• Read this: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?288931-Guidelines-for-Participation-in-Outwitting-Writer-s-Block

    before you post.

I haven't been able to write since I got a publishing deal

muse

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Congratulations on the wordage!:hooray:

Here's hoping you've broken through your block.
 
SciSarahTops

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LadyRedRover said:
Something that's helped is that I've been reading inspirational essays about the creative process before I write. NaNoWriMo pep talks, Anne Lamott books, quotes on Pinterest...anything to put me in a positive frame of mind. I've found that it's hard to hold a positive thought ('Creativity is necessary for my well-being') and a negative thought ('Editors are going to hate my work, I'm a fraud') at the same time.

Other things I've done have been storytelling games like Dungeons & Dragons, story analyses, free-writing, and writing the silliest story I could think of (a ghost gets a physical and realizes that she's turning into a human again, which is very distressing because she has tea scheduled with her friends next week). For now, writing means focusing on the fun and the interesting parts and doing everything I can to disengage my idea of writing from the idea of publishing, even to the point of not writing down my word counts or making story decisions with a 20-sided dice.
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Lady, this is lovely and really helpful advice. I wonder if there is already a thread of things that have helped people with block and staying motivated? I found listening to a couple of episodes of Ann Kroeker's podcast got me out of a funk. I slip back way too easily, I'm a slow writer that needs to go through the last day's work to progress which doesn't help.

Earthling said:
TI made myself write until I'd done three chapters, left it a few days, then read them over. The words came so hard that I was expecting terrible things, but I actually really enjoyed the chapters (still found plenty to red-pen, but that's fine). I gave them another polish and felt they were good enough to send to my agent.

And today I wrote a SYNOPSIS without vomiting blood! WIN.

One thing I've realised through this block is that I'm very motivated by feedback. If I can squeeze out a few paragraphs and get instant feedback from my CPs, good or bad, I find it much easier to carry on. Ultimately what I want isn't fame or fortune but for people to read my books and feel something, and for that to happen I need to write the damn things. Focusing on that goal has been helpful, too.

(P.S. Cthulhu, if you're listening, I will totally accept fame and fortune as well. Thanks.)
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This is awesome, sounds like you're doing really well. I think I am the same with feedback, maybe a throwback from being told I was a "clever" child? I also feel the same that I just want someone, somewhere to love, dare I say even get obsessed with something I've written in the same way that I do with my fav authors.


VRanger said:
In wargames, we call your condition "Analysis Paralysis".

I get you perfectly. I refused to write for a long time because I was terrified I couldn't live up to my favorite authors. When I finally started, I finally realized that I lived up to me. I like what I write. If I like what I write and I like what authors that I favor write, I could be doing ok. LOL

And you are, too.
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This resonates so strongly.

Thanks everyone for your advice on this thread. Never been published, probably never will be but I'm still feeling the love. If there's not already an inspirations resources thread let's start one?
 
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