I have just started a new story but I have got stuck. How many of you start a story and leave it until you think of another good idea for it ?
I take a nap or a walk. Or pace around my house listening to music for like 30 minutes thinking about the book. Other times, something pops into my head while I am on the bus or doing something random.
In the past I have made the mistake of forcing myself to write a story all in one go but it never works. It just makes me bored of writing it.
I do that a lot. I'll start something, then I'll dry up and move on. I usually end up starting something else. That first one can sit for as long as a couple of years before I get back to it. To me, there's nothing wrong with taking a break. How realistic that is in the publishing world, I don't know.
When I get stuck in a story I'll either try to wade through that particular part by trying to fill it with words that will connect it to a more interesting part, or sit back for a while to think about it and come back when I'm more inspired.
I defenitely do. And that's a good thing, if you don't know what to write, then don't force yourself to write something anyway. The inspiration will return after a while.
Sure, if you lose the inspiration, move on to something else. It will either return, or not. Either way, you need to feel productive, and you need to enjoy yourself. If you aren't enjoying it, then why do it? Sometimes when you think of an idea for a story, it may seem like the best idea in the world, but if you cant take it anywhere, then it is of no use to you. And boredom with an idea means the inspiration wont come, and if there is no inspiration and you force it anyway, you will train yourself to dread the writing part, and that is no fun. Have fun with it.