You can get rid of that writer's block by changing your focus a while. May be write down your feeling when looking a picture. As I do in my blog. Take a break for a moment is a good idea to relief our stress.
When I wrote this message I was speaking specifically about this piece of work: http://www.authspot.com/Journals/I-Didnt-Know.474261 I was a little ashamed of it when I finished, but I was also speaking of the dark edge to almost all of my work since this had happened in my life.
Hiya, I'm new to the site, but what you're talking about is really familiar to me. I'm 35, and have been dealing with depression now for nearly 20 years. At various times I've used writing as an escape from reality - somewhere I can go hide. At others, it's been excellent material for characters or actions. Other times I can't write at all. I just don't see the point. I can't remember where I read it, but some famous writer said, "Write what you know." Some people don't know what its like to experience depression, and how difficult it makes everything. You do. Think of how much more additional depth that can give you as a writer! In the past I have written short one-off stories based around someone in similar circumstances to mine and what they did that turned their life around. It sounds kinda lame, but it worked for me. It's never for anyone else to read, but it kinda helped me get writing again. JJ
Sorry, had to say this, Acgie and Lemex are agreeing with Rumpole40k. To writesalot, one of the best things about being a writer is the ability to sway people with your words. So, going with misery wants company, use your mood and create a sense of empathy and/or sympathy from the reader. Another great thing about being a writer, you don't have to share every one of your words. If you don't like something and don't ant to fix it, then don't show it to anyone You get your free therapy without criticism
It's harder to write when I'm not feeling up to scratch, but I try. I don't think I let too much of my every-day emotion seep into writing, but I do think I let passion slip in more and more when I'm clear of mind. That's probably a given.
I think that this is common with all writers, Dr. Doctor. I was just thinking the other day that no matter what genre that I write, there will always be that irremovable sense of me at the core of every one. I will always try my best to write loveable/hateable characters, there will always be some level of violence/darkness/horror and I'm okay with that, and there will always be an odd sense of friendship because that is just how I write. I thinkt that if you are trying to remove yourself from you own writings, then chances are that you are doing more harm than help.
If I'm in a black mood, that is when the more powerful scenes are written. That is, if I write anything at all - it's difficult when I want to put an axe through the computer (and everything else non-living)
This may have already been mentioned, but.... When I find that my mood doesn't match the item I am writing on, I write something else, or skip to a portion of the story where this mood will be put to good use.
To echo what a few others have said... I typically write the best when I'm a bit depressed. Laughably, my angst filled teenage years saw the best fluidity to my writing. Words just tumbled out naturally back then. Now its actually harder for me to write because I'm more stable and happy. Perhaps I should write comedies. Anyways, good luck. Use your mood to your advantage.
Depression is awesome for writing. Stories without any sadness motivation in them tend to be boring.. at least for me. I think that's even how I got over my depression: objectified the depression into this thing I could write and make fun of, sort of detaching from myself to write about myself.
I often use the worlds I create as an escape from my depression. If I'm blue, I daydream for a few minutes about the world in my story, and then write a few sentences to furhter submerge myself in it. By that point, I'm so into it that I forget, as long as I don't stop writing, about my foul mood. If that doesn't work, because I know all too well that sometimes it's just too hard to do that, get out of the house for a bit to kick the depression. Or... provided you're not prone to alcoholism... do what I do and have a relaxing glass of wine. Always helps.
random tidbit, if this is meaningful to anyone. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes said don't just write what you know, write what you WANT to know. If vamps aren't your thing, but you're fascinated by them, research them. If you're a fantasy writer but murder mysteries are dying to get outta your head, read a few and see what happens. Thus, use writing what you know to an extreme so that you know more.
Do you ever write sad scenes when you aren't sad? It's the same thing....projecting yourself into your character.
That's way easier for me when I'm not sad, because I don't have anything heavy on my mind and can, as you said, project myself into the character.
Right now I am so sick of the story that I am writing. I have been working on it for almost two years, and I am halfway through the revision. I've taken a break from it for about a month, and have been working on other things, still keeping this one as my big project. But upon coming back to it, I found I still can't get into it. So how do you decide whether it's time to move on to something else? I've put a lot of work into it, and I love the premise. It isn't irreparably flawed or anything like that. I think my problem is that I work much too slowly, while my mind goes on to think up new ideas. I am bad to start projects and never finish them. Does anyone out there have any advice on how to stick with it?
If at the end of the day, you feel it is something that is marketable, then you simply put your nose to the grindstone, so to speak, and just do what it takes to finish the project. If your goal is to complete and have works published, you have to eventually finish some of them before starting new ones to have any chance at success. That's what you need to remind yourself. It's a long process. You'll have plenty of time to work on other projects while this big one you're talking about is out there, you seeking an agent or publisher for it. If other ideas distract you, start a file for each one of them, take notes and jot information down as it comes to you in the files so what you've thought up won't be lost. It'll be there when you're ready for it. Good luck. Terry
I would finish it and then, once it's finished, put it aside and start something new. After a few months of working on the new project, go back to this one and see if you still feel the same way. If yes, then send it out for publication. If no, then consider it a practice story; you can never get too much practice! But the most important thing is to finish it so you can tell yourself that you finished a project. That will give you more confidence for future projects.
Novels are mean like that. You love them when you write them but then when they want to be revised, it's like they want you to hate them. You just have to force yourself to do it, despite how much the process may make you hate yourself and your book. In the end, it's always worth the time and effort and once those efforts pay off, you start to feel less resentful of your novel and more indebted to it. For example, with the novel I have published... it took me six months to get it to where I wanted it, and then another three to get it where my publisher wanted it. I hated those nine months with a passion. But now that it's out on the market and has been for about 5 years now, I feel much better about it and I can actually go back and read it and enjoy it for what it is. I'll never regret having written it, and that to me, is all that really matters (no matter how much the writing process tries to suck out your soul..) ~Lynn
Think of the feeling you'll get when you can close your eyes, smile, and say "I finished it!" Not much is more gr.atifying than that. If you're having trouble sitting down and revising, try giving yourself some guidlines. "I'll get through all of the SPAG before I go to bed." Setting specific and timed goals should help. But I advise against "I'll do it for thirty more minutes" goal... From experience, one tends to just stare at the words for thirty minutes. Another idea might be a reward system. "If I do this to the best of my ability for thirty minutes, I'll treat myself to ____." Associating something unpleasant with something that is tends to work well in retraining the mind, right? You're so close! Dont give up now!
i remember reading one of the Dark Tower books, one of the later ones, Song of Susannah, in it there was a passage where they came upon the author in the story, it showed that he didn't want to write the rest of the story even though Roland drove him to it. I think when you feel the need to move on, well, you could have probably stopped the story a few chapters to go if you wanted. Don't make a story a torture to write, stop when you still have the passion to continue if you want, leave something for the next story you have in your mind. just how i look at it
Go find some other idea, pursue it till you get sick of it, and then come back to the current project that'll seem like heaven then. Ignore me
like jet lag, i've found that if you don't believe so-called 'writer's block' exists, it won't... what people call that is just being stuck for an idea on one piece of writing at that one particular moment... so, all you have to do is work on something else for a while... when you go back to that pesky piece, you'll see it from a fresh pov and most likely be able to zip right through it again...
I don't believe in writers block. You can always write *something*. If I'm having a hard time with something I set it aside and write a letter to someone. I find, if I am talking to someone, it somehow gets the juices flowing again. Sometimes setting a work aside for a few days will allow you to look at it with fresh eyes and to realize that what you wrote really isn't so bad.
Writing usually takes time for a reason. Because, most people, in my opinion, need to take a break. To put it down, take a walk, and get refreshed.... sometimes some people might not go back to a certain piece for years. The best cure I've ever had for writers block, is to not think about it for a period of time. Sometimes a couple hours, sometimes days, mabye even years. (Usually two or three days for me.)
