I can't bring myself to write anymore

EnzoC · Jul 21, 2018

Usually I start a novel, get stuck after about 20,000 words and then give up and move onto a new idea. But now I can't even bring myself to try and start writing anything new. I have a fresh take on an old idea but I keep procrastinating instead of working on it. I guess I kind of feel like it's pointless because I can't finish anything that I start. How do I get over this?

Layla Nahar · Jul 21, 2018

I just want to say I have a terrible problem with getting stuck. I usually get stuck at the beginning - that is, I'll have a setting and a person, but I fail to perceive how to get a story from that. I have written 3 stories that satisfy as stories, so I know my mind can produce a story.

I've been writing about the same character (more or less) since um - February? or March maybe - I want this to be a novel - I have yet to get any take-off. I read a book called 'No Plot, No Problem' -- about Nanowrimo - the author's contention is that if you *keep* writing about the same people - a story will emerge. FWIW. I plan to stick with this character till a story emerges. It's been since March and I'm still trying to figure out the beginning.

Maryn · Jul 21, 2018

Enzo, are you by any chance writing without a detailed master plan? That's pantsing (writing by the seat of your pants), and while some people finish whole books that way, plenty get stuck, write themselves into a corner, or otherwise cannot finish.

If that's you, I strongly urge you to hold off on writing until you've got a master plan that's both complete and detailed. If you know how each scene or chapter stems from the previous one and leads to the next one, what happens in each chapter, who's there and where and when it's set, that's probably enough. A summary might run you ten or fifteen single-spaced pages, or you could outline or use a spreadsheet. Whatever planning method works for you is perfect, right?

Only when your plan is done to you let yourself start. As you write, you'll probably get some ideas that are even better. Stop to do two things: first, copy your existing master plan, then in the copy, make the changes. (This leaves you with every version of the plan you had, so if you decide to go back to a different version, you can.) Then use comments on the part you've already written to note what changes have to be made for the new ideas to be incorporated. (If they're simple, you can make them now, but you don't want to take a lot of time on this. Comments like Make Jane a widow. Give her three kids. go way faster than actually doing that.) Now write from the point where you got your new idea, using it.

Maryn, who needs a plan

EnzoC · Jul 21, 2018

I always plan things out before I start writing. It usually feels pretty detailed to me but then I eventually realize there was a small detail I didn't think about and I get stuck. After a taking a break for a few days to try and figure it out, I end up never finishing the story

blacbird · Jul 21, 2018

EnzoC said:
I always plan things out before I start writing. It usually feels pretty detailed to me but then I eventually realize there was a small detail I didn't think about and I get stuck.

Which can be a common problem with "master plans". If you do plan/outline in detail, you need to remain open to change when new and potentially more productive ideas come along.

Which the bastards always will. Plans need to be flexible.

caw

DanielSTJ · Jul 21, 2018

Flexible plans make flexible plot-lines-- which can help if you get stuck.

Or so methinks.

alkin · Jul 21, 2018

EnzoC said:
I always plan things out before I start writing. It usually feels pretty detailed to me but then I eventually realize there was a small detail I didn't think about and I get stuck. After a taking a break for a few days to try and figure it out, I end up never finishing the story

One word, Brainstorming. Share the problem with friends, even with those uninterested in literature. Many people love reshaping ideas and looking for solutions.
Don't tell them it's about your book. Just throw it as a what if kinda concern.

Metruis · Jul 21, 2018

Layla Nahar said:
I plan to stick with this character till a story emerges. It's been since March and I'm still trying to figure out the beginning.

Then you're not sticking with the character, you're just not starting.

What do they want? How are they going to get there? Where are they now? The thing with the whole Nanowrimo method is that you have to start writing, no matter how crappy it is. If you're not starting, it's not the right thing. Doing Nanowrimo's method doesn't mean "stick with this and NEVER LET IT GO". I have successfully done Nanowrimo since 2005. I have gotten more than 50k every year, usually more than 100k, and multiple finished novels from this. Some of those years, I threw out the first thing I wrote, and wrote something completely different. Yes, a story may have emerged, but if you're miserably holding yourself hostage to an idea that isn't beginning to sprout, stop it.

You have to actually write the novel. Say it with me. You have to actually write your novel. You have to put your fingers on the keys and type something, anything, anything at all, for your novel to begin to happen. It will not happen if for four months you have only thought about a person and a setting and nothing more about what they want and how they plan to get it. Those kinds of questions are where the characters make the story come from. If you love this character and setting, start asking them better questions until you find something you can start from. If not now, when?

SKara · Jul 22, 2018

As blacbird said, plans have to be flexible. In fact, the way I see it, a story is always pretty flexible and open to changes until the author has decided that it's good enough and doesn't need any more revisions.

When I'm writing, I'm basically jotting down best possibilities for plot, putting in suggestions for other directions, writing scenes I already know, etc. - although this is a rather messy approach, you can do the same thing with your outline (make changes as you find necessary) without thinking, "Oh, this is the final version of the outline".

About the "small detail I didn't think about" which leads to getting stuck, know that they'll always keep emerging in a process like this. Don't get stuck. Just move on. Make a little note to yourself, highlight the problem, and move on to the rest of the story. Keep moving on. Once you've written a story, you have a better sense of solving the minor problems within it. There's writing, and then there's revising.

Layla, have you tried figuring out the rest of the story? Sometimes trying too hard to write the beginning can lead to writer's block. Maybe try jotting down two or three major problems the character faces in the rest of the story, and then see how that creates more possibilities for the opening

EnzoC · Jul 22, 2018

When new ideas come to me while I'm writing, I wrote them down in the notes app on my phone. The parts that I get stuck on are usually parts that seem small at first but then I realize it's actually important. For example the last novel that I tried to write was a sci fi story set in the future. The main character needed to accidentally do something that caught the attention of important government officials so that they'd put a bounty on his head. I knew that but I couldn't think of what exactly he did that caught their attention. I tried to skip over it and come back to it later but that's a pivotal aspect of the plot and because I was stuck on it, I couldn't keep writing. Stuff like this happens pretty much every time I try to write a novel. When you say that I need to be more flexible, what exactly do you mean?

SKara · Jul 22, 2018

EnzoC said:
I tried to skip over it and come back to it later but that's a pivotal aspect of the plot and because I was stuck on it, I couldn't keep writing. Stuff like this happens pretty much every time I try to write a novel. When you say that I need to be more flexible, what exactly do you mean?

I'm talking about the bolded part - to go on writing the story even with the missing piece.

So, you don't know what happens to drive the plot in that direction - no big deal - but you do know where the plot is going, yes? If I were you, I'd just write "MC does something that leads government to put a bounty on his head" and move on with the rest of the story (maybe highlight it, so I know I'll have to come back at the end and put that information in; or, if possible, brainstorm a bunch of possibilities and keep them there in their glories mess). How do things progress from there? Every time that missing thread comes up, you highlight it, and pretend everything makes sense.

Even if it's a pivotal scene, the story will still go on. Yes, you probably will need to skip some other related bits too, but it's better than being stuck for months or just giving up on the idea. When you've written the entire story, you will have more information on which to base that missing point of what the MC did exactly to invite the government's wrath. That's what I call flexibility: letting missing pieces be missing until you find out what they are. Sometimes you find out a few pages later and then go back and put them in, sometimes you find them at the end of the story.

Hope this helps

vicky271 · Jul 22, 2018

I mean, the source could be multiple things. Perhaps you're not spending enough time planning your characters; setting a butt down on a chair and filling out a whole bunch of crap about them. I have the same problem as you. Except, I rely too much on inspiration and get bored. Sitting butt down on a chair, finding a long detailed blank profile, and using it to build a character is a really good method to get to know them. People say when talking about their book, "Well, my character did it on their OWN." Reality is, you make/made them. You decide the details. If you don't know what they did to get the governments attention, maybe you haven't spent enough time building them. I mean, it doesn't work for everyone, but i think it could help you.

I can recommend a few resources. Someone legally recorded and posted Brandon Sanders writing lectures online, and they're ten times more helpful than any article you'll find online. There's also THIS really detailed profile. I swear by it.

Another thing to emphasize: Don't rely on inspiration. It's not consistent

owlion · Jul 22, 2018

EnzoC said:
The parts that I get stuck on are usually parts that seem small at first but then I realize it's actually important. For example the last novel that I tried to write was a sci fi story set in the future. The main character needed to accidentally do something that caught the attention of important government officials so that they'd put a bounty on his head. I knew that but I couldn't think of what exactly he did that caught their attention. I tried to skip over it and come back to it later but that's a pivotal aspect of the plot and because I was stuck on it, I couldn't keep writing.

This sounds like it could be a sort of self-pressure freeze, where you feel like you need to get it all down properly in one draft so when you hit a point you're not too sure about, you end up getting stuck. Have you tried writing without much of a plan at all? I found plans always made writing harder for me, but they make it easier for some people too, so it might be that either you need a more detailed plan before you start, less of a plan, or to try and leave those unanswered questions and move on with the rest of the plot.

JayeRaye · Jul 22, 2018

I’m stuck at the query letter I want to send to agents. I know you have to have a thick skin to do this. It’s very overwhelming and I’m feeling sorry for myself. &#55357;&#56877;

Layla Nahar · Jul 22, 2018

Metruis said:
Then you're not sticking with the character, you're just not starting.

What do they want? (I think that's something one figures out by writing the story) How are they going to get there? (that's what you write the story to find out, right?) Where are they now? (actually - I'm having some trouble with that - it keeps changing) The thing with the whole Nanowrimo method is that you have to start writing, no matter how crappy it is.
You have to actually write the novel. Say it with me. You have to actually write your novel. You have to put your fingers on the keys and type something, anything, anything at all, for your novel to begin to happen.

Sorry - I didn't make it clear - I write by hand, about a half a page six days a week.

I've been writing out the events and surroundings of the MC in story form since March, I'd say, and I write out a really intriguing beginning of a beginning - and when it comes time to find the 'what now?' that makes the the take-off, so to speak, I fail to find anything. I have a hard time explaining it but I have the idea that the road I've laid out has come to an end.

I've written from different character's points of view, I've written from the MC's, as omnipotent - I've been writing the beginning of this story - this way - aaaaand I get stuck - so I try to write it that way aaaaand I get stuck...

Layla Nahar · Jul 22, 2018

SKara said:
Layla, have you tried figuring out the rest of the story? Sometimes trying too hard to write the beginning can lead to writer's block. Maybe try jotting down two or three major problems the character faces in the rest of the story, and then see how that creates more possibilities for the opening

I actually have an idea like that - but sometimes I think that this target is part of what's making it difficult for me.

SKara · Jul 23, 2018

Layla Nahar said:
I actually have an idea like that - but sometimes I think that this target is part of what's making it difficult for me.

I see that you're trying very hard to figure out the story. Sometimes, this can lead to writer's block. In your position, I'd just let the story rest for a while, and not actively think about it. Maybe work on another project?

Or if you still think you want to write it, a good question to ask is: What attracted you to the MC's story in the first place? Was it a specific situation? A scene with another character? A unique concept? I often find that returning to the original reason why you started the story can help in finding out the main focus/direction of the plot.

Treehouseman · Jul 23, 2018

Layla Nahar said:
Sorry - I didn't make it clear - I write by hand, about a half a page six days a week.

...

Ok, from my experience you might be suffering 2 issues here:

The per-day word count is so small (well under 300 I would say) that you’ll get caught up In macroscopic confusion - like poets, word placement takes on more import than it should do in a long form novel and you’ll get tied up in knots about minute, inconsequential things.

Handwriting has its own challenges - not being able to go back and cleanly edit in a plot point or foreshadow will grind a story to a halt unless you are very certain where your revision is going or your story is going. A lot of handwriter writers also did short stories, so they had experience with narrative, which may be your sticking point.

These are things that could be addressed with planning and a change of tool, just to see if it breaks the deadlock.

Layla Nahar · Jul 25, 2018

Treehouseman said:
The per-day word count is so small (well under 300 I would say) that you’ll get caught up In macroscopic confusion - like poets, word placement takes on more import than it should do in a long form novel and you’ll get tied up in knots about minute, inconsequential things.

I don't fuss over word choice much at all. It's just that only that much of the story occurs to me in a session. Sometimes I have days where I'll write a page - sometimes just ~1/4 page. I never have trouble remembering where the story has been, so to speak. Sometimes in the beginning I might forget the name of a character if it's been a while since I've written about them.

For 'planning' -- I have the same trouble figuring out what happens whether I write the story or whether I try to determine the events separately from writing the story.

SKara said:
I see that you're trying very hard to figure out the story. Sometimes, this can lead to writer's block. In your position, I'd just let the story rest for a while, and not actively think about it. Maybe work on another project? Oddly, I had just recently explicitly resigned to work only on this story till I finish it. My unfinished ratio isn't very good - maybe on the order of 3:30 finished:unfinished.

Or if you still think you want to write it, a good question to ask is: What attracted you to the MC's story in the first place? <-- This, I think, was what I needed to hear. The character popped into my head in a mid-story situation. Instead of writing that I tried write a beginning that would lead to that mid-story... Was it a specific situation? A scene with another character? A unique concept? I often find that returning to the original reason why you started the story can help in finding out the main focus/direction of the plot.

randi.lee · Jul 30, 2018

Enzo,

Perhaps you need to remember the win of finishing something? Put the massive stories aside and write something short and simple: start to finish. Find or think of a fun little prompt and put 2-3k words together about it. Never completing anything can make writing feel rather pointless. It does for me, anyway. I feel like finishing even a short story will help invigorate you and pull you from your slump. Best of luck!

phoenix00a · Aug 3, 2018

This is my honest perspective. Writing is an act of creative release that can be compared to having sex. Hold on and bear with me!

What you are describing sounds like what happens when a person is having sex but doesn't let themself have an orgasm. Continually stopping short of full release will eventually build up a bad habit that will block your ability to even feel energized by the act.

Your creative energies eventually get stunted.

And there's hope! You can reverse it. Here's how...

My advice: Write 100 word stories. Write to completion. Then move to 300 word stories. Complete every story. You need to reset your expectations and let yourself feel a full creative release. Even small ones will help you. You'll be ok. Nothing is wrong with you!

Hope this perspective helps.

Nathan Vargas
[email protected]

BonafideDreamer · Aug 3, 2018

Take a break if you need to. When I get into a slump, I do things that make me happy. I watch Game of Thrones Reaction videos.

Then I find peace. I listen to the Titanic soundtrack because it soothes me and clears my mind.

Time for motivation. I read multiple success stories of other self-published authors. I read their advice. I read threads where other authors share their book launches. All of these things motivate me and propel me to write.

It's a process, but by the end of it I'm ready to write and I don't feel burned out.

DanielSTJ · Aug 8, 2018

chompers said:
You need to learn how to finish a project. This is what separates the authors from the non-authors--persistence. The majority of people never get to the publishing stage because they never finish the book.

If you are getting stuck, don't just move on to another story. You will ALWAYS come up against a hurdle that will need more thought before forging on. I won't say never, because never say never, but I'll go so far as to say 99.999% of the times you will not write a book straight through without a problem that halts the writing. Whether it's temporary or permanent is up to you.

Coming up against a wall is usually indicative that something is wrong with the story. Figure out what is wrong, then tackle it.

THIS.

+1

RolandWrites · Aug 9, 2018

When I come to a point in the story with a detail I forgot to plan for or didn't plan for enough but I know what happens after, I usually pause and think, "What do I need to happen and what can go here that will make that happen the best way?"

So, for example, if I were writing your plot and needed a bounty, I would ask myself how high of a bounty I needed and what would make that bounty happen. Does he need a huge one? All right, shoot this guard right in the face and run (I write dark sci-fi when I write the genre, think Altered Carbon). Does he need a small one? Maybe he trips an alarm and steals something and gets the guards after him. That's how I would go down a train of thought, make a list of possibilities based on how high I need that bounty and the possibilities to get me there and what I like for my story.

If I hit a patch of writer's block where I'm just generally stuck, I usually switch projects for a little while and write something else, sometimes in a different genre, to get my creative juices flowing with something else exciting.

rosegold · Aug 11, 2018

Sometimes I like writing completely random scenes with the same characters. They're scenes that I know will never make my book, but sometimes it's just such a relief, writing something new, and I don't feel as guilty because it's related to the same project. I also find that it helps me get to know the characters better.

I can't bring myself to write anymore

EnzoC

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

Maryn

At Sea

EnzoC

blacbird

DanielSTJ

The Wandering Bard

alkin

Metruis

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

SKara

EnzoC

SKara

vicky271

owlion

Absorbing inspiration from the moon

JayeRaye

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

SKara

Treehouseman

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

randi.lee

Certified Non-Genius

phoenix00a

Inventor, MTheory World Puzzle

BonafideDreamer

DanielSTJ

The Wandering Bard

RolandWrites

SFF Author, Neurodiverse

rosegold