I find there are a lot of books out there that really aren't that good and I think I can do better than that. I enjoy trying. I write for me.
I am motivated because over the years I have been deeply moved by several books and films and if I can move people in the same way with my own artwork it will make me happy.
I don't know what to do I have lost interest in writing. I love to come up with ideas but to not like writing them down. I dread it. In the past to get in the mood I would turn off the lights and write by candlelight while listening to creepy music but I can't do that any more. And it does not help that I have dyslexia and depression it's so hard to fight though it
Hmmmm? Wondering if there ever was a prolonged period in your life when you loved to write and had little trouble with motivation? If not, and particularly if you are dyslexic, and you don't "have to" write, why write? Maybe there is another medium of artistic expression that better suits you. If there was a time that you once enjoyed writing and now find it tedious perhaps this is a (treatable?) manifestation of the depression you noted. In my view life is too short to attempt to force ourselves to do something that we do not enjoy (which is why I do not attend the opera).
I battle things in order to write. Don't have the best attention span, life throws its darts, depression, schedules - but no matter the bumps I ride them out. If you really don't like it anymore, I agree with DueNorth, why not try something else? Writing is terribly hard and not for everyone. I used to be pretty good at art - unfortunately I stopped doing it when I started writing so my 'talent' was stunted but I just didn't want to divide my time anymore. Or maybe your ideas are too big and they're frustrating you. I know there's nothing more intimidating than starting a novel knowing you got hundreds of pages to go - scenes and characters to juggle and a plot to keep track of. Maybe try some flash fiction.
I had the same issue about a month ago, and am now slowly recovering from it, thanks to the great advise some co-writers here gave me. It feels terrible, I know your pain. Just the fact that you did decide to post here shows that you do seem to care enough about writing though. With me, the problem was that I got too over-analytic in my thinking. I thought about my writing all the day, 24/7, wanting to make the most out of every second of my time available, and it backfired, badly. A sense of dread arose in me everytime I was about to go and write my ideas down on paper. The blank page, numerous plot twists and turns yet to be thought of, the not knowing where to begin, all of these are factors one needs to overcome, but it should never weigh so heavy that it demotivates. It did with me. Remember; writing can be a big part of your life, but life consists of other things as well. If you like writing as a hobby, don't try to be too hard on yourself. Don't force it. In your case, might I suggest opening up a blank page and write about anything that comes to mind? It doesn't even have to be something you already thought of. I will post this link here. It's the thread I posted here a while back when I was seriously demotivated and disconnected from my writing. Every now and then I still look up some of the great advise I got then, and I now have it added as a bookmark to come to my rescue every time I get that same feeling again. The biggest tip I got was simple: Let it all go for a while. Stop writing. Stop thinking about writing. Clear up your mind. In my case it took about a week or 3, for you it might be 1, or a whole year. Whatever the case, I found that it did help, and the interest slowly came back again, up to the point where I can now breathe again and actually sit down and write. Don't forget that making up whole stories, worlds, characters etc. in your mind may seem easy to you, but it is tiring, and being mentally tired can be even more so than being physically tired. This was the case with me. I thought so frantically that it tired me out, up to the point where I was thinking I was losing this thing that is precious to me. Here's the link. Hope it helps you the same as it did for me. https://www.writingforums.org/threads/my-enthusiasm-is-fading-and-its-a-terrible-feeling.141893/
Since you like to come up with ideas but hate to write about them, you can hire a ghostwriter. Or even more fun, you can collaborate where you come up with the ideas, characters and plots but someone else, maybe a friend or someone you're willing to work with can do the writing. That's if you don't want to do any writing. If you still want to write but don't want to be too pressured on it, I suggested that you don't stress yourself too much. You can take it slow and steady. Such as writing for only one hour per day or even half an hour. It might sound like it'll take some time, but your book doesn't necessarily have to be 500 pages long. Some readers prefer books that are concise but impactful. Meaning that if you can get your message across in even 20 pages then that's no problem. Also make sure to get help from your friends and family. Try to find a way to make it easier for yourself and don't stress yourself too much
I'm with @DueNorth - if you've lost interest in writing, do something else. Is there a reason you want to keep writing?
A bit harsh, really. I assumed that since OP posted this on a writing forum, he was going for feedback on how to rekindle his interest. He obviously doesn't like it that he lost interest, otherwise he would not even have bothered posting. Of course, other creative paths might be better suited to him/her. Might work better. Maybe after some time the interest in writing may even return. Then again, both comics and games need some sort of story, which needs to be written. Put down at least. Scripts, dialogues, plots, quests.
...at the mere thought of writing after not having written for as little as a week? I notice that if I don't put down at least a hundred words every day, I then have to almost step over myself to get back into it...
Not terror, necessarily, but overcoming that inertia of "not writing" is definitely a legitimate task. When I have my full momentum going I can usually crank out a thousand words a day without too much trouble. But it's real easy to keep writing when you're in the habit of it. Momentum dies and inertia builds, and it's real tough to fight it. Unfortunately there's no easy fix. You just gotta sit down, get out the pen (or laptop), and start again. I'll occasionally put it off for some reason or another, but eventually I end up getting there. I'm at that stage right now, in fact...lots of inertia to overcome, and very slowly starting to do it.
I don't feel terror but I do struggle to get back into it if I skip even a couple of days. I try to stick to a habit of writing for at least half an hour a day (word counts don't work for me as I just end up throwing rubbish at the page to make up the count), and as long as I write every day everything is fine. I usually end up working far longer than my minimum 30 minutes but I have found that if I skip a day the next time I sit down it is harder to get going and each day makes it worse. For me, getting into the chair is often harder than putting words on a page for some reason.
I doubt that's uncommon. Doing the thing is rarely as difficult/bad/scary/insert adjective here as building up to doing the thing.
I've gone through this a couple of times already, so knowing exactly how it will unfold makes getting back into writing easier. Still, it is a very unpleasant feeling. It is much easier to keep putting down at least a hundred words per day at least to remember how much I like writing.
So, these last few days I've lost my motivation and just need to get back on the horse and make writing exciting again. Any advice?
Be on the lookout for new ideas! You write your best when you're inspired. Even so, the more you procrastinate, the quicker you lose any semblance of motivation. If ideas don't come easily to you, you might have to bring yourself to write something--anything--to get the momentum going until you come across a great idea. Talking about your ideas with others might also get you more excited. I find that works with me!
When my motivation is down I usually remember how much of my life has been wasted on drinking and my soul crunching job and how I don't want to waste anymore life not pursuing something better and more fulfilling.
Brockoway has some great ideas: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-writing-exercises-that-will-make-you-more-creative/
My motivation is although I think of everyone here as fellow writers, in many ways you are my enemy, my competition, we, Sam frost, are at war. There is only one opening at such and such publishers, and I am going to beat you to it! Good luck!
Got discouraged with my WIP @2000, stopped working at it, talked a bit about it off and on, but did nothing. Picked it up again in 2013, found it really was a good story worth finishing, now 250K words, it's too long but it's done. Keep writing, don't fall into the 13 year gap, it's much better than you think it is right now
I think the 'apply butt to chair' method works best in your situation, but it's HARD TO make oneself overcome the resistance to doing it, to Just Sitting There. I'd say change the goal. Make it NOT be about word count or any other thing, make it just one goal, a very simple goal, that you will Sit There For One Hour And Not Stand Up For Any Reason Period. Keep in mind: If nothing happens, so be it. If nothing happens, that's not a bad thing If nothing happens, the time was not wasted Try free-writing, just typing silly stuff I had a similar sensation a week ago when I made this thread: https://www.writingforums.org/threads/do-you-keep-typing-when-you-arent-feeling-anything.143327/
Try thinking about the next scene you want to write, perhaps you are in a writers block in which case think about changing the direction of you book. Maybe it doesn't feel right because it isn't right.
