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Stuck in a Never-ending Block

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sona65

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Hey ya'll!

So I've found myself in a weird predicament. Recently, I've decided to write my first novel, after years of doubting my abilities and contemplating my role as a reader turned writer. I've had many ideas for my first novel over the years, and I've written down key words and sentences on my laptop to keep those ideas fresh for when I decided to start my writing.

However, once I decided to actually sit down and write my novel, every idea I've ever had suddenly dissipated from my mind, and honestly, I now feel completely lost. Everything that I've written in the past sounds wrong. Those past ideas do not seem like they can amount to anything, and it's frustrating.

It's the weirdest thing for me to feel this way, because I have a wild imagination that never seizes to create entires worlds in my mind with a single thought. But as of right now, my imagination has officially run dry, and I have no idea how I can replenish the thirst my imagination needs in order to create a novel I could be proud of.

I want to be proud of the novel I write, and in order for that to happen I need to cultivate an idea that I can work with, but I'm utterly and completely lost. It's unlike any block I've ever had before, it feels as if my brain is empty, like an ocean filled with mysteries and potential completely dried up, with nothing left except the lost hope of something that could have been, but never will be.

I guess this is getting a bit melodramatic, so I'll stop while I'm at it. Essentially, I'm hoping for some advice. I honestly do not know anyone better than a group of writers to help me get out of this block.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to hear from some of you :)

Best,
Sonali

P.S. Sorry about the dramatics, I'm just in a very weird mood lol
 

Beanie5

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Hi Sona if you want to try something different you could reach for a dice, there was a book that escapes my recollection written a while ago about someone who decided to live his life by making his decions rolling a dice, ( the dice man 71 an eight ball is a take off of this )

e.g 1 = male mc 2= female 3= multi 4 = gay 5 = bi etc

it will get you started all you have to do is come up with some ideas, the writing will come when you try to put them together then decide if you want to can it or start again good luck!
 
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dpaterso

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Crappy luck, commiserations, etc. Been there, failed at that.

What can you do to map out or outline your novel?

Can you visualize the ending, the big bang climax (emotional, if not physical Die Hard style big bang). Where does the story lead to, what do you see?

Can you walk backwards from there and find your way to the beginning, how things kick off, who your protagonist is? What must they do, what is their driving goal? What stands in their way, what obstacles must they overcome? Again emotionally if not physically. Or ideally both! What lengths are they prepared to go to, to achieve their goal?

Don't stare at an empty screen with a winking cursor. Try a notepad and pen, doodle little boxes with chapter titles, draw stick figures, make them fight with swords, add relationship arrows, scribble character notes -- something that might visually help you weave that story of yours and solidify thoughts, to the point where you want to write that kick-ass first sentence that sets the cat among the pigeons.

A writer buddy did a semi-funny writing process diagram a while back, I've looked at this when I'm stuck and it's made me crack a smile, and also sometimes kicked a thought loose.

https://atquinn.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/my-process-let-me-show-you-it/

Now maybe that won't help you any, but it's an example of the kind of free-thinking doodle that can sometimes give you a push in the right direction, as one thought bounces off another and gives you an unexpected result.

Big bang ending --> kick-ass opening scene --> can you connect the dots between?

It's possible none of the above will work. But sometimes you gotta throw spaghetti at the wall and see if it sticks.

-Derek
 

blacbird

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Write a scene. Just a scene, involving interactions among the major characters you have in mind. That's all. It might not even fit into your overall idea, but it's a way forward. At some point you need to take that first step. Ideas are fine, but they are not writing. Planning is fine, unless it gets in the way of your writing. Write a scene. See where that gets you.

caw
 

CameronJohnston

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I find a lot of people come up with interesting worlds but don't actually have a plot or character story they want to tell. If you can come up with an interesting character, a beginning and ending then you can fill in the gaps between as you go.
I agree with blacbird - write a scene, the beginning, the end, or even something random. Writing a novel is partly about momentum. It's hard to start the ball rolling, but once you do its easier to keep going.
 

Bacchus

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A writer buddy did a semi-funny writing process diagram a while back, I've looked at this when I'm stuck and it's made me crack a smile, and also sometimes kicked a thought loose.

https://atquinn.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/my-process-let-me-show-you-it/

Brilliant - thank you for my morning smile (c:

To the OP - much sympathy. I felt pretty much the same when I first actually put metaphorical pen to metaphorical paper, but tough it out. I was bumbling along for a while trying to get started then I woke up one morning and thought to myself "set it in Matera" (a town in Southern Italy). Once I had the vision of that in my mind it all flowed nicely.

My advice would be not to worry about incorporating all of the ideas that you have had straight off, new ones will come, old ones will seem less important, as the others have said, just write. Look at a news item, make up a story around it. Go for a walk, look at somebody's house. Imagine what might have gone on behind that front door - why hasn't it been painted for years when the garden is so well kept... what's in the garage, why is there a statue of Buddha... anything, then go back to one of your core stories and get cracking.

It matters that the end result is good, not that it is exactly as you planned.
 

ecerberus

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OP - sometimes what helps me is to just pick an interesting part of the story I enjoy writing, and then I do that. Once that's done, it often fuels my interest to hit other areas. I find breaking the pattern very helpful - whether in chronology, type of chapter, or even tools used.
 

havocblaid

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Stop thinking of the novel as a whole. Just start out small. I set a small goal for myself when I sit down to write. Like im going to write a page and introduce one character or conflict. I fins that by doing that im not trying to figure or all out right then so its easier to get going and usually it will just flow from there.
 

MerriTudor

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Sona, it sounds as though you may just be betwixt and between. You may have outgrown all the bits and pieces that you've collected and now that you sit down to work with them, you realize they belong to who you used to be and not who you are now.

You've got a dry well right now. But it's better than having a well filled with ideas that no longer work for you and would only be a frustrating struggle if you push them. I wouldn't panic if I were you. I think you just need to let go of these things, relax, and unleash your imagination.

Relaxing is key, I think. It's easy for the imagination to run wild and play when nothing is expected of it. But now you're sitting down and asking it to sit down with you and WORK and it's probably a bit intimidated! I agree with the other posters that you don't attempt any world building now. Toss your imagination a little toy, and when it comes back to you with something, pat it on the head like a good dog! Maybe it just needs to know that it doesn't have to bring back a whole book for you right now.
 

StoryofWoe

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Sounds like a combination of things to me: fear of the blank page, a dash or two of imposter syndrome, feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead. With very few exceptions, no new writer starts out with a road map leading to the perfect story. Even outlining takes practice. Don't think that you need to hold an entire book in your head the moment you sit down to write. I'll echo what others have said: start with a scene. Any scene. It doesn't have to be the first scene, and it might not even make it into the finished draft. You say you want to write something you're proud of, but what you put on the page today may not stick to it tomorrow, and that's perfectly fine. It's okay to write a crappy first page if that's what gets you writing a second, third, fourth, and so on. Some people can edit as they go. However, since this is your first book and you're already feeling pressured and anxious, I would recommend the Write First, Edit Later approach.

You mentioned that you've been collecting ideas over the years. Is it possible some of those ideas have lost their relevance over time? Although it might feel like your brain is empty when you sit down to write, it's probably just clouded with doubt.

These days, when I find myself stressing over what I "should" be writing, I either step away and wait for the feeling to pass or make myself do a 500-word free write to get the juices flowing. Writing begets writing after all. But I know I can't be objective about my work when I'm feeling anxious, and nothing kills an idea faster than asking, what's the point? Or comparing what I've just written to what I hope the finished product will look like.
 

Undercover

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I vote for getting a pen and paper and maybe even sitting outside, away from the computer. Sometimes when I do this, I get a jump start on the writing and then when I'm ready to type everything out, it continues from there. Also I'm a big fan of walking too. It's always helped me, since I seem to suffer from writer's block a lot.
 

_lvbl

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Allow it to be fun, and allow it to be clumsy! Sometimes just the act of immersing myself in it with no end goal, or even knowing that I'm going to scrap what I put out makes it easier to begin unlocking the creative flow.
 
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