It must be the artist in me. I do visual art as well, so I have a mindset of "get it perfect the first time" with everything creative I do. I'll try to look at it differently. I could try pumping out a single draft just to get the story out, and bite the bullet at how unappealing it might end up, so maybe that's what I need to do. I'll definitely feel good about getting it finished, that's for sure.
Don't think of it as unappealing like Guamyankee said think of it of the rough stone to sculpt from or even the paint and blank canvas. Its the basis from which to create your story, to turn it into art. Its preparation work. I am a perfectionist with my work and its why I write the way I do - I need to be able to strip back thousands of words so I can rewrite it to make the story work etc It would be heartbreaking to do if I had spent 6 years on it. Deleting 30K words is not stressful it is a weeks work.
That sounds like a good plan. I'm the same way...I like to have everything perfect the first time. But it's easier to make major structural changes to your book if you draft it all at once, unless you work with a solid outline and have everything planned in advance. Needless to say, throwing out a big chunk of a novel that you've spent months polishing is extremely frustrating.
I'm actually starting to annoy myself becuase I've got an idea and plotted the storyline, but cannot seem to allow myself to write, becuase I think everything sounds rubbish, and it really annoys me that its rubbish and I find myself hitting delete constantly anyone got any ideas on how I can combat it!!!
Stop using the delete key unless you are correcting a mispelling. Just type out everything you can think of. Do not delete it. You worry about removing/rearranging pieces after your draft is finished.
Would you expect to paint a picture or play a musical instrument perfectly the first time you tried? Give yourself permission to practice and learn the craft. You will make mistakes. Your story won't match what you see in your mind. Everything will seem like crap, but no one will see it but you. However, the more you write, the better your writing will get. As you improve you can go back and revise older manuscripts. The only thing that can't be improved is a blank page. And if you think professional writers can just whip out a perfect first draft every time, read Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird.
Yeah!!!! I know what you mean!!! Writing my first novel didn't see this flipping hard!!! Although i remember it being like that where I couldn't write for days at a time!!! I just can't seem to get into this!! Maybe it isn't the right plot, although the story line does intrigue me!!!
I agree with what others have said above. Sometimes you just need to force yourself to write and avoid criticizing yourself. If it's a new project, your enthusiasm may pick up when you get further into it. If you are still having real trouble staying interested in your project after that, maybe think about what worked with your first novel and what's not working in the outline for the new one, and consider making some changes to your plan to make it more interesting to you. I had two projects that I ended up throwing out after I'd done a significant amount of work on them and realized that in one, I didn't like my characters enough and in another, I just hadn't chosen conflicts that were strong enough to sustain interest in the novel.
just start writing it. come back when you have forgotten most of what you've written. then you can criticize yourself and make the necessary changes. or you can just move on and write something else.
Not much more to add. Previous members are correct, do not doubt yourself. An example is a short I am working on. Thought the plot idea was great but started writing and a new idea came to me that sounded better so I changed it and now this, this, and this does not fit correctly but overall writing the first draft (even if it sounds poor) helps.
Its only rubbish if you write it that way. Don't read it for a while and lie to yourself until you do.
You sound like me when I first started. Id read so much that I never thought I could compare so why bother. But you have to perservere and kick your own ass! I suggest you get rid of the computer until you have written a draft - doesnt have to be a whole story/novel, can just a be a scene or your plan. Writing in a notebook/on scraps of paper/on a length of wallpaper even, is much easier because you are less likely to go back over what you have just written until you have reached the end. I too sat there in front of a computer and wrote a handful of sentences and was constantly trying to perfect them, play with the word choice and inevitably delete the whole lot and feel crap! Now I write everything for the first, and sometimes the second, time on paper by hand and then when its out of my head, I go dust off the computer and type it up. Its then there to play with. It wouldnt actually be there if I had tried to write it on the computer. So grab a pen/pencil/quill and a notebook/sketchpad/scroll and see if that helps you get it out of your head better than some high-tech machine. Hopefully you will also start feeling more confident about your abilities once you get the words flowing. Good Luck
The biggest challenges in writing are things like plot holes, writing yourself into a corner, being stuck because you have no clue how to save yourself if you were in your MC's position, thus no idea how to save your MC - those kinds of things. They usually strike around 1/3 of the way through the novel to the end. That means that if you write a novel from beginning to end and work out those kinks, the hardest part's done. Weak scenes, bad grammar and cheesy dialogue are the easy-to-fix parts, so don't let yourself worry about them. Anyone can think of a cool idea for a story. Less, but still many, can flesh out that idea enough to have novel potential. Tons of people begin to write novels. Less push through the challenges after the first-chapter honeymoon phase. Still less get far into it. Very few finish. Very, very few finish and revise it to where it's really good. Only a select few get published. See what I mean? Anyone can think of the ideas - most of writing is in fact thinking - but the only way to be a writer is to push through your reservations and write the damn thing. Don't worry if it sucks. You can revise. Good luck!
Great advice from Mallory here! A friend recently lent me a book by Anne Lamott called Bird by Bird. In it she talks a lot about motivation for writing. It's a pretty good read. In the introduction, she mentions a James Thurber quote: "You might as well fall flat on your face as lean over too far backward." It's a profound idea that in order to succeed, you first have to give yourself permission to fail. This is a subject discussed at length in my favourite book, The Inner Game of Tennis.
I too have suffered this, my greatest inspirations never arrive convenient .I no longer let perfectionism act as my oppressor. With no regard to grammar, spelling , I capture as much as I can on matchbooks, tampon boxes , cheese steak wrappers before the vibe eludes me forever . Later the hurried prompts catapult me back to my brilliance ....ya dig
Try the stream of consciousness approach, open a blank document/or get a blank piece of paper and simply write for an allotted amount of time. Anything that comes into your head, a memory an image, just force yourself to write down anything that comes to mind, even if that is "I can't think what to write next". Sometimes I feel like it helps unblock my mind from all the garbage floating around! Good luck
defeating writer's block what I normally do to defeat the evil "writer's block" is a technique that one of my professors taught me. First, you take a pad of paper-whether it is a notebook, a journal book, or something else- and a pen/pencil and find a quiet spot to call yours. then, you write whatever is in your head. it doesn't matter if it is comprehensible or not-just keep writting! write what you see, hear, smell, touch, taste, anything! try to write for about five to ten minutes without stopping. after you've done this, look back at what you've written and edit what you like. I know it's easier said than done-trust me, i've done it too- but it does help out in the long run.
I haven't read all the pages to see if this is unique or not, but I have a few strange techniques. One project I have is called "Self Indulgent Authoress Tripe." Where I am constantly arguing with characters about stupid stuff and punishing them for not cooperating by putting them in adventures that make no sense except for cool factor. A very dangerous idea is to go onto TV tropes and find a storytelling convention to play with. I've heard bits of inspiration that aren't proper stories referred to as Drabbles or Scribbles. A third option and one that isn't recommended is to bottle up that creativity and give it no outlet. I spent a month without privacy or a comfortable place to write in a notebook. Now I have stories attacking me in my sleep.
I've heard from a professional writer once on the internet that if you come to a place where you dont know what needs to happen next so you can make it to your next plot point, light something on fire, break a window, or have something equally dramatic happen to help lighten up, darken, or cause SOMEthing to happen. This usually creates a launching point for you to get to your next point. Just saying
In reference to your writers block: Hi, (my name is Keith by the way) I have been writing for years, and used to get the 'block' more often than not. I find that two things have worked with massive success--I have not really endured a substantial 'episode' in well over a year. 1) I try to realize I am in a creative mindset, and I try NOT to label myself as a writer. I am simply indulging in an expressive--even spiritual--activity. I have no one to impress, and that includes myself. Therefore, I have no pressure to write; it is then pure enjoyment for me. 2) I meditate a few times a week. I put myself in a completely relaxed state; I relax mentally and physically by concentrating on my breathing. I slow, and deepen, my breathing with total focused effort. After ten minutes of complete relaxation, I mentally go to my happy place. This is a place that I created that is my personal definition of perfection on earth. Once at my happy place, I visualize myself writing non-stop, and flowing faster than I can write. It is very important, in this state, that you see yourself writing effortlessly, and that you experience the feeling of stress-free happiness as you write. It may sound strange, but this has worked for me to the point of flawlessness. I hope this helps. Best of luck, Keith
I find a butterfly net and a trap of a bowl of honey works wonders. or a walk in the fresh air, reading a good book, or going to see an exciting film.
Well, as long as it's on vacation, might as well have a beer or three. Unless you have one of those muses that starts berating you when you ignore it, it's not going to help.
Have you tried looking under or behind your couch? I've found many CD's hidden/lost in those places. In all seriousness I've found that giving it a day or two and just day dreaming, "empty boxing" (the art of being completely empty in the head, blank mind), and reading help me to get back into the groove.
