What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

Apparently there exists a funk where you just stare at the screen, and you feel no will to type.

I'm popping in on this thread to declare that I *will* work on my outline today, so that i can start drafting words again.

Edit: Did it. Have worked through the outline and have enough interest in it to pick up with the drafting in the morning.

What's on my mind...having the desire to start to write something new but having no idea what to write about. Nothing. Nothing at all.

However, I do have another query letter version written and I need to get started on a synopsis so I can have it at the ready if an agent requests one. Also having doubts as to whether I should even attempt to publish this novel to begin with.

While I've missed AW so much, its absence has done wonders for my productivity! (Or maybe it's the aventurine stone I got myself for Christmas to 'boost my creativity' [crystals aren't really my thing, but it can't hurt, right?]. Pretty sure it was the shutdown though.)

I'm several chapters further into my WIP with only 5 to go now, and I've also started my next WIP - a new genre, new tense and new POV, it's very exciting. The climax was one of the first scenes to come to me, so I've written that too. I always feel such relief when I 1) have a title in place from the start and 2) know exactly where I'm heading. I really do think my pantsing days might be in the past...

Patty said:

Apparently there exists a funk where you just stare at the screen, and you feel no will to type.

I'm popping in on this thread to declare that I *will* work on my outline today, so that i can start drafting words again.

Edit: Did it. Have worked through the outline and have enough interest in it to pick up with the drafting in the morning.

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Good for you! That funk is sooooo awful.

Glad to see AW back.
Just finished the 3rd editing pass of my next novel. I'll take a few days "off" to do other things (blurb etc), then hit it again. Currently I have each chapter as a separate word file - after the 4th pass I'll move that into the Amazon template, then start the edits again.
The MS is in good shape though, and I'm excited about it.

I was just googling the names of some minor characters in my WIP, checking that none are too popular or famous, when I decided to google my main characters again. Turns out my second main character is a famous record producer with 241,000,000 results. Of course, he wasn't famous when I started writing the book 12 years ago Please tell me I don't have to rename him now!

So, my earlier outlining progress had to be scrapped because this darn story wouldn't come into focus. But thanks to a very well-timed snow day, I've been home beating this thing into submission and I'm happy! I had to start over, but I'm eight scenes in and about to outline the catalyst/inciting incident scene. And I've finally envisioned the final scene of the book. I know how I want it to end.

I basically figured out I wasn't starting in the right place. And I didn't REALLY know my MC's main goal until today. Now that I know that and have his underlying motivation pinned down, the scenes come much easier. Turns out I'm writing a romance. I thought it was straight fantasy, but it's fantasy romance. And it makes me so happy!

Okay, done. Back to outlining.

It's almost getting warm enough to write in the backyard. I do so well writing in the backyard.

MaeZe said:

It's almost getting warm enough to write in the backyard. I do so well writing in the backyard.

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I'd forgotten what the sun was or where the mountains were.

Do you write with analog tools or haul a device out there? Curious.

Kat M said:

I'd forgotten what the sun was or where the mountains were.

Do you write with analog tools or haul a device out there? Curious.

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Mac notebook with Scrivener. The charge lasts a few hours.

Had to work on a disturbing, unpleasant scene today and explore the part of my protagonist that causes him to have a lot of self-loathing and shame. Just sketching out the summary of the scene was exhausting. I'm about to press on and work on the next scene. It's weird. Despite feeling drained and almost physically ill from working on the scene, it's provided a new level of motivation for me. I've got to get this protagonist to a better place where he can love and accept himself. I knew that was coming, but until I this scene, I had no idea how important it is to see this guy have a happy ending.

Thinking about the state of the world today and it's given me the seeds of a dystopian sci-fi setting.

Remember when we used to own our data? We had mp3s and dvds and games stored on memory cards. Now everything's streamed and we don't own anything. I've had a bunch of albums that I downloaded because Spotify Premium lets you download songs to your phone, but because it's all streamed and subject to licenses expiring, I don't have access to those albums anymore even though they should be saved to my device.

What if there was a Bezos/Zuckerberg type who set themselves up as a merchant prince, who gave out data ownership to people who'd won his favour, the way medieval kings used to give out land ownership?

I think there's a story there.

I'm brainstorming how to make the the government in my world a bit more authoritarian but not completely authoritarian.

kwanzaabot said:

Thinking about the state of the world today and it's given me the seeds of a dystopian sci-fi setting.

Remember when we used to own our data? We had mp3s and dvds and games stored on memory cards. Now everything's streamed and we don't own anything. I've had a bunch of albums that I downloaded because Spotify Premium lets you download songs to your phone, but because it's all streamed and subject to licenses expiring, I don't have access to those albums anymore even though they should be saved to my device.

What if there was a Bezos/Zuckerberg type who set themselves up as a merchant prince, who gave out data ownership to people who'd won his favour, the way medieval kings used to give out land ownership?

I think there's a story there.

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I think this is a cool idea.

Hi everyone, I'm new here and haven't posted much beyond an introduction because there is already a thread for almost everything. What is on my mind? I have been wanting to ask about brain fog from pushing myself too hard mental flatlining and my brain just generally not working. The issue is I have been brewing a book for almost 2 decades I have only recently sat down to try to pull it out of my head. I don't work so I am not use to having a schedule or doing anything in particular at any given time. I got my outline down, the acts separated and even the first draft of act one written out so far which is pretty good for someone not use to doing anything. Though I have been taking it much easier in the past week because of the mental flatlining if I push myself too hard I simply don't want to get out of bed, and I don't want to feel that way about writing I want to want to write. So I try to get myself into focus with coffee or matcha tea and try to create an atmosphere for writing. I just don't want to give up. I want to get this done. I was thinking about posting my problem in the writers block forum, but it isn't exactly writers block that I have an issue with.

Thanks for reading.

I finished a 4K-word short story that made me happy. I have plans for other projects, too.

PraiseRao said:

Hi everyone, I'm new here and haven't posted much beyond an introduction because there is already a thread for almost everything. What is on my mind? I have been wanting to ask about brain fog from pushing myself too hard mental flatlining and my brain just generally not working. The issue is I have been brewing a book for almost 2 decades I have only recently sat down to try to pull it out of my head. I don't work so I am not use to having a schedule or doing anything in particular at any given time. I got my outline down, the acts separated and even the first draft of act one written out so far which is pretty good for someone not use to doing anything. Though I have been taking it much easier in the past week because of the mental flatlining if I push myself too hard I simply don't want to get out of bed, and I don't want to feel that way about writing I want to want to write. So I try to get myself into focus with coffee or matcha tea and try to create an atmosphere for writing. I just don't want to give up. I want to get this done. I was thinking about posting my problem in the writers block forum, but it isn't exactly writers block that I have an issue with.

Thanks for reading.

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Heya--I kind of get this same feeling and it always boils down (for me, at least lately) to the fact that in the scene I am writing I have not identified a specific goal for the character to acth toward.

I actually dislike this as a method, since it feels very netflix-y to my snobbish brain, but WTH. For what it's worth, when I figure out goals for characters to act toward, the writing becomes really fun again. Otherwise the characters are just sitting around and endlessly moaning about life.

I've been quiet here for a while.

Back in early October I had a bowel cancer diagnosis. In late October I had surgery. They took a tennis-ball sized tumor out of my guts and I lost a foot of small intestine with it. I have a lovely scar from sternum to pubes that looks like I lost a swordfight

Having a big hole dug in my body scared my mojo away for a while. Didn't write anything at all until after the New Year and when I got started again it was in fits and starts like a recalcitrant car on a cold morning.

Just recently finished the first long thing since surgery, a new entry in my S-Squad series for Severed Press, and I finished a novella too.

So it looks like my mojo has forgiven the trespass.

Onward!

Glad to hear you've recovered well!

williemeikle said:

I've been quiet here for a while.

Back in early October I had a bowel cancer diagnosis. In late October I had surgery. They took a tennis-ball sized tumor out of my guts and I lost a foot of small intestine with it. I have a lovely scar from sternum to pubes that looks like I lost a swordfight

Having a big hole dug in my body scared my mojo away for a while. Didn't write anything at all until after the New Year and when I got started again it was in fits and starts like a recalcitrant car on a cold morning.

Just recently finished the first long thing since surgery, a new entry in my S-Squad series for Severed Press, and I finished a novella too.

So it looks like my mojo has forgiven the trespass.

Onward!

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It's the stress of it all. I'm having a long-story-won't-boor-you-with-the-details-of-my-ten-year-fight-with-the-IRS issue. But as I await the absolutely final decision which has been months and months, and we have the scariest President of my lifetime, now there's this coronavirus outbreak right here where I live and I have some very high risk medical issues, I'm trying hard to use this time writing, but I can't. I'm so stressed right now.

I can so relate to the stress you must also be going through.

Positive thoughts, we'll both get past this. You sound like you are a couple steps ahead, you're my role model.

So I've been batting this idea around for a while now. I really, really like what I've done with it: first person narrator has what we would consider an unusual speech pattern, he's a magic user and the local holy man for his village, the love of his life belongs to a semi-secret mystic/spiritual sect, they're both elves (AND NEITHER OF THEM ARE TOLKIEN OR D&D GARDEN VARIETY ELVES! MY ELVES, MY RULES!), there's a stretch around the village's annual Fishing Day that signals the end of their winter, much archery and swordplay. That sorta stuff. I'm trying to delve more into the semi-secret mystic/spiritual sect and have some ideas of their methods of training and dress, possibly even some rituals, elves only, and I'm trying to come up with more background on the sect to make it more believable/realistic and all I'm getting is no, i liek CHOKLIT milk! Absolute and utter blank on this. I'm working more on the story between Donal (magic user) and Minty (mystic), so I'm probably not even ready to delve too far into the history and why-for's of the sect now. Again, just barely even started the story and there's no real serious structure at the moment. Just throwing a bunch of stuff on the wall and seeing if anybody salutes it.

Three mega stressors at the moment: the coronavirus outbreak in my neck of the woods, the fear of a Trump reelection and not the best candidates to run against him, and a bit of a financial hiccough that could make everything better or be total devastation (I'd still survive) and the people making the decision are taking months.

The stress is making it hard to take time to write.

PraiseRao said:

Hi everyone, I'm new here and haven't posted much beyond an introduction because there is already a thread for almost everything. What is on my mind? I have been wanting to ask about brain fog from pushing myself too hard mental flatlining and my brain just generally not working. The issue is I have been brewing a book for almost 2 decades I have only recently sat down to try to pull it out of my head. I don't work so I am not use to having a schedule or doing anything in particular at any given time. I got my outline down, the acts separated and even the first draft of act one written out so far which is pretty good for someone not use to doing anything. Though I have been taking it much easier in the past week because of the mental flatlining if I push myself too hard I simply don't want to get out of bed, and I don't want to feel that way about writing I want to want to write. So I try to get myself into focus with coffee or matcha tea and try to create an atmosphere for writing. I just don't want to give up. I want to get this done. I was thinking about posting my problem in the writers block forum, but it isn't exactly writers block that I have an issue with.

Thanks for reading.

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What do you tend to do when you're not writing? If it's internet or phone stuff, I've gotten a LOT of benefit from picking a writing place where I have no connectivity of any kind. You have to be a bit creative when you don't have money but it can be done. In my case I was allowed to use a tiny room in an empty neighboring apartment (so I was lucky I guess, except I don't have that anymore b/c sadly that house burned down last year) and my husband got my computer to not know how to connect to the wifi there. It's also possible to unplug your wireless router for a few hours or something. (You can always plug it back in but you have to make a conscious decision to do that, not just impulsive...)

Pushing yourself too hard is a tough thing. In my experience true creativity can't be forced by pushing, BUT it has to have space made for it. Immersing myself in my story rather than in random internet stuff during at least part of my free time, shutting myself away from distractions and saying "this is my writing time" and seeing what comes, and--when I work with my hands, like cleaning or gardening--not using my Ipod but allowing my mind to wander, even if I get bored, are the best things I can do for my writing. If my mind wanders long enough it comes to better insights than I could have gotten any other way, and that makes me WANT to write.

Best of luck to you.

PraiseRao said:

Hi everyone, I'm new here and haven't posted much beyond an introduction because there is already a thread for almost everything. What is on my mind? I have been wanting to ask about brain fog from pushing myself too hard mental flatlining and my brain just generally not working. The issue is I have been brewing a book for almost 2 decades I have only recently sat down to try to pull it out of my head. I don't work so I am not use to having a schedule or doing anything in particular at any given time. I got my outline down, the acts separated and even the first draft of act one written out so far which is pretty good for someone not use to doing anything. Though I have been taking it much easier in the past week because of the mental flatlining if I push myself too hard I simply don't want to get out of bed, and I don't want to feel that way about writing I want to want to write. So I try to get myself into focus with coffee or matcha tea and try to create an atmosphere for writing. I just don't want to give up. I want to get this done. I was thinking about posting my problem in the writers block forum, but it isn't exactly writers block that I have an issue with.

Thanks for reading.

Click to expand...

I took six months off recently from everything but blog posts and newsletters because I just didn't care anymore. Spending so much time at my computer, I had created a life for myself that I didn't want to live, but I kept pushing myself anyway. So when the mental hammer came down, it hit hard.

OTOH, rationalization may be the universal human accomplishment, especially when it come to putting off something you don't want to face, like a tricky scene.

You'll have to learn how to balance the two polarities, I'm afraid. I think all solutions are highly personal. One thing that did work for me is that I really need to get outside and sweat on a regular basis. I've now got an outdoor project that's meaningful to me, and I can take my laptop outside, too. I need sunlight on my skin. Just throwing it out there in case it resonates. But something will work, as long as you don't quit looking. : )

Oh my gosh I now have to describe what it's like to be in a crowded marketplace that's suddenly strafed by warplanes. I have no idea how to do that and now I'm watching some authentic WWII footage on Youtube that I'm afraid is going to get seriously scary in a minute. Strapping in...