I work best under deadlines. Especially a deadline for something completely unrelated. That way, my writing is goofing off. I write best when I'm doing it instead of something more important.
1) My attention span is two sentences. After that, I'm either lucky and just keep writing, or I have to get up and pace around my room just to formulate the next two damn sentences. 2) I get out of my "writing mood" at almost any little thing. I hate writing when there are people I know around or if I'm someplace loud (simply because I'm an awfully "overprotective mother" to my characters), so if I even hear my sister walk past my room, my hide-the-notebook-and-act-innocent instinct kicks in. 3) I like for everything to be done in chronological order, or at least methodically. Therefore, I can't move on once I get stuck on something tiny.
That's basically the same problem I have. When I hit a brick wall, I write "Ignore style!" or "First drafts always suck!" at the top of the page or in the margin. Then, I just write whatever comes to mind with the expectation that it will be terrible. Even if you're ashamed over what it starts out as, you know in your head that the "unpolished" words are standing for something better. Once you get something down on paper- even just a short chapter- you can go back and fix it to your liking. Trust me, it's a heck of a lot easier to fix something hideous than something that's not even on the page yet.
>I have to write things in chronological order, like Amarantha. >Sometimes when I'm thinking of the proper word or something, my mind will wander and I'll go accomplish something else. Probably on the internet. >I have to listen to music when I write, but I can't listen to anything with lyrics because either I will start singing them and won't concentrate on the story, or I'll start writing words in my story that go along with the song. >I can't write with anything else going on around me, which proves difficult when my brother pulls out Guitar Hero right behind me...
I'm sat here with my chapter 8 open, and Grid on the ps3 to my right. I swear that big black brick keeps fluttering it's accursedly alluring eyelashes at me.
- Photography keeps me way too busy...but it pays the bills - Screaming baby keeps me up half the night - Husband demands attention - I'm trying to graduate in December Basically all that boils down to lack of time. But I love all of those things (especially the baby and the hubby), so they get to go above writing. I hope that life will slow down later so I can write whenever I want, but I have a feeling that's not going to be until I retire!
I have too many half baked ideas clogging up my head. Once I get something together enough to start a story another idea pops into my head. I can usually make it through a short story before my mind starts to wander but sometimes I can't even get more than a couple of pages out. I can't stand handwriting a story anymore. Before I got a computer, man I'm getting old, I wrote everything by hand but now I love the keyboard. I can type much faster than I can scribble and I don't leave words out this way.
After I had shrapnel taken out of my left hand and had to go through six months of therapy I had trouble typing using just one hand. Other than that I can't think of anything that has ever slowed me down.
Ouch! Shrapnal to the hand. That's gotta hurt. I mean shrapnal anywhere's gona hurt but the hand. man my hand hurts thinking about it.
I never know how to begin my story. Most of the beginnings I have don't lead to the kind of stories I originally had in mind.
Try starting in the middle. I've found it's a lot easier to write the scenes that I'm excited about writing and then go back and fill stuff in.
Problems I have - I get discouraged too easily - When I don't like my start, I'll completely begin again, even if I'm millions of pages in - I have other things I want/need to do - I take a long time to think things out until I get distracted with something else - I daydream too much
The shrapnel in the back of the hand was painful, but that was just the beginning. A physical therapist picked up where a surgeon left off and his techniques hurt like the devil but they worked and today I have about 90 percent use of a hand that a couple of doctors said needed to be amputated. There are still bits of shrapnel buried in there, along with some hardware installed to hold the bones together while they knitted. I can set off an airport metal detector just by waving my hand through it. That's always good for a couple of minutes of interesting conversation with airport security guards. ugu - I don't know if this will help, but I suggest you start with non-fiction. Go to a city council or civic club meeting and write a report about it. You won't have much choice about subject matter. Find something around town every day to write about. This will get you writing and keep you writing, and soon you will find that writing has become an enjoyable habit.
Remington manual? Those thing would be tough to use with good hands! LOL! As far as things that keep me from writing: 1. Wife...won't shut up. I feign interest to preserve my marriage (until she passes out from lack of oxygen.) 2. Lawn...won't stop growing. Tried to let it die, but my wife turned the automatic sprinkler back "on". 3. Greed...investments won't stop shrinking in the current stock market! Motivates me to keep working instead of writing full time. Sure wish I could make good money at writing! LOL! .....NaCl
english is not my mother tongue, and I usually have problems like on/in and sometimes I use spanish's word order.
1. I always have to find the right words when I'm writing, I can't just write whatever comes to mind and then edit it later if necessary. Because of this I might get stuck on a sentence halfway through a story, and then never end up finishing it. 2. I get distracted easily. 3. I need to be in a fairly happy mood, as I usually write comedy.
Sometimes I think my writing is too rubbish for anyone to seriously want to read and those thoughts can be hard to shake off Having Crohns, I get fatigued fairly easily so I don't feel like slaving away over my laptop Think those are the only things that make writing difficult for me
My biggest issue is my attention span. I also sometimes have problems writing action scenes. Like I have the image of the scene in my head but i can't find the right words to describe it to the reader.
I get distracted and I have troubles writing long pieces So I've started teaching myself to write shorter and shorter And it seems like it's working.
First, my attention span. A bird outside the window can distract me. Second, words. If i can't find the right word I will probably get frustrated and leave the computer angrily. And last. sleep. if my character is asleep, i really don't know how to go on from there. (If you have any idea/tricks to help with this sort of thing, PM me.)
I am very focused, so that's never a problem for me. I think I'm just really frustrated with my story. I've come up with three versions of it, re-writing the third one three times after seven pages because I don't know where to go or I don't like where It's going. And I'd love to take a break from it and write a different story for right now, but I can't think of a story to write. I get so frustrated! =/
I have two younger siblings who like me to win their video games for them, I automatically hate anything that I write, I can't find the off button on my **** inner editor. I swim a lot, which makes me tired, which makes me disinclined to write. EDIT: I also seem to share attention span problems... I just looked out the window and was distracted, counting the rabbits in the yard... (I think Watership Down is taking place out there...)
-I never have much time -I don't feel comfortable writing at home -Not always inspired, especially when I'm having trouble in life
