Writer's Block: A writer's worst enemy

Intro

Writing is hard, and it can be a challenge sometimes to keep up with everything in life and write. Sometimes you have time to write, but you just cannot get yourself to sit down and work on your story that you've been working on for over years. The magic is gone. That fanfic you wanted to update every week, hasn't been updated for months, and the draft of your novel has been gathering dust on the shelf.

Sounds familiar? We've all been there. I have been there, and honestly, I am there right now. Writers block is the worst. The solution is not as simple as "Just make time and sit down and write". Sometimes you'll wonder whether there even is a solution to defeat a writer's worst enemy. Well... There is a solution, but it isn't that simple. There are different causes, and different solutions. Some things work perfectly for one person, when it absolutely does not work for another.

So, I would like to go into the problems that could possibly cause the writer's block, and solutions that could try. I cannot guarantee you it will work for you, but I hope to give you at least some motivation and something to try. Who knows, maybe you will find something that works for you, or you have something to share that works for others.

Disney Villain Backstory Analysis: Scar

Art by Arthropod Art (and other creations) 

Writing Prompt #12: That One Treasured Moment

Every character has had a life before the book actually starts, unless the character is born in the book and we follow their life from there. Everyone has had at least part of a childhood, teen years or even already adulthood. So let's explore what happened during their lives before the story started!

Prompt: Choose any character, Main character, side character or villain, and think about their life before the story. Write a scene from their past, even if it was a recent event. A memorable. What happened? Did it change them? Why do they remember this one event?

Disney Villain Backstory Analysis: Captain Hook

Intro

Note: First of all, I'm sorry for the late update. I did my homework by watching two movies, so I hope that makes up for the lateness of this blog.  

For this installment of the Disney Villain Background Analysis, we will continue with another classic Captain Hook from Peter Pan. A pirate, who is desperate to kill the boy who never grew up. He is one of the villains who can be both scary and goofy at the same time.

So for Hook's analysis, we will dive into the following:

• The Disney Version (Taking notes from the first, second, disney jr. and the Live Action Hook)
• Once Upon A Time
• Peter Pan and Wendy 

This time I am not forgetting about descendants. As far as I know, he is not in the four movies that I have seen. His son is, and he has a daughter in the animated series, but there is no sign of a backstory from what I can find.

Once again, there is a lot to dive into here, so let's go on this journey together and find out more about our favorite pirate!

Exercise: Visualize Your Story

I am someone with a very visual mind, able to see everything I hear, read, or write right in front of me. If I hear a song that relates to a scene in my story, or even just a character, I can see it in my mind. So this following exercise works for me a lot and I would like to share it with you. Hopefully you will be able to find inspiration.

Exercise: Go online and search for pictures or songs that match the vibe of your story.

Taking Inspiration From Other Media: Maleficent's Backstory Update

Intro

So yesterday I posted a blog post analyzing Maleficent's Backstories and coming up with my own based on them. A friend of mine pointed out that I forgot one franchise's backstory and I realized something as I thought about these movies.

In this movie, she is:

• Evil for the sake of being evil
• Has a tragic love story with another disney villain (even was married to him at some point)
• Has a daughter, who she wants to be just as evil as her, but can't show much affection because she is evil.

Sounds familiar? Yep, that was the backstory that I came up with for her. I took an existing backstory without even realizing. But this is a good opportunity to show how writers often take inspiration from other books and media, even if they don't realize it.

Disney Villain Backstory Analysis: Maleficent

Intro

How did our favorite Disney villains become who they are? What do we actually know about them? Is their backstory actually good or are they done dirty?

In the spirit of Halloween, let's take our favorite Disney Villains, and analyze their backstories. With all the resources we have, there are a lot of different backstories to choose from. Think about books, remakes, adaptations, even the original fairy tale. Which one is the best? And can we write a better one by perhaps combining them? That is what this series is all about.

To kick off the series, let's dive into the tale of Maleficent!  

Prompt #11: "I'm Innocent Your Honour!"

Just a fun, and quick prompt. Maybe not fairy tale inspired, but I thought you guys might like this one for some inspiration to get you back into writing!

Prompt: Your character is being judged for a crime they didn't commit, and they need to prove themselves innocent. What are they charged with? Are they actually innocent, or do they know more than what they pretend to?