We have an actual trope page for Writer's Block but it doesn't have real life examples, and wouldn't discuss how to overcome them if it did. That's what this thread is for. Feel free to add your own Tropes, Troper Tales, and advice here.
Does this sound familiar? "The serious work that you lavish all your efforts on and have the highest expectations on does not enjoy as much success as the one you just toss out." If you're on Writer's Block, success can be defined as "actually finished the work in question." Does your Genre-Busting masterpiece sit unfinished while your fanfiction makes regular installments?
Relax. Read the trope page.
Not only did some of the Famous Dead People From English Class face the same problem, your fanfic is probably not as silly as "Pinkie Pie Watches Paint Dry." Maybe that's the problem, but you can't control your audience's reactions and it would be foolish to try if you crave their sincere praise. "Write What You Know" may be good advice, and "write whatever you want to write" sounds great, but paradoxically "Write What You Write" may be the most frustratingly cryptic yet important to remember piece of advice for any writer.
Does this sound familiar? You finally get an idea for your Magnum Opus. You start to write it down before you forget it. Its about a guy, but you don't know his name. You're not even sure if he is a he. Its about several characters, none of whom have names. However, the names aren't important! What's important is...
...what was your idea again?
In the process of writing down the basic idea, you get bogged down in details and lose the idea. This is a great time to mention that Tropes Are Not Bad. Go ahead and call your main character Main Character. Call your minor characters Alice and Bob. Just get the idea down. If you use trope after trope until you find something that doesn't fit any trope, CONGRATULATIONS! You've just fulfilled the life's ambition of some of the people on this forum. Just don't get bogged down looking through tropes to make sure. The important thing is to get the idea down. If you succeed at getting the idea down and it seems a little... plain... don't worry, that's just because you skipped some of the details when you were writing it down. Now that you have the idea down you can start to get elaborate again.
We have an actual trope page for Writer's Block but it doesn't have real life examples, and wouldn't discuss how to overcome them if it did. That's what this thread is for. Feel free to add your own Tropes, Troper Tales, and advice here.
Starting off is Magnum Opus Dissonance.
Does this sound familiar? "The serious work that you lavish all your efforts on and have the highest expectations on does not enjoy as much success as the one you just toss out." If you're on Writer's Block, success can be defined as "actually finished the work in question." Does your Genre-Busting masterpiece sit unfinished while your fanfiction makes regular installments?
Relax. Read the trope page.
Not only did some of the Famous Dead People From English Class face the same problem, your fanfic is probably not as silly as "Pinkie Pie Watches Paint Dry." Maybe that's the problem, but you can't control your audience's reactions and it would be foolish to try if you crave their sincere praise. "Write What You Know" may be good advice, and "write whatever you want to write" sounds great, but paradoxically "Write What You Write" may be the most frustratingly cryptic yet important to remember piece of advice for any writer.
Moving right along, Derailed for Details:
Does this sound familiar? You finally get an idea for your Magnum Opus. You start to write it down before you forget it. Its about a guy, but you don't know his name. You're not even sure if he is a he. Its about several characters, none of whom have names. However, the names aren't important! What's important is...
...what was your idea again?
In the process of writing down the basic idea, you get bogged down in details and lose the idea. This is a great time to mention that Tropes Are Not Bad. Go ahead and call your main character Main Character. Call your minor characters Alice and Bob. Just get the idea down. If you use trope after trope until you find something that doesn't fit any trope, CONGRATULATIONS! You've just fulfilled the life's ambition of some of the people on this forum. Just don't get bogged down looking through tropes to make sure. The important thing is to get the idea down. If you succeed at getting the idea down and it seems a little... plain... don't worry, that's just because you skipped some of the details when you were writing it down. Now that you have the idea down you can start to get elaborate again.
edited 31st Dec '12 1:06:28 AM by AnimeGIF
T pity the fool what don't know the Theory