The Writers Block Thread

Personally, I find it very easy to beat inertia and write when I'm excited about my story. In fact, I get really upset if something physically stops me from writing. I don't want visitors. I don't want to go places. I don't want to play on the internet. I just want to write.

Working full time didn't actually bother that process, because it was a routine. I knew that if I got up early I could write for a few hours before going to work every day ...and I did. On days off I could write even longer. And I did. I thought retirement would be nirvana. It's not quite turned out that way.

I find it bloody hard now, because I'm not getting the thinking time I need to conjure up the story. Writing isn't just sitting and writing. Writing is also thinking and imagining—and that's what's being interfered with. If I get constantly interrupted when I'm immersed in my story or have large problems to solve outside of my writing life, I find it very difficult to get back into 'thinking up story' mode.

I used to lie awake at night and early in the morning, thinking about my story, thinking about what I was going to write that day. Now I lie awake and worry about stuff I need to do, stuff that's piling up that nobody else is going to do, thinking my way through practical problems, the house is falling apart and I need to arrange for things like electricians and roofers, most of my close friends are going through really bad patches just now and need attention, my husband isn't well, finances, Brexit, Trump, you name it. It has been a long time since I actually thought about my story instead. My story is pretty complete, edited and ready to go, except for one or two little niggly scenes I need to change, so the ending and motivations are clearer. And they require re-envisioning. The problem isn't the writing or word tinkering, I need to change what actually happens in the story near the end. I haven't yet got insight into how to work that change.

I need a Eureka Moment to solve this problem, and I don't think I can force that to happen. It'll come when it comes. (Like my other Eureka moments do.)

I have tried battering through this by simply sitting and writing, but I end up just writing shite that gets thrown away because there is no heart in it and I still haven't found the solution I need. I suspect I need some uninterruped peace and some time to myself that I can count on. I have faith that I can solve story problems, and I don't go to others for brainstorming, etc. I just need to be able to relax back into story mode again and get back into the routine of thinking about my story every day, like I used to. Fingers crossed. Soon.

 

I find the original writing was easy whether it is any good or not . I hit 50k words in 3 weeks for the first book and under 4 weeks for the second book. Right now I have my second book just short of a complete draft. I have rewritten the first chapter where I am ready to post it here for a review. I have 73k words for that book. The process of editing the story and changing the words I know need to be changed is the problem. Each time I go to edit, I end up reading the whole book again. This takes the rest of my editing time. If no one else likes it, at least I know I like it and am emotionally involved with the characters.
My work is not ready yet to publish so no money. Working and family responsibilities takes me away from writing. Cats don't understand you have to work. When they want attention, they want attention. I have not figured out a time or space to just write while managing everything else. Some day I will.

 

There are several connection to inertia and momentum in your texts.

Attention, creative thinkink, just getting writing done, social life, pets & family, daily routines, different time spans, motivation, getting ideas, the pace of the story...

And it seems like recognising the link between some thing and it's effects to the working process helps some amount even if you don't chance anything else.

 

The idea of inertia/writer's block is so universal. Most people who want to write encounter it at one time or another. I don't actually think it's laziness, although it can look like that. But folks call it 'Writer's Block' and that's what it feels like. It does, indeed, feel like something is blocking my brain. For me, it's not the same thing as procrastinating. I'm good at making myself stop procrastinating, and once I get into work, however much I wasn't looking forward to the job, I move in, stick with it, and get it done. But that's work. Fiction writing is creative, and creativity is something I find I can't force. In fact the more I try to force it, the further away it goes. I do actually write reams every day about other things—here on the forum with critiques and comments and posts—and emails and etc. I just can't seem to find that click that means I've solved my story issue. It's frustrating to have this happen so near the end of my novel's pre-publication life.

 

An analogy about momentum and inertia.

 

I can relate to jannert I think time spent thinking is super important.

I can’t relate to the extremes of momentum or inertia. I have never experienced writers block or “flow”.

I write every day. I like to write. I don’t like to piss around on the internet or play video games or watch shows. When I do write I feel like I’m beating my head against a wall. This only works because I’m stubborn. I spend a lot of time thinking.

I have never gotten in the flow, I mistrust the idea. I think if you have bad habits (like me) and you get in the zone your just spitting out crap. Nothing magical about getting in the zone. Unless you’ve spent the time developing good habits.

I have never had writers block. I have been able to solve every problem I’ve encountered. How? Just beating my head against the wall, just thinking and thinking and being patient with myself and trusting myself. Some times I need to take a break and read inspirational literature.

 

To me flow is something that happens at least once per day*. In thinking, in writing, in...

Many autistic persons experience it very common, easy in good circumstances and enjoyable.

I suppose it is not so common among neurotypicals.


* Not every day, but more than 30 times per month.

 

Don't be afraid to write something bad. It can be edited. It can be thrown away. Press on!

 

Well.... If she's dead she may be excused. Otherwise, my advice stands.

 

One possibility that can be wrong, but I say it anyway...

If you can write, but you loose that ability after other people start to "motivate" you, it is possible that you loose it because you are protecting yourself against bigger damage*.

If writing is your language, your skill, your way to breath, your way to exist as someone, who thinks and feels... Then it is possible that it goes ok when nobody motivates or "helps" you.

When someone starts to motivate or "help" you, they step to your territory, your personal space. And it stops to be yours because there are others. So you stop.

If there is anything like that, then you need 3 things.

1. Get them hell out of your territory - and make them understand that they must stay away.

2. Claim your territory back to you. Clean it. Piss your territorial marks there. Howl a bit. Make yourself feel that it is yours. (Thinking is not enough. You must feel it in your guts and genitals.)

3. Write your thing. Don't go the road of expectations or you might loose your territory again. Your thing, your words, your topics, your timetables...

After these 3 phases you might have gotten your breathing hole back.


*If it like that, then stopping is your subconscious telling you that you are in danger to loose something much more important than that project. You might be in danger to loose writing. And in that kind of situation your inner self is ready to sacrifice the project to save your breathing hole. Risk of loosing writing as a personal and intime way to exist is the bigger damage.

 

I hear a lot of talk about first drafts. I ask myself, Why? As a short story writer, I don't feel much need for first drafts. I try to get it right the first time. A first draft, to me, implies a second ad a third. My practice is the first draft is THE draft.

Now, re-writing/editing is something else entirely.

 

Re-writing/editing is what produces the second, third, etc. drafts.

So I'm not clear what you mean here.

 

I guess it is kind of confusing. Perhaps this confusion rests with the language. To me, drafts are not the same as re-writng/editing. Neither is re-writing the same as editing. I think differently now than I did starting out.

I will spend time trying to get a word to fit what I want to say. I don't, as a rule, outline. By re-writing, I mean writing the story over, essentially from scratch. The editing I do is as I go. It is how I write. It is satisfying to me. To write any other way, it would be work, not an enjoyment.

 

I would call that a second draft. It's probably not the most common way of producing a second draft, but I'd still call it that. Not that you have to call it that.

 

Maybe make a line graphic or put your ideas in to circles and draw lines between them, connecting them. or just write and to hell with making sense.

Spoiler: Potential Spoilers

 

Hey everyone! I've been writing for about 10 years, but the past 5 I've been slacking. Recently, I've noticed that even though I'm full of ideas and crafting a character, plot or story is as easy as breathing (don't ask about the quality, that I cannot guarantee), I can't bring myself to get started. I can barely open a doc before I stare at the cursor blink a couple of times and close it up. The best I've done is outline an idea, summarizing it, name the file and dump it somewhere in the computer.

I really want to get back to writing! Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Maybe abandon the outlining? Some writers, me included, struggle to write if we know how it's going to end. Maybe you have, without wanting to, become one of those writers?

I got myself to write regularly with what I referred to as the Highly Flavored principle. I babble about it here:

https://www.writingforums.org/threads/chickenfreaks-progress-journal.133607/page-3#post-1565059

 

You are not really far from the truth. That IS one of the issues I struggle with, but things have went even more downhill these days. I used to tackle that issue by just writing whatever popped on my head and going with the flow. Just for practice at least. But at this point, I can't even do that.

It feels as if I need a motivation, a drive to simply get myself to start writing, which I feel like I'm lacking. I believe that once I've found that, how to start, the rest will flow.

 

This is a tough one. have you taken a little time off and just tried reading for a while? if you are trying to write everyday, you are not really stepping away from it, even if you re just sitting down to think about it. Take a week, and enjoy a few books. Enjoying them might make you miss your own writing.

 

Try to write just a single line. Don't try to write a whole scene, just write a line.
I find that is one of the easiest ways to write a scene. Once you get started it's a lot easier to keep going. And it's a lot easier to get started if you just focus on the first step rather than the more intimidating bigger picture. Don't think too hard about the line either. You can come back to that. The important thing is too get yourself going.

If you are struggling even with that, try writing a different bit, even if it's well ahead of were you are up to, even if you aren't entirely sure whether to include it. It may help get you in the writing mood, or help you figure out how you want to write the scene you are up to. Even if not, you've still written something you can use.

 

Sounds like a motivation problem. And as we all know, motivation is tied to dopamine. So the fastest way to get motivation back is to spike your dopamine. Probably the easiest and fastest way to do this is with meth. I do not recommend this. Instead, try listening to music, limiting stress, getting plenty of fresh air, exercise, and sleep, as well as increase your protein intake and avoiding saturated fats and overly processed foods. Good luck.

 

Try to find "why" by reading about things that lead to procrastination, blocks....

Start with Carol S. Dweck's book Mindset. After that get something else and then third...

The information about "how" is often in the same packet with the information about "why". It's only partly there but you get the direction to seek more.

"I lack motivation to something I want/love/need..." means very often that there is something that bind and blinds you. It can be one thing, two, three.... And very often it is something is between several things - more a relation between X and Y that X or Y.

Ask yourself:

Who is this I?
What kind of myself?

What is the structure of selfimage?
Does it adapt or not?
Who gave it a form and direction?
What kind of validation does it want?
What kind of validation - if any - does it need?
Is there a gap between want and need?
Does your selfimage need more room to grow and develop?

Don't tell these me. Ask yourself and try to be honest.

 

Perhaps think very clearly and specifically about how/where you want to start a story (or a scene out of chronological order, if you prefer.) Get that initial scene firmly in your mind. Avoid thinking ahead too much. Instead, stick with that scene only.

How does the scene open? Where are the characters? What are they doing? Don't worry about getting it right or getting it perfect. Don't worry about explaining anything or doing backstory. Just get that scene out of your head and onscreen.

Once you start, I think you'll be able to keep going.