Lost inspiration

Its writer's block. One way I have found to get past it is to either work on a later section of the book that will flow, or have another wip you can switch your mind gear onto letting the main wip simmer until ready to flow.

Reading helps a lot too. Nothing give me the desire to write more than reading my favorite authors. I usually try to read within the genre I writers blocked out of. When I'm writing a short story, I read McManus. Fantasy --> Pratchett. Sci-Fi --> Card. Etc.

Wolvel said:

Its writer's block. One way I have found to get past it is to either work on a later section of the book that will flow, or have another wip you can switch your mind gear onto letting the main wip simmer until ready to flow.

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Seconded; that always helps me.


Also, I'll sometimes take my MCs and put them somewhere completely outside the story; say, my apartment without me in it. I never let it get over 2K, but it's very fun to write, and I usually come away with all sorts of interesting bits about my characters I didn't have before.


Good luck! The Block sucks.

I agree with everyone's posts here and sometimes when I'm blocked, I just simply walk away from writing anything for a day or so. Veg out on the sofa, watch some DVD's or just take a walk. The one thing you absolutely cannot do is force it. You'll either cause yourself a headache or you'll write a bunch of crap that you'll just end up rewriting when the block is over. I'm kinda in that place right now and I've taken my day of vegging and now I'm reading over the 100 pages I've written so far. Usually by the time get to the part where I'm blocked, my muse is back on my shoulder, whispering in my ear...Good Luck!

What I do when I'm blocked (writer's blocked) is I go watch some TV for a while. The more fluff the show the better.

I believe this happens to many of us. Part of the reason can be because you already know what's going to happen and without the thrill of discovery, you lose your motivation. Or you can lose faith in the story as a whole...

What I do is dialogue with my characters, one at a time. Ask them what they're feeling and thinking. They can be scared or worried, because they are still in the middle of the story and have to deal with now. Get into their mindset and you'll feel excited again.

When I was blocked, I didn't know what my character should do in the situation I put her in. I talked it over with my wife. She offered suggestions but just the talking about it, broke the spell. I was able to continue.

If I take a shower/walk the inspiration usually comes back to me, 'cause I put myself in a position where I can't write anything down.

The same thing happens to me with ALL my novels, and it's not writer's block, but rather your subconscious taking a deep breath before the big plunge.

The climax is your big payoff to the readers, and you want to prepare a bit for all the things you need to include. Instead of writing, put down notes of what has to be wound up, who has to say what important line, who does what before or after someone else does this or that. It's not an outline so much as a plot point list.

Often during the note-jotting process I'll start writing the actual scene, so I keep going until it runs out of juice. The next day, do some more.

The climax is also the end of the book, which you've lived with and loved for a long long time. You're used to escaping into it and part of you doesn't want to leave, so you apparently run out of motivation.

But that's a temp thing. Starting *another* project about now means you have a new shiny toy to play with once you're done with this one. You need not begin writing that new project, just jot notes. Make a deal with yourself that you must finish the first book before moving on.

You'll get your mojo back.

It happens to me, it's like revising for an exam - the closer you get to the day of the exam, the less you think you are retaining. So - the day before an exam, I go and do something completely unrelated. Ditto with lack of inspiration - go away and do something different. The suggestion to watch "rubbish" on TV is a good one - I use it frequently!!!! ("Talent" shows are the best for me with game shows a close second)

Yep, writer's block. That happens to the best of us As most people posted, I would suggest taking a step back from it for a while. I've also found that sometimes adding a completely unplanned idea also helps get my inspiration back.

Check under the bed.

Sometimes I find my motivation on my pillow, often where I've left my brain when an early shift roused me at some dark o'clock. Maybe inspiration hangs out there too.

Seriously, though... you've alreayd got some great sugggestions. I usually just try to take the pressure of myself and write something fun. Sometimes I have to go do something else for awhile, and when my muse is done with her coffee break (stupid muse) that we'll get back to writing.

Ugawa,

I have 4 novels going right now, all in various stages, and a fifth rattling around in my head. The four I have begun are romance with the fifth being horror. I have problems of life interrupting my writing and quite often the problem is not writer's block but rather how to put my idea into words, having it make sense, and choosing the right words so that it doesn't sound like a 5 yr old writing it. That is my main problem then I lose my place in the storyline, being I write in linear progression. I am on page 33 right now and my brain automatically thinks of edits for what I've written. So I highlight, copy and paste to a new document for the edits unless a single word change or deletion. Then I have no problem. When motivation wanes I dream of the novel(s) and why I am writing them and who I write them for or who inspired them. Example: the novel I am writing now is for Eric Mabius, inspired by Alex O'Loughlin and his character in 'Moonlight' and my dreams and visions of Eric. They are precognitive and rather irritating and confusing. By writing this novel I hope to express my feelings about the dreams, visions and my affection for both men, also I am beginning to understand the feelings and emotions behind them. The meaning of them is not exactly face value and that is the meaning of a good book, you should see parallels between storyline and your life and feelings, and come tro understand them and yourself more than before you began it (reading or writing).

Motivation loss? do something else not related to reading or writing. Play a game (pc or otherwise). For me, the best destroyer of writer's block was the pc game "Phantasmagoria" because you had to solve puzzles. My WB was often a puzzle of how to write this or that. I solved the game's puzzle, then the storyline of the game became visible to me and thus my own puzzle was solved.

Hope this gives you ideas how to solve your problem.
Alana

Ugawa said:

It's really annoying.

I've finally got to the good bit in my novel and i've completely lost all motivation to write.

I got through the build up, now i'm at the bit i was looking forward to and I can't push myself to write anymore.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how do i get passed it .

Thank you

XX

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This exact situations happens to me when the the idea sounds so good, I'm actually afraid it will sound awful when I get it down. Some part of me thinks it's better to let the idea stay comfortably in my head.

To get over it, as others have suggested, I read. In this instance, I like to read within the same genre. Eventually I end up inspired to get it down.

See this?

http://bp2.blogger.com/_j2cb6HW4iSA...LE/FJC2OGIyyQ4/s1600-h/novel+chart+boring.jpg

It absolutely captures the pattern of my enthusiasm for whatever I'm writing. Apparently it's normal.

I agree with everyone's posts here and sometimes when I'm blocked, I just simply walk away from writing anything for a day or so. Veg out on the sofa, watch some DVD's or just take a walk. The one thing you absolutely cannot do is force it.

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I second that. And yeah, it's not technically writer's block. A couple of people call it writer's fatigue...whenever I hit one of those places (my current WIP was littered with these places) I take a day or two off to veg, refresh myself, and if I'm still not inspired, do some outlining. I do lots of stuff when get fatigued: read books, watch movies, take photographs, go to art museums, listen to music for a few hours...any and all sorts of art, plus nature, seem to help the most.

-Feathers

I'm kind of going through the same thing. I know I must be reaching the climax of my story AT LAST and I even plotted it out so I wasn't so lost anymore and...I just feel dull. I keep skipping writing when I know I should be doing it. I'm not blocked, I haven't lost my love of the story, I'm just...apathetic.

I'm afraid I haven't any advice. Perhaps in my case it's just depression since I feel so lousy and lonely all the time. Writing used to bring such joy to me, one of the very few things that did, but now even that seems to be gone. Which isn't very good since I haven't anything or anyone else to fall back on.

I think reading is my number one motivator.