One of the most popular bits of writing advice is to write daily. Usually, this is not difficult for me. But lately I have hardly written at all. I'm lucky to sit down and try to write once a week - and that's not saying that the words come. It just means that I read over the last chapter written, decided it sucks, and closed the document.
I know writer's block is a thing. I know that, to overcome it, I should just keep writing. But my inspiration is gone. Most of my old ideas don't capture my interest anymore, and I lack new ones. After I finished my NaNoWriMo novel (which I also no longer like), I could not decide on a new project.
My biggest writing fear has always been that I stop writing. Any ideas for new work disappears and I never write again. Whenever I don't feel like writing, I think of this fear.
So it's been on my mind quite often lately. I need something, anything, to get me out of this block. Maybe (probably) I just need to sit down and write. It's easier said than done, but I have to start somewhere.
If you're a writer, you should let me know what helps you to write. What brings you back to your work every day?
Also, what is your biggest writing fear?
When I have writer's block, I do exactly what you did in this post: write about it. And then I take that and turn it in to a sort of story thing, like I'm writing about someone who has writer's block. I use a third person perspective like I'm writing a story and just go for it. I don't know if that is helpful, but it's what gets me through it!
ReplyDeleteThat's a really creative way to solve the problem! Thanks for the tip :D
DeleteHmm...it's the most awful feeling to be in a writing slump. & then you have to force yourself out of it, which is extremely difficult to do when you're not "feeling it", which is vague to everyone who isn't a writer. What I often do is go back to the beginning, go back to that reason WHY I first started writing the book. Usually it's the characters. Then, I do character sketches for each character - just descriptions of who they were in the past, who they are now, who they will be - to build up that initial love... & then go from there. If not the characters, I'll go to specific scenes that I thought of before writing the book, scenes I knew I wanted to get to b/c they meant something to me. Lastly, I look at pinterest/tumblr. Yes, total time-suck, but it helps when imagining characters/scenes. Hope this helps!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the advice! I think I've finally left my writer's block behind for awhile (hopefully a long while!) so I'm pretty happy with that.
DeleteBut your tips seem super helpful. Character sketches and plot outlines are what got me out of this slump, although it was actually a completely different story - I finished them, ditched the new idea, and went back to work on my old one LOL. It's funny how those things happen sometimes.