Writer's Sludge

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Q.Rious

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So, I haven't been writing Fer Serious for all that long now, about four weeks to be precise. Before that, I was mostly message board posting (aka time waster for today's youth). I've gotten several great nonfiction assignments in local publications, and am "in discussions" with a few nationals, and one acceptance for a real-life story in a trade magazine. Nothing too fancy. But I sent out about 30 queries and submissions (1-2 per day, that's right! I was ON FIRE, and it's a wonder I didn't set the house alight).

But for the past three days, it feels like my brain is a Honda Civic stuck in the swamps of Louisiana. I can't think of words, I can't think of ideas, and my writing BORES THE CRAP out of me (and my poor, long-suffering husband). Thankfully nothing's due 'til the end of the month. I have a few pieces I worked on earlier in circulation, but even editing them has been borderline traumatic for the ol' pea soup known as my brain.

Is this writer's block? It feels like someone drained all the gas out of my brain. It's horrible. It feels like I'll never write again, after writing like a freaking maniac on speed for about three weeks.

I swear, I'm not bipolar. I think. Maybe I'll get back to you on that.

Oh, and I lost my sense of humor. This is most distressing.
 

Q.Rious

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Nope, have delivered on about five assignments so far, and am halfway through two more.

My well just done dried up.
 

BlueTexas

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Go take a day and do something totally unrelated to writing and reading. Go swim. Visit a museum, see a movie, walk in a park and make funny faces at the ducks. No libraries, bookstores, schools, books, magazines, newspapers. No journal entries, blogging or list-making. Just for one day.

Give your creative juices a refresher with some good entertainment fodder.
 

Lauri B

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I usually have terrible lapses of concentration right after I finish something good. I can't think, can't write, have no new ideas. Then after a few days or a week they come rushing back. I think you should be psyched--your lapse just means you're at the top of your game and you need a little rest so you can hit the next peak again.
 

Spiny Norman

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I usually feel very depressed and aimless after about a week of finishing something big. The "Well, now what?" sensation is always terrible and hollow to me.

Go swimming. Do something athletic. That usually picks me up.

I know Faulkner went on a bender every time he finished something. I can sort of understand why.
 

MidnightMuse

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I'm sure I've said this before to other people in other threads, but when this happens to me for whatever reason, the only cure is a day off completely and utterly without thought of writing.

Go do something wildly fun, or incredibly creative, or totally indulgent that has aboslutely nothing to do with writing. If need be, make it two days in a row.

Then I think you'll find the batteries have been recharged and you're ready to jump back in and shove that gear into fourth. Just don't pop the clutch.
 

Siddow

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Doing something physical always recharges me. Something repetitive and mindless. I find if my hands are moving but I'm not required to think about what I'm doing, my mind starts wandering off into idea land.

You got a wall that needs painted? Now would be a great time to do that.
 

Melanie Nilles

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As the others said--take a day off and do everything except think about writing. Whenever this has happened, I found that I was freezing up from pushing myself too much. Give yourself permission to not work.

It's kind of like cornstarch. Mix it with water so it's thick. If you squeeze it, it hardens, but if you let it go, it flows. In my case, I would be squeezing so tightly that my mind hardened against any ideas. When I let go of what had to be done, everything loosened up and the ideas flowed again.
 

Q.Rious

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OMG, and I just got a new assignment for like, 2000 words this morning. Due in three weeks.

I think I'm gonna have a freakout.

Love,

Q.
 

Sean D. Schaffer

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I think it's already been said, by quite a few posters. But I would like to reiterate what they've said about taking a day off.

Sometimes when I have really been on fire in my writing, I just eventually burn out. I know now that I have spurts of creativity, and times when I can't think at all. It's just part of being human, I think.

If you need to take a day or two off, then don't be afraid to do so. Sometimes we just need to give our minds a rest. Just like taking a day off for physical needs, so we should take a day off every so often to keep our minds well-rested.

:)
 

Anthony Ravenscroft

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Sit down & write out a totally off-the-wall "story," just a screaming thousand-word tear. It sounds as though you're setting yourself up for the "every single damned word Must Count" downward spiral, when the fact is that most of us do indeed experience Crap Buildup that's gotta be purged from time to time.

Your every word is not golden -- & you shouldn't set yourself up for that fall. As Uncle Jim has said, you have permission to write crap. Use it from time to time.
 

Q.Rious

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And...we're back. I don't know what happened. Today everything is fine again. It's like the little man in my brain has an on/off lever. What, doesn't everyone have a little man in their brains?

In fact, you can read a new essay I wrote... I Was Homeschooled

If you'd like to read about Star Trek-obsessive kids living in double-wide trailer homes, that is. Niche topic.
 
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