice come up even, I'll have the monster run away instead of die," or "if the dice come up even, I'll have him not be waiting for her at their usual table," and then if they come up even and you can't bear the thought of writing it that way, write the other way!

You can pick up a bunch of crazy story events and assign them each a number, and if you're stumped, roll dice to pick one. (If you have only two six-sided dice, you'll only be able to have thirty-six crazy ideas to choose from, and you'll have to number them in base six...) If your story doesn't allow for Crazy Story Events, you could instead have random Weather Events, or random Food Cravings, or whatever. :)



As far as mascots go, I discovered two years ago that listening to http://jungletrain.net was great for my creativity. Last year I picked up a little plastic figurine of Domo-kun as a DJ. Presumably he likes listening to Jungletrain too, so there's a bit of encouragement to keep writing so he can keep enjoying the music. I also have a variety of other small plastic toys, some of which travel with me if I'm writing outside my house.

[ladyseishou]

I really like your suggestion about dice - I believe that there are several sites that even provide ready-to-use writing lists that correspond to a throw of the die (will try to find links later).

Domo-kun! Now I need to find a key-ring size version to be a portable mascot for my away writing sprees!