What to do when your passion and energy to write has died?

[drybonesreborn]

Well, I took a break, two months..and nothing productive has come out. I had a few characters written down for an Atlantis story....and well it's gone. I can't even draw well anymore, my work is like a second grader.... ugh.

Anyone feel this? The death of writting? :(

[blacbird]

Talisker.

caw

[Devil Ledbetter]

Write a sex scene.

[blacbird]

Talisker, and research on a sex scene.

caw

[Storyteller5]

What inspires you? Read some great writing or check out some great art.

Your other option is to just write and give yourself permission to write crap for a while. Give yourself a limit a day - say 500 words or 1000 - to write anything. Somedays it might be "this is crap and I don't feel like writing anything because I ran out of milk at breakfast and my phone bill came today..." Sometimes just the habit will wake up your creative side. :)

[sunna]

Talisker, and research on a sex scene.

:D

I go back to a map; I don't know why but seeing an image of the world I'm working on/in always gets my imagination up & running again. Or at least awake and cranky.
Other than that, what StoryTeller said sounds right - set a limit and make yourself write something, even if it's nothing coherent.

[StolenTurtle]

What I do when I feel like that is just write. Write about anything, write about nothing. Write about something funny or heartbreaking that happened to you today. Write about not having anything to write about, but KEEP WRITING. I find if I just continue to jot down ideas (no matter how stupid) and keep them, a few weeks later I'll go back and read them and realize I have a few great story concepts that I hadn't noticed when I originally wrote them. I find myself piecing different story ideas together and coming up with something AMAZING.

You wouldn't believe how many stories I've come up with by doing just that. Your muse will return, I guarantee it. :)

[drybonesreborn]

Thanks for the tips guys.

[Kristin Landon]

Consider also that you may be one of those people who's got a creativity well. I have one, too, and sometimes it runs dry—I hate everything I write, I can't solve plot problems, my characters infuriate me. . . .

What helps me then is to stop taking anything out of the well for a while (to give myself permission not to write and not to beat myself up about not writing). Instead I spend some time putting things in. Read new books, listen to music, watch movies I enjoy (ideally ones I haven't seen), go for walks, talk with friends (but trying to listen more than talk), maybe take a short trip if I can—basically, get outside my own head and start taking in new images and ideas.

A week or two of this can make a big difference, I find.

[imagegod]

Write a story about a writer who can't write a story...or an artist who can't (fill in the blank)...or a (fill in the blank) who can't (fill in the blank).

Write who you are...where you are in order to help you (or your characters) go where they want to go, do and get what they want most of all in order to become who they most want to be.

[maestrowork]

Work at McDonald's for a month.

[SpookyWriter]

Work at McDonald's for a month.Or better yet, sleep with McDonald for a month. Seriously though, I've been writing for bunch of years because I enjoy it. I think you must enjoy writing or it becomes too much like work. Then again, if you are inspired by the virtues of money and publishing credits I can understand how you might get burned out. The chase for an elusive prize is always the most difficult to overcome.

Do write a blurb or a thought. Take time away from the story. Write a different story. Go on vacation. Whatever it takes to spark that love of writing, just discover it by accident.

I also find that talking to fellow writers in person helps. When I am down and don't feel like writing then I will pop over to a writers group and just listen for a bit. I thrive off their desires to write and publish which gives me that same desire and inspiration.

Good luck

[ClaudiaGray]

One thing I do when I'm feeling a bit burnt-out on the writing itself is research. It's still getting me closer to my goal, even if it's not words on a page, and usually finding out interesting details I can use fires me up to hit the keyboard again.

[engmajor2005]

There's this book called The Writer's Portable Therapist. What it has you do–free-writing excercises for twenty minutes–you could do on your own, but it offers some great prompts and some straight-to-the-point advice.

If you'd rather not spend twelve dollars on the book, here's how each excercise goes (the author calls it the "Free-Flow Writing Method").

Five-minute breathing exercise:
Breathe in for a count of five. Hold it for three. Breathe out over a count of seven. Breathe from the diaphragm, nice and slow and even. Do nothing else these five minutes. Clear your mind of distraction; maybe listen to soft music but other than that nothing.

Twenty-minute writing exercise:
Write, by hand, for twenty minutes. Do not correct spelling, do not revise or edit. Just write. If your brain blanks out, then write nonesense or (as I did) "I'm thinking" or "I'm stuck" over and over again. If, after twenty minutes, you want to keep going, keep going. But don't stop until you've cleared twenty minutes.

It worked for me. I was having an emotional slump and spent some time with this book. If nothing else, it allowed me to let some of the poison out, so to speak, and got me writing again.

[kristie911]

I went through several months just recently where I didn't write a thing. I had ideas but they seemed to come and go and I couldn't manage to grab one and make it go somewhere. It was because I was on an anti-anxiety med...now that I'm off, the writing has started again. But during that time, I would journal sometimes, just to try and make something happen...it didn't bring the creativity back but it helped me feel like I was doing something. What I didn't do was beat myself up over it...that wouldn't have helped anything.

Just give it some time...do some reading, maybe some journaling, just look at an object and make yourself write a paragraph about it...anything to keep yourself from feeling bad. Don't worry...the creative spark will light again! :)

[Sean D. Schaffer]

Drybonesreborn, give yourself permission to write cr*p. And find something that inspires you; write about it. Your present genre might just be fizzling out on you, so find one that inspires you to keep going.

What matters here, though, is what do you personally want? You might not even want to write anymore. Don't force yourself to do something you hate, but make sure you really want to write and, if you do, then like I said above, give yourself permission to write cr*p.

[Turtle07]

drybonesreborn, yes, I have felt that way before. Most of the time it turns out to be a writer's block and I get over it eventually, but there was this one time I didn't write for about three months.

How I got over it? I spent the three months reading my old stories and reading my fave books. I kept reading until an idea, any idea, sparked. It was hard and took forever for me get over it, but soon the mechanisms started creaking as they started working and then I'm back on track!

Feeling dead about writing and having the ability of not writing is pure torture. I hate it when that happens. So the only thing I do is get comfortable, make me a cup of hot cocoa, and read until I'm content.

Oh, also try seeing if u can somehow rewrite one of ur ideas to make it a completely new story.

[bunnygirl]

You could try taking a statistics class or attending a lot of dull meetings at work. My mind always flees into creative mode out of self-preservation when confronted by numbers, formulas, and people droning on and on about stuff that doesn't really matter.

But on a more serious note, I agree with the advice to allow yourself to write crap. Just write. Don't worry about whether or not it's any good or whether you'll be able to do anything with what you write. Write a scene that you've had in your head for a long time, even if you won't ever have a story for it. Or in a pinch, edit stuff you wrote before. That sometimes jump-starts things, too.

But most of all, don't sweat it. Worrying about it won't help and will likely only make it worse. We all have ups and downs, and if you give yourself permission to not be "up" all the time, the downs won't last nearly as long and won't be as traumatic, either.

[Kristin Landon]

I'm discovering that the best cure for "drying up" is a contract deadline. Somehow when you know you must produce something, your mind finds a way. And in fact I have never, ever been so productive, or so happy to be writing.

And it isn't crap, because there isn't time for it to be crap. :tongue

I mention this because I certainly worried during my previous dry spells whether I had what it takes to do this professionally. I have been greatly relieved to find during the past year or so that what must be done can be done.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Anyone feel this? The death of writting? :(

Yes. So much so I don't even feel I belong on this forum any more.

[Bartholomew]

I pick up a flute and practice the piano for a while.

[Bartholomew]

Write a sex scene.

That's actually a good idea.

[Kristin Landon]

Yes. So much so I don't even feel I belong on this forum any more.

I worked seriously on writing for fourteen years, and on marketing for ten, before I sold my first piece of fiction. Sometimes I did not want to keep on working. I had (still have) a critique group that met weekly and that at least expected some effort to write weekly, but sometimes I just could not do it.

You get tired. You get seriously tired. Sometimes life demands too much (kids, an illness, a job crisis).

I think you have to allow yourself to do this. If you aren't kind to yourself, the world of agents/queries/editors/publishers is not going to make up the deficit.

The world won't end if you take a break from writing every day, a break from the query/rejection mill, a break from pounding your head against the wall when you just can't solve your creative problems.

But if you've worked hard on writing before now, maybe that's because it's what you want to do, what you need to do. Maybe the break is not giving up, but rebuilding your strength for the effort that's finally going to get you there.

I've never known anyone who crossed that final boundary who saw it coming. I certainly didn't.

[Anthony Ravenscroft]

The good advice will seem contradictory if you try toi take it as a consistent bunch. Depending on the person, I've told 'em to take two weeks' vacation, writing absolutely nothing, period, nothing at all beyond filling out checks & such... & I've told 'em to keep plugging, to write bits or blurbs or proposals or letters.

There's no one-size-fits-all solution when burnout encroaches. You might have to try a few fixes before you find the one (or combo) that suits you best.

Lawrence Block suggested in two of his nonfiction books that it's best to set yourself a goal, like 500 words/day & three hours or less, & stick to it. Within those bounds, you're free to overwork, but you have to produce the minimum; when time or output hits your pre-set goal, then you're done for the day.

[Shara]

What helps me then is to stop taking anything out of the well for a while (to give myself permission not to write and not to beat myself up about not writing). Instead I spend some time putting things in. Read new books, listen to music, watch movies I enjoy (ideally ones I haven't seen), go for walks, talk with friends (but trying to listen more than talk), maybe take a short trip if I can—basically, get outside my own head and start taking in new images and ideas.

A week or two of this can make a big difference, I find.

I do this, too. Every once in a while I feel like I 'dry up'. The more I stress about not being able to write, the worse it gets.

So, I do what Kristin does, and give myself permission not to write for a while. I watch TV, I catch up with old friends, I play computer games.

Eventually, the muse will return, but sometimes you have to let it go at its own pace.

Shara

[triceretops]

I have editorial burnout right now. Bad. I had to run over my sold book three times-- a total of 1,200 pages, lasting almost three weeks. Then I went right into my lastest finished paranormal thriller, which has now chalked up 900 pages of editing, and I have to do it a few more times. I'm really sick of this, but have to stay on it before I get it on with a new WIP. I'm actually looking forward to fresh words. I cannot stand the edit/polish part of it. It's just too damn repetitive for me. That's what really gouges my creativity. I never "block up" when it comes to fresh words.


Tri

[swvaughn]

Work at McDonald's for a month.

This works. I've done it many times.

Once you've been there for a while, you will return to your work with a new passion to write spectacularly well and some day get paid for it so you will never have to work at McDonalds again. :D

[scarletpeaches]

Drop some acid. You'll be writing like your face is on fire and you have ants crawling out of your skin.

[Rolling Thunder]

I find a night of gambling, drinking, and hookers always cheers me up. Writing? Um......after all that there usually isn't any time left for writing. Not that I, ya know, really care at that point. :)

[RMS]

Write about anything, write about not being able to write.
Go to one of those writing prompt generators and write about the first thing that pops up. The key is to get started whether you feel like it or not. Once you get started, ideas will come and you will surprise yourself. I think you are trying to hard. If ideas for that particular piece of writing don't come, go on to something else and come back to it later. I've been through this myself and this is the only thing that works for me.

[JamieFord]

Have you joined a writers group in your area? What about attending a writers conference that relates to your genre? I went to two last summer and walked away fired up to write each time.

[Lilybiz]

What works for me is physical activity. Get a dog if you can, so you *must* take a walk every day. Get a note pad that fits in your pocket or pack, because when you're away from the computer and the dog needs your attention and your WIP is the furthest thing from your mind, your characters will not shut up.

Even before I had a dog, I did a lot of hiking, and wrote my first draft while tramping hilly pathways. I didn't get much exercise because I had to keep stopping to jot notes.

[Lyxdeslic]

This is a tough problem, no doubt. If you were burnt out mid-story, I'd say step away and write something new; anything, a rant about something you hate, a new story, etc.

Since, however, you're trying to tackle just starting something?...Hmmn. This might sound flowery, unrealistic and over-the-top...but...go take a ride on a city bus (no, I don't mean that like "go take a flying-leap or anything).
Seriously, sit down on a city bus for an hour or two -- study the people, get in their heads. Where are they off to? Where are they coming from? I guarantee there's a plethera of interesting people found on public transit, certain to inspire.

It's a tough problem, I know. Try to remember what/why you enjoyed writing in the first place. Good luck.

Lyx

[Raphee]

Read, read and read.
and start a blog, if yu don't already have one. That'll make you write better than just crap as it'll be out in the public.

I went thru a similar phase few months ago. But now I'm back to business as usual based on the above formula.

[HourglassMemory]

I'm going to reply just after touching my book for teh first time in 3 months.

As I was doing research for a book of mine, which involves an alien, I found those typical Area 51, alien cover-up stories. Needless to say that I ended up reading conspiracy theories and really got paranoid about everything. I only felt better laying in bed. I felt depressed and thought whatever I did it would be pointless because the Illuminati reptilians and their new world order were taking over.
I looked at my book and I couldn't feel anything.
then of course I found many sites debunking these stupid claims, many of them make fun of these things, which raises your humor. So tehse sites helped me get up in a friendly way.
Yesterday it was like I was seeing errors in everything I had written and now it reads so much better. And I think I captured the feeling that I wanted for the story.
Imagine! Doing that after looking at helicopters for 3 months and thinking they were disguised alien spaceships.
You can laugh at this! I do! I was so stupid, I learned the hard way about this nonesense.
But anyway. How did I get back to writing? I actually got pumped up to write after I read success stories. typing stuff on Google like "How I got published".
I also wrote about conspiracy theories in my free time and just writing about their fallacies and how stupid those people are. It made me feel better!
I also came here and read the good news and the bad news people get. And it just made me wanna join them, you know? Do what they did. Finish my book and send it to a publisher. Having that hope, that drive.
Then I watched a few movies which capture scenes and the feeling that I try to put in my book. My imagination started to flow.
Something that helps is taking your mind off of the thoughts that make you think: "It's rubish."
Everytime you have the opportunity to leave your house, when you know you're gonna be distracted with something, do that.

For these 3 months where I was all paranoid getting out of the house and going shopping with my mom and going to the movies and going to school (surprise, surprise, I'm 17!), kept my mind off the stupid paranoia. I actually made fun of them with my friends and getting other points of view helped a lot.

This is my experience with not feeling in the mood to write. Perhaps you're different and deal with it differently. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a few things. Just to get your mind off of the bad stuff.

[spacejock2]

I can only be bothered writing anything when I have a deadline. Without a deadline, why write? I can just do it tomorrow.

So, a firm deadline is the answer for me. I set myself a date on which my current piece will be ready, and then work backwards to determine how little I can do each day.

By the time I'm 2/3 of the way through I've thrown the daily limits out the window and I'm miles ahead. But it does motivate me with the first 2/3.

[Alana Mortensen]

aye mate,

This is an issue for me to. I started a short story when I was 11 but the passion I had for the storyline and inspiration died and I became interested in poetry and at 16 wrote my first poem. Then came an idea for a novel and I wrote a few notes about it and lost them at school. I did not write a word period until I was 26 and then it was a recurring dream or nightmare that took up 5 pages and I began once again writing a diary.. That was all I needed was to write that dream, though it was utter scheiss, and the diary. Now I write across a few genres and write everyday, whether it is five words or adding to what I have already or editing in order to add and make sense. I have 2 novels going and one stalled one. When I take a break from the novels I write poetry and just begun songwriting (lyrics only) but when I take a break from writing all together I watch a movie or make an entry in one of my 3 blogs or surf gothicmatch.com and maybe post there in thier blogs or poetry forum. After that the passion and inspiration is reborn. And someimes music does it for me.... COF and/or Seether. Yes I am a strange bird and in love with the Seeher frontman. He is my inspiration and desire now. I write because I love it and him and I write for him, to show him how I feel, and because it is who I am. I have already had one poem published online. Major accomplishment since I can not expres myself, in any way, accurately and not confuse people. So don't worry! Don't obsess about it! Just do what is natural and normal but go back several times and read, as a reader reads a published novel for entertainment purposes only and the story will grow in your head and when ya sit down to write again you will be surprsed at what falls out. Where did that come from? I couldn't have written that in a million years. I know that was what I said and thought and I also read other published novels and I am learning new techniques and beginning to see my craft, across the board, improving.

Cut yourself some slack, mate. It is only normal.

Alana

[drybonesreborn]

drybonesreborn, yes, I have felt that way before. Most of the time it turns out to be a writer's block and I get over it eventually, but there was this one time I didn't write for about three months.

How I got over it? I spent the three months reading my old stories and reading my fave books. I kept reading until an idea, any idea, sparked. It was hard and took forever for me get over it, but soon the mechanisms started creaking as they started working and then I'm back on track!

Feeling dead about writing and having the ability of not writing is pure torture. I hate it when that happens. So the only thing I do is get comfortable, make me a cup of hot cocoa, and read until I'm content.

Oh, also try seeing if u can somehow rewrite one of ur ideas to make it a completely new story.
That's a great idea! Someone to write mine.. :( if they even like to do that.. or like it.

[drybonesreborn]

Have you joined a writers group in your area? What about attending a writers conference that relates to your genre? I went to two last summer and walked away fired up to write each time.
I don't know where to look. Any in Pennsyvainia? (sorry bad spelling might get tested for Dysgraphia...long story).

Like Monroville?

[David I]

If I didn't feel I wanted to write, and didn't feel a story pulling me, then I wouldn't write. (At any rate, not unless I'd signed a contract.)

What's the big deal with not writing if you don't want to write? I used to compose quite a lot of music. I don't anymore. No problem-o.

Insofar as I can tell, the world isn't facing a novel shortage, so if you don't feel like writing, don't do it.

[Kristin Landon]

No moral obligation to write, but often there's an internal drive or sense of obligation. Maybe just a ghost memory of what a joy writing has been in the past. Enough, anyway, to make it impossible to walk away whistling and take up macramé instead.

I hesitate to say this, but I sometimes think "writer's block" can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you learn to expect dry spells as part of the rhythm of your writing life, they can be much easier to handle and much shorter.

[LBW66]

Read A YEAR IN VAN NUYS by Sandra Tsing Loh.
-Laura

[zornhau]

Well, I took a break, two months..and nothing productive has come out. I had a few characters written down for an Atlantis story....and well it's gone. I can't even draw well anymore, my work is like a second grader.... ugh.

Anyone feel this? The death of writting? :(

From my humble and unpublished experience:

#1. Are you in reality stuck?
You've got the characters, but do you have a story-length conflict? No conflict, no momentum. Go away and read Stephen King's "On Writing", which will also inspire you.

#2. Do you have performance anxiety?
Get some perspective from a Tor editor's now famous Slushkiller blog post (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004641.html). Most significant snippet:
Herewith, the rough breakdown of manuscript characteristics, from most to least obvious rejections:

Author is functionally illiterate.
Author has submitted some variety of literature we don’t publish: poetry, religious revelation, political rant, illustrated fanfic, etc.
Author has a serious neurochemical disorder, puts all important words into capital letters, and would type out to the margins if MSWord would let him.
Author is on bad terms with the Muse of Language. Parts of speech are not what they should be. Confusion-of-motion problems inadvertently generate hideous images. Words are supplanted by their similar-sounding cousins: towed the line, deep-seeded, dire straights, nearly penultimate, incentiary, reeking havoc, hare’s breath escape, plaintiff melody, viscous/vicious, causal/casual, clamoured to her feet, a shutter went through her body, his body went ridged, empirical storm troopers, ex-patriot Englishmen, et cetera.
Author can write basic sentences, but not string them together in any way that adds up to paragraphs.
Author has a moderate neurochemical disorder and can’t tell when he or she has changed the subject. This greatly facilitates composition, but is hard on comprehension.
Author can write passable paragraphs, and has a sufficiently functional plot that readers would notice if you shuffled the chapters into a different order. However, the story and the manner of its telling are alike hackneyed, dull, and pointless.


(At this point, you have eliminated 60-75% of your submissions. Almost all the reading-and-thinking time will be spent on the remaining fraction.)


It’s nice that the author is working on his/her problems, but the process would be better served by seeing a shrink than by writing novels.
Nobody but the author is ever going to care about this dull, flaccid, underperforming book.
The book has an engaging plot. Trouble is, it’s not the author’s, and everybody’s already seen that movie/read that book/collected that comic.


(You have now eliminated 95-99% of the submissions.)


Someone could publish this book, but we don’t see why it should be us.
Author is talented, but has written the wrong book.
It’s a good book, but the house isn’t going to get behind it, so if you buy it, it’ll just get lost in the shuffle.
Buy this book.Hope that helps
Z

[Akuma]

Ironically, my creative writing class is what's killing my inspiration.

C'mmmmmooon, summer vacation. . .

[Legionsynch]

I can only be bothered writing anything when I have a deadline. Without a deadline, why write? I can just do it tomorrow.

So, a firm deadline is the answer for me. I set myself a date on which my current piece will be ready, and then work backwards to determine how little I can do each day.

By the time I'm 2/3 of the way through I've thrown the daily limits out the window and I'm miles ahead. But it does motivate me with the first 2/3.

I've had a problem with burnout in the past, and this time around I've done the exact same thing. I've got a printed calender on my desk, and I use it to keep track of my daily word counts, and I gave myself a six week deadline to get through the story.

Every few days, I glance over it and figure out exactly how much I need to get written in order to finish by my deadline, and every time I get ahead of myself, I'm thrilled. That means I can be lazier in the future. But I find I get more writing done, because I can sit still long enough every day to get just a little bit further.

Editting? Now that's the part that scares me. ;)

[drybonesreborn]

Thing is, I got problems with letting the past go. How can I do that to write about it in story format? I gave it to God and stuff....but I still wonder of 'what could be'.

Not sure if I could use that to write. I'm waiting to get a test to see if I have writing disability. After all I have a Learning disability, and well it's hard enough, but hard enough to hear your work sucks, cuz you suck at English your native language with all that writing rules.

I even suck at what I thought I was good at. How can I write when my world is falling apart?

:(

Thanks. OH and I used to 'visualize' my book being published and sold at my bookstore. The fact is they went out of business, so much for my dream.

[Turtle07]

Thing is, I got problems with letting the past go.

I feel ya. :e2bummed:

Not sure if I could use that to write. I'm waiting to get a test to see if I have writing disability. After all I have a Learning disability, and well it's hard enough, but hard enough to hear your work sucks, cuz you suck at English your native language with all that writing rules.

Just cuz u have a disability does not mean u can't write. Samantha Abeel had a disability and she still wrote. No offense, I may sound harsh, but u need to get a backbone. Stop pushing urself down and gain some confidence! Don't take what I say as an insult (Please, do not. I don't mean it that way, but my friends tell me have a tendency to insult people without knowing it, so please don't take what I say as one cuz I don't mean it.) Yes, nobody ever said the path of a writer is easy, but if u just move on and keep movin' on, u'll get somewhere. Have faith and confidence in urself and ur writing! U can do it! :e2cheer:

Thanks. OH and I used to 'visualize' my book being published and sold at my bookstore. The fact is they went out of business, so much for my dream.

Everyone has dreams and sometimes those dreams get shattered. We hate it when it happens, but it happens, the only solution we have is to keep pursuing our dreams that still have a chance. There's hope that ur writing can get published! Just keep believing! :hooray:

[Anthony Ravenscroft]

I'm presently brainfried on a novel, which I feel is quite good & populated with some lively characters.

So I'm amused to find my brain's started off on a series of short articles about cats. It looks really good, & is clicking right along. Hell, with my luck, it'll not only sell but lead to a book deal. Oh, the horror -- not.

Get what you've got in your head ontp virtual paper, then let it sit for a while to mellow. Could be weeks, could be years, but my bet is that you'll suddenly need to sit down & work at it, & it'll be far better than if you force yourself to bash your head against the keys.

[ErylRavenwell]

I find a night of gambling, drinking, and hookers always cheers me up. Writing? Um......after all that there usually isn't any time left for writing. Not that I, ya know, really care at that point. :)

Damn right, bud. Nothing beats a night whoring around and picking up forlorn women in bars. But I'm sure as hell decadence is not the antidote to this poor fella's dilemma. :)

[akiwiguy]

There's something I'm just starting to understand abut my own habits...

The "write anything, just write" advice which is probably often very good in terms of making oneself disciplined etc. and may work really well for some people, I've found can become a bit like standing at a golf driving range and hitting a thousand balls with a bad swing. I find that writing stuff that just doesn't really mean a lot to me can lead to even more loss of motivation in the long run.

It's really interesting that you say you have a couple of characters. You sound a bit like me. The genesis of most of what I write is characters. Plot tends to follow (or not). The danger is that I start writing with quite fuzzy ideas in terms of plot... and can really lose interest as the story goes nowhere. Much as I have never been a great fan of highly detailed outlines, I'm finding more and more that for me they're what I need. I'm most motivated and inspired to write when I feel I have a story to tell. (I don't usually struggle with finding characters, there's thousands of them foating around there).

But this is just my own trip,. may be of no relevance at all to your own struggles. See, if I didn't think I had anything to say, I don't think I'd bother at all. I'd probably prefer to, well, go and hit a thousand golf balls with a bad swing. At least it's exercise. And if you're thinking, "But my whole problem is I can't think of the story (plot)", that is often process rather than inspiration (well, a bit of both). But I'm wondering, is it that process of outlining etc. that you need to apply yourself to? Just seems to work better for me.

[drybonesreborn]

I feel ya. :e2bummed:



Just cuz u have a disability does not mean u can't write. Samantha Abeel had a disability and she still wrote. No offense, I may sound harsh, but u need to get a backbone. Stop pushing urself down and gain some confidence! Don't take what I say as an insult (Please, do not. I don't mean it that way, but my friends tell me have a tendency to insult people without knowing it, so please don't take what I say as one cuz I don't mean it.) Yes, nobody ever said the path of a writer is easy, but if u just move on and keep movin' on, u'll get somewhere. Have faith and confidence in urself and ur writing! U can do it! :e2cheer:



Everyone has dreams and sometimes those dreams get shattered. We hate it when it happens, but it happens, the only solution we have is to keep pursuing our dreams that still have a chance. There's hope that ur writing can get published! Just keep believing! :hooray:

Thanks. But it's like a runner with a limp, how can they run better? Still haven't gotten tested, but maybe soon, a week, 3 weeks, who knows. I have to give my school permision to send out my info to the testing center.

I dance. I visualize my characters when I dance, like a movie. It's fun, but lately that's all I have been doing, not enough to sit down and write. I can try free-writting. Thanks.

[Argo]

Drybonesreborn:

I have two words for you: Just Wait.

Trust me, as someone who took seven years to write his first novel, it occasionally just takes time. Relax; don't give up; and keep the faith. It'll come back to you. And if not, you'll find something better.

Just Wait.

[zornhau]

And if you're thinking, "But my whole problem is I can't think of the story (plot)", that is often process rather than inspiration (well, a bit of both). But I'm wondering, is it that process of outlining etc. that you need to apply yourself to? Just seems to work better for me.

Don't forget that, in addition to outlining (which you have to do right or it's crippling), there's also Stephen King's method: plan the characters and their conflict before you start, but not the plot itself.

[drybonesreborn]

Drybonesreborn:

I have two words for you: Just Wait.

Trust me, as someone who took seven years to write his first novel, it occasionally just takes time. Relax; don't give up; and keep the faith. It'll come back to you. And if not, you'll find something better.

Just Wait.

Thanks.

[scarletfox]

My best advice for getting over that, is, dont do what i did.

I went for over a year without writing anything. I had experienced that same burnt-out feeling that you did, and just couldn't seem to feel the passion to write, which was strange to me because before then, I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing some kind of story.

I remember during those days how depressed I felt at my utter lack of motivation. I think that taking these people advice, and forcing yourself to write, no matter what, is what i should have done.

[drybonesreborn]

Thanks.

[Turtle07]

Thanks. But it's like a runner with a limp, how can they run better? Still haven't gotten tested, but maybe soon, a week, 3 weeks, who knows. I have to give my school permision to send out my info to the testing center.

True, but I believe in u! I know u can write and someday u'll gain ur writing ability back! :)

I dance. I visualize my characters when I dance, like a movie. It's fun, but lately that's all I have been doing, not enough to sit down and write. I can try free-writting. Thanks.

I wanna learn how to dance. I've always thought as dancing as an art. Movement with passion touches me. I find everything done with soul and a cause is art. If u believe in urself and ur abilities, then u r truly a work of art! ;)

[drybonesreborn]

True, but I believe in u! I know u can write and someday u'll gain ur writing ability back! :)



I wanna learn how to dance. I've always thought as dancing as an art. Movement with passion touches me. I find everything done with soul and a cause is art. If u believe in urself and ur abilities, then u r truly a work of art! ;)

I don't do ballet,but my own type of dancing. I watch music videos sometimes to get new moves. Breakdancing is something I admire, and wish I could do without breaking my neck or anything else lol.

[drybonesreborn]

Don't forget that, in addition to outlining (which you have to do right or it's crippling), there's also Stephen King's method: plan the characters and their conflict before you start, but not the plot itself.


Well, I wrote stufff today. The story was ok, nothing like I could do before. The sentences were short, choppy and crappy. What can I do? I forgot how to make story paragraphs.

[Turtle07]

I don't do ballet,but my own type of dancing. I watch music videos sometimes to get new moves. Breakdancing is something I admire, and wish I could do without breaking my neck or anything else lol.

I love ballet and used to take lessons, but now I'm more into fast-paced dancing. This summer I'm hoping to sign up for salsa or hip-hop lessons. And it's cool that u do ur own thing with dancing! It's a great way to express urself!

I have a friend who break-dances. She's fairly good at it and she too watches vids to learn new moves. I, for one, will never attempt to do break dancing. I think it's a modern way of dancing and don't really like it as much as, say, tango and ballroom dancing (what can I say? I'm a sucker for the classics...when it comes to dancing.) but I think it's a new style that should get more credit that some people credit it for. I mean, if kids wanna dance that way, let them.

[Steve W]

Hi,

Don't just take a break, but take a break from your routine -- do something diffrerent to give you new experiences and your mind chance to toy with those associated new ideas. I sometimes find myself locked away at home writing for 12 hours a day, barely talking to a soul -- a week of that and I'm totally shagged. Just a few hours walking in some beautiful countryside is wonderfully rejuvenating. I'm not saying it will be that easy for you, but just give your mind something else to toy with, you might be surprised what happens.

Cheers,
Steve

[CreativeDreamer]

I know exactly how you feel. I spent so much of my energy trying to finish my first novel, now that it is on its way out the door, I feel like I can't even begin to think of writing anything else until I hear something good about it.

Just take a deep breath and try to keep positive. Let yourself day dream as well. Spend some time in a quiet room, and let your ideas for your book play out in your head like a story. Sometimes you can come up with great writing ideas this way, and if not, just forget them. It's alot easier than tapping away at the keyboard and hitting the delete key 100 times. Also try going for a walk, sometimes clearing your mind of everything makes room for the really good ideas to sneak in. ;)

Hope this helps!

[drybonesreborn]

Thanks for the tips. It seems I want to focus on finishing a book, making it godly and yet, my brain goes to my past stories, unfinished ones. :( My focus is all over the place.

[Turtle07]

It seems I want to focus on finishing a book, making it godly and yet, my brain goes to my past stories, unfinished ones. My focus is all over the place.

Hey, I have tons of unfinished stories :Shrug: (I mean, u should see how many files I have on my comp.). I just leave them there until somehow, I can find a way to rewrite them or somehow revise and write them again. Just take a break and focus on the present, not the past. Think about ur current stories and throw ur old ideas out of ur brain for a moment until it's time to get to know them again. :)

I also think u should relax. Take a week off from school, work, whatever and hit the beach! :D Go have fun! It'll take ur mind off things and put u at peace. Good Luck!