Twitter versus writer's block

[koganbot]

Was in the midst of posting this question on the comment thread for a tumblr post by Tom, even though the question wasn't quite germane to the post. I suddenly realized the irony, or the opposite of irony - aptness? - that I was posting it there rather than here, so

Comments

[dubdobdee]

not in ref to twitter specifically, which i think wd clearly be oh-a-shiny-thing too far for me, but in general my cure for writer's block is has always been chatter -- getting my mind working lightly and speedily on something a little way away

the danger is distraction and time not spent on the thing: procrastination

but sometimes you need the distance

(another good tactic is talk the prob through w.my sister while she is feeding t!lly)

[dubdobdee]

some of it is also "canary twittering in a mine" self diagnosis -- i can tell when my mental juices are running bcz they're running over, i'm being funny ("funny") about cheese and cladistic taxonomy on message-board x and actually trying to write about the role of the railway in jazzfunk here at my desk

[carsmilesteve]

grand funk railway?

[edgeofwhatever]

So, in regard to Twitter: in your experience, does it unlock your ideas, distract from them, both, neither (i.e., have no impact on your ideas one way or another)? Not that how it works for you would necessarily be how it works for me.The thing about Twitter, is it can do all of those things -- it really depends on what you do with it

[freakytigger]

I asked this qn - does it help Writer's Block - on Twitter and the response was a near-unanimous NO.

It encourages me to write Blackbeard posts because about 2/3 of that blog's audience is coming via Twitter. It encourages me to write about Twitter because I'm interested in the effects I'm seeing on it. It doesn't really encourage me to do anything else but I find it hugely stimulating in terms of the serendipity factor if nothing else (and also the stuff girlboymusic is talking about).

I use it in a slightly unusual (for me) way, though: it's partly an experiment in seeing if I can network a bit more aggressively, and be proactive in making contacts and getting things done. I have always been a "let them come to me" type of person*, happy to publicise what I'm doing but not really push it (a distinction probably only real to me!). Because Twitter is so useful for my actual job I'm trying to take advantage of that element a bit more.

*the one exception being actively introducing myself to dubdobdee and asking him to join ILX, which proved so

[koganbot]

By "help Writer's Block" I assume you mean "help overcome Writer's Block" rather than "help Writer's Block grow into an even GREATER MONSTER."

[koganbot]

Ah. I do some research:

A question from a writer friend: does Twitter help cure writer's block?