TK STRAND AND CARLOS REYES — In 9-1-1: Lone Star | “The New Hot Mess”

Writer's Block

You’re staring at the page. The cursor blinks like it’s taunting you. You want to write—hell, you even know what you want to write about—but it’s like your brain’s frozen. That, my friend, is the all-too-familiar little bitch known as writer’s block.

So, how do you fight it?

Here’s what’s helped me, and maybe it'll help you too.

1. Write anything, even if it’s trash

Seriously. Open a doc and let yourself write the worst possible version of what you’re trying to say. No pressure. No editing. You can always clean it up later. A messy first draft is better than no draft.

2. Change your scenery

Sometimes your brain just needs a different view. Go outside. Sit at a café. Write on your phone instead of your laptop. A small change can trick your brain into feeling inspired again.

3. Idea dump

Forget structure. Forget plot. Just go full chaos mode. Rant about your characters, the scene, or how much writing sucks today. That little brain dump might lead you to a breakthrough.

4. Read something short and good

A poem. A Tumblr post. A flash fiction piece. Sometimes reading a spark of good writing reminds your brain how fun words can be.

5. Accept the block, but don’t leave it there

Writer’s block is normal. It doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means your brain’s buffering. Rest, hydrate, and be gentle with yourself. Then try again.

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Writing is weird. Some days it flows like magic, and other days it’s like dragging your soul through the trenches. But if you’re stuck, don't give up on it— the words will come back.

@ronenstrand

actuallyrafa on instagram (dec 6, 2024)

Writer’s block sucks! It sucks even more when you have just one chapter left of your story and it just won’t flow like it had been. For those waiting for the last chapter of The Impossible, I am so sorry I don’t have it finished. I have been hit with a bad case of writer’s block and just need to step away from it. I hope to have it finished some time this week.

Show me your mood with a TK Strand gif

Me:

@ronenstrand @hopefulwonderlandrunaway

@ronenstrand

So true! There are more of us out there that don’t care for the Jonah line than others realize. And please please, continue to support those of us on ao3 that give fics without that line. The kudos and comments are everything! ❤️

Hey! I feel the exact same way about Tarlos as parents - it’s so frustrating. I never wanted them to adopt, whether it was some random baby or Johan. It feels like they completely changed their dynamic in just 12 episodes. People don’t just change their minds about something as big as having kids that quickly, especially when Carlos was clearly against it. It really ruined things for me, and now I can’t even find any good new fics to help me cope, I’m about to give up on AO3 completely

Hi, anon! Thanks so much for your message. I totally get how you’re feeling - I’ve been there too. Forcing adoption and then romanticizing it doesn’t do these characters justice.

But don’t give up! Writers are absolutely free to explore whatever they want, and even those writing stuff we’re not into often have older Tarlos fics that still capture the dynamic we love.

There are so many Lone Star writers out there who feel the same way about the show’s ending and are worried the fandom is fading because of how many people didn’t like the ending - this is where we come in :)

Keep supporting the writers who do write what you love. Leave kudos, drop a comment - it really means the world to them and helps keep the fandom going strong ❤️