Stuck On The First Blank Page I have this short story I'm currently working on, and the main plot is all laid out, I know the general idea of what's going to happen, who's involved and their motivations. The problem is: I seem to be unable to start the story. Perhaps it's my inner critic working overtime, but every single sentence I jot down doesn't seem good enough. Or I just draw a blank. Can anyone suggest some good methods to get this story rolling? Thanks, Birdie
I don't generally get writers block, unless you count sleeping as a block, I normally get inspired by sleeplessness. Something to get you rolling Birdie is to take what ever is happening in the novel and try and experience it yourself. For instance if I'm stuck on trying to explain getting shot, I strap my paintball mask on (safety first) and get my brother to shoot me with my paintball marker in said place. Then unstrap my helmet, run to the laptop and start writing. But then sometimes the night sky can be just as inspiring....
I've been writing my novel a little at a time, and at first I was really energized about the idea, but now I feel myself losing interest and second-guessing myself as to whether it is any good. Should I keep writing and hope to regain that inspiration I once had or is it time to move on? Is this a phase that novelists go through with their stories until they reach a certain point?
It depends on how much you believe in it. Some stories/books are like that. It's either not the story you should be writing, or you need to take a break from it. Continuing is okay, from a certain point of view, but it's not likely to be as good.
This has happened to me too. I have reached a whopping 2700 words and stopped...lack of interest, boredom, or maybe it isn't any good and I subconsciously know it...good luck...the best to you.
i agree with rei's take on this... you may be realizing your original idea won't fly, in which case, continuing is just flogging a dead horse... or, you may have been too buried in it and just need a break, so coming back to it with a fresh perspective may renew your passion for the story...
Happened to me in my earlier stages of writing. The cure for me is to write every day and I don't take like a weeks worth of breaks because then you just flop out of the mood. Maybe it will work for you as well? Besides, if you write every day, more ideas will come to you bringing more to the table so if your first idea doesn't fly, the next ones may...
I went there too. After about 2 months of writing, all the newness wore off for me, and it got.... hard to write more. I lost interest, wondering if it was really any good. Self doubt. I ended up stopping writing it. It took me 6 months before I regained any passion to continue the story, but I got back to it, and the piece more than doubled in size since then. Yeah now, I take breaks, when the ideas slow down, or just nothing comes to me.. but I keep returning to it because it is fun. Enjoy what you do. Take a break if you must.
I agree with those who say take a break. I've been writing the same story for almost two years now and I'm not that far on it. The main part is because I'm a bit stuck with it, but another reason was because I stopped and then came back to it with new enthusiasm.
I am in the same state with my novel. I got 15000 words done in a short time span, then I lost interest. It was too simple, my other ideas are far more complicated. There's no politics, a small cast, and a small number of events. I haven't touched it in a few months. It was a bummer cause the people I showed it to kept asking me if I was going to finish it. They said the story really sucked them in and they were dying to know what happens next. So I've recently come back to the novel, but I'm not writing what I planned out. I'm keeping what I have but the plot is going in a new direction that I will hopefully be happy with. I'm still taking a break though to write short stories and to simply get the other ideas of my head and to help make my novel differ from my other works. I suggest maybe changing some things around, maybe rethink the plot. Show your friends and see if they can restore your confidence like mine did!
This just recently happened to me as well. I had written four chapters and then pretty much stopped cold. My problem is that my Grandfather passed away and since then I have not felt the passion I did when I wrote before. I still have hope that my desire to write will come back. So, in a very round about way, I guess what I am trying to say is that I beleive that mood and desire play a large role in staying the course. I hope you find the desire to continue. If you need motivation just go to your local library or book retailer and look at all the books that people have written. Each one of those people probably went through the same problems that you are having right now.
I've had this happen enough times. Actually, I think it's happened every time I've started writing a novel. Short stories seem totally different. I can finish one of those in a day. The couple novels I've started always seem to collapse somewhere around 20-30k words. Normally it's a massive flaw that stops me. Either I don't like the characters as they are written, or the plot just doesn't have anywhere else to go. When I get to that point I just put it aside. Add a few notes at the end on what I think needs to be changed, and start something new. I have yet to go back to any previous stories, as new ideas are always more exciting.
I think it happens to everyone. It's certainly happened to me...I'd say that if your heart just isn't in it anymore, don't continue.
Oh gosh, this has happened to me a lot. If you have no heart in it anymore, don't continue. But KEEP what you've written, because maybe in your next novel idea, you'll want to use the same characters, or same setting. You can always scrounge through past ideas to find something to contribute to a new idea. I do it all the time. One of my characters from a past story that I lost interest in is now in my new idea with a slightly bigger role.
Writing is hard work. Sometimes you just have to push ahead after the first blush of enthusiasm fades, and trust that your first instincts were good.
Muse Block I'm sort of in rut. And not by writer's block. The ideas are there and I still can write. But I feel it isn't as smooth as I want it to be because I suffer from muse block. To write smoothly I listen to music to enthrall me and to invoke emotions out of me. I tend to listen to music without lyrics very orchestral stuff and some choir stuff too. Has anyone else ever suffered from muse block?
A muse is a mythical spirit that stimulates imagination and teaches old knowledge to a creative person. As far as I'm concerned, muse block would be a failure to come up with ideas, and would be the same, and therefore just as imaginary, as writers block. An inability to get the writing to flow smoothly sounds more like difficulty expressing yourself. First get the story down, then work on revising how it is expressed.
You don't understand. I usually go into a trance like state when I read. Words aren't words to me they are mini scenes. My muse gives me out these scenes and my stories turn out well. I have the ideas as I said and yes most of the ideas that I do get are: Oooo I have to write this. And I end up going into that writing trance. But there are times when my muse has left me and I feel so ugh. My stories are always extensions of my emotional states. And that is what I like in my writing.
No....there is a difference. Writer's block is when you can't write. Ugh nevermind. Muse block is something different, hard to explain. Cause I can write and I can think of ideas. I just need my muse....rawr, hard to explain.
Lost the urge.. to write much. I started out strong but lost momentum. I am a mother of three and I am pretty much busy most of the time. Besides, my keyboard is not working very well. The space bar does not work and it is very annoying so if I write it's gonna have to be on paper.
Leaka I get what you are saying. I know that feeling too. You have some semblance of a plot, some characters, and the start of something, but then it all just sort of falls apart. Something's not right. Writing on that idea halts. You get stuck, trying to work out the details in your head, but you just can't come up with what happens next, the next scene, the next twist. You just sit there, staring at the screen wishing for something to come out. I drop the story at this point, write the ideas in a file with the start of what I was writing and file it away. I go on to reading something or watching something (not just movies, but like History channel or discovery channel.) I go out and watch people. Something usually comes eventually, when I stop looking for it and trying to force it. Then when the right idea hits, the story flows like a river.
Rawr. No one gets it. I can write perfectly fine. It works out well. I just wish I had more oomph to it is all. It's good, but needs to be great. Unlike most people I don't sit on a screen. I don't have my mind in a bog. Rawr. Ugh.
No, I'm afraid you don't get it Leaka. You are young so perhaps you don't realize that the process of going from good to great is one that largely happens in the editing and revision process. This was something I didn't understand at your age. The "exciting" phase of writing will often only produce the bare bones from which you can then add layer upon layer until finally you have something which is great. This is usually a very analytical process during which the author tried to examine the work from the reader's standpoint and make the changes accordingly. Only you can decide if you the degree to which you truly want to elevate your personal craft, but sooner or later that will mean going beyond the "I'll write because I want to or it feels good" phase and get to the actual "work" of writing. Like any other hobby or art, there are aspects that might be less than fun (I HATE scrapping mold lines of models, for example, but doing so produces a much better final product). As far as the screen and bog comments, those honestly make absolutly no sense to me.
Leaka, it sounds like you're describing being a nit-picky perfectionist who is trying to edit while you write. I agree with Rum, writing is hard work. I can relate it to my other hobby, jewelry making. I get so frustrated when I am trying a new design that I made and it isn't coming out perfectly the first time. I stopped doing all first time projects in precious metals like silver, and started using copper (since it's way cheaper.) I have to practice a design three or four times before it comes out perfectly, then I can replicate it in a precious metal, not wasting any, because I have the design and techniques memorized. Writing works the same way. Each piece is a piece of practice. Each false start, nonsense piece, short story, and empty plot lines are all practice for the real piece. We all edit a little bit while we are writing. We write and rewrite the same sentence until it comes out right. We all look back over the last few paragraphs, or pages, and do some editing before we continue. But you can't edit it to death while you are in the creative process, or you'll frustrate yourself silly. After you finish with something is when you go through with a harsh critical eye and figure out what works and what could be better. Tell your self-esteem bashing internal critic to shut his pie-hole, then write.
