Rantings of a frustrated hobby writer

[DatDude]

Hi their this is your DatDude speaking. I've got a problem, and im told it happens to lots of people of all ages. I can't seem to write anymore.

I get an idea in my head, and write a page of notes but when game time comes I hardly get started before meh . . fic sits their till it dies or joins my hord of half formed progeny on my hd.

Its not just eva I try to write a lot of fiction but same thing every time for the last few months. Its been two months since i last finished a chapter of anything.

Anyone out their got a cure for writers block ?

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[Xeroko]

This happens to me a lot, I just put down whatever I wanna write and leave it alone for a while, and while doing this I keep think about the writing, where it can go, etc. until I got something good enough to put down. If that doesn't work just wait it out, something will always come to you, usually out of nowhere.

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[THE Hal E. Burton 9000]

most of the time for me, I have the exact opposite problem, writer's diarrhea I call it, when I have so many ideas it's impossible to keep focused but I write a shit load of stuff

for me, writer's block in very rare now, though I have had it and it once lasted a few years

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[esselfortium]

I don't typically write, but I compose music, build Doom levels, create textures, and occasionally some other stuff, and this happens to me on a regular basis with all of them. I tend to go through phases of focusing intently on one thing (for the past couple weeks, writing music and obsessing over NGE :P ) and then, all of a sudden, completely lose all interest and motivation to do it. I'll usually flounder around lost and confused for a while before getting inspired to start working on something again, whether it be music again or something totally unrelated. Even when I am working on something, Doom levels especially, it's not uncommon for me to spend months and months working on a single level as ideas slowly come together into something I can build, with tons of fear and uncertainty and confusion all over the place in the meantime. It's irritating because I've got so many ideas for creative endeavors I would love to undergo, but with how long it takes me to ever get anything done, I know it's unlikely I'll get to ever do 95% of them.

It's a nasty problem, for sure, and all I can really suggest is to try doing something else creatively that doesn't relate to writing or whatever else might be giving you trouble, even if it means trying something that you're not especially good at (yet).

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[Merridian]

Oh man, writer's block... I have other interests I indulge in whenever writer's block kicks in, music being the primary one. I've had an Evangelion fic I've been working on for about a year that's only NOW reaching some semblance of completion, and it isn't even that long. My original fiction rarely fares any better--so my trick is to keep the stories short, concise, and as abstract, weird, bizarre, and funky as possible. If I'm perpetually thinking up ways to make the story even more outlandish and absurd, then it means that I'm perpetually thinking about how the story should progress, and anything along those lines means that writer's block is evaded. Granted, this doesn't work for everyone, but I've found refuge in absurdism (and anything that generally defies deconstructionism).

A more realistic approach would probably be to just go with the flow. If you can't write anything else, take a break and do something other than writing. If that doesn't work, start playing with words and euphony as brain exercises. Sleep deprivation is unhealthy, but some of my best stuff was written at odd hours of the night. In my experience though, the best option is just to wait. You can't force inspiration.

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[Great Genius Shinji-Sama]

Mine is an ugly amglam? of apathy, laziness, addiction to other peoples' writings, internet, and getting really enthused or into it other then discussing my ideals with other people.

I have tons of ideas, some of them I even have an inkling of where i want them to go, how i want them to work out and everything, but i just cant muster up the effort to sit down, take time out of the day, and just get to writing them, even though ironically thats what i do when i write emails and post replies up here i this forum.

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[MugwumpHasNoLiver]

First of all, writers block isn't the lack of ability to stop writing, it's the idea that everything you write sucks. Experts say write through the crap, but I never can. I busy myself by indulging in other pieces or art or reading something good. When you initially get and idea, just REALLY think about it, plan it all out. What I like to do is just obsess over every detail, every concept in my head. If I can see the entire story in my mind, know exactly where it's going, then when I sit down to write, it's already all there and I just need to put in on paper.

For example, I wrote pen pages for this story. It was a parody of Herman Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener, only instead of 4 characters, it had over ten. Now, I have NEVER written a scene before then with more than three characters. So after a few days of writing nothing but intro, I just stopped. I didn't write anymore for three months. But practically the only thing in my mind those three months was the story. 'Ooh, that's a great scene! It'll happen after that happens! Oh! Instead of THAT, I'll do THIS!' And do on. Anyway, I returned to it on a Thursday night and by the next Wednesday I had written 50 more pages.

I admit, part of why I wrote so much was because I already had a story to rip-off. This was for a creative writing class, the assignment was to parody a famous short story. I did 'Bartleby', read some other student parodies, but none of them were substantial. It was like mad-libs, they just changed the location and occupation and everything else was the same. So I went to GREAT LENGTHS to make Bartleby my own and I did that by switching up and deconstructing and downright mocking many elements of the original story. One way was by writing out full characters, like nine of them, instead of the original three caricatures. So they were all yapping the whole damn time because I apparently have a gift for writing snappy dialogue. I guess it helped that the play the in-story Drama Club was doing was 'His Girl Friday' a comedy infamous for it's fast-paced, snappy dialogue.

Anyway, a sure-fire way to write something great and original is to rip off several unrelated things and mash them together. But you need to know what you're doing. If you don't ingrain them together well enough into a cohesive goal, it'll just look like derivative trash. So, ugh, that's a talent.

You know what, forget everything I said and do your own thing.

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[Joseph the PRPD]

Writer's block sucks. If I can't think of anything sometimes it'll just come to me. I can also get ideas by watching something.

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[CorporalChaos]

My usual problem isn't writers block, it's just getting stuff on paper to read true-to-life, that is, the reader can see the world I'm imagining. I focus so much on doing that that I never complete my stories.

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[Captain_Morgan]

Have a bullshit side story that you're writing. Just let anything and everything you can think of happen in that story, just so long as you're writing. Seeing as this is one you don't really intend to let the public see, write as much "crap" as you want without fear of it being crap, until you're sure you're starting to write gold, again.

[simon]

The biggest problem is when you have good few pages written down and it's time to edit it.
If there's anything i learnt studying journalism it's that no matter how good your idea was the work will be worthless shit until you edit it enough times.

Sometimes 3 or 4 edits are enough but sometimes it's a never ending story. Basically you need to edit it until the urge to puke from reading the same thing over and over changes to proud. that's what I do and after 7 years or trying and giving up I have like 20 ready pages I'm proud of and dozens waiting for their edits.

so it's not the writing block that pose a problem.

[Orphan Of Darkness]

I'm convinced there are blocks that have a remedy, you just dont know what it is until you find it. Sometimes you have to wait it out though.

Good things to try are drugs and/or sleep deprivation. My scrawls always have a certain charm when I write them past midnight. Keeping a pen and paper on your nightstand is a good idea too, you never know what you might come up with in your dreams or just by letting your brain wander.

Taking a few days of veg-time is good as well. Just relax. Play some games, watch some movies, read something, be social, etc. just take your time before you try to crack down on your methods again. After something like that you might have some luck getting into a good groove.

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[Hunter21]

If you're tired of writing just quit until you feel like writing again. Any block you have is just going to get worse and last longer if you try and force something out. And remember writing a fic isn't something that's important, it's something you do for fun. Don't ruin that idea or you aren't ever going to want to write again.

Personally when I took about a year's hiatus from one of my stories I didn't care one bit. I didn't feel like writing so I didn't. Then after some time I started reading some of my old fics and while doing that I figured I might as well do some re-writes and editing of the stories while I'm at it. After that I started working on my fics in progress again because it was fun. And as long as it stays that way I will keep writing. Once it starts seeming like a chore again I will stop.

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[Holy Diver]

Quit. The spark will come back, you just have to wait. Don't keep staring at a blank page or computer screen, you'll just stress yourself out.

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[Rommel]

Hunter21 wrote:

If you're tired of writing just quit until you feel like writing again.

That is what one of my professors said. She would know, she's a publish author. And it does help. Also, music helps.

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[Captain_Morgan]

Orphan Of Darkness wrote:

Good things to try are drugs and/or sleep deprivation. My scrawls always have a certain charm when I write them past midnight. Keeping a pen and paper on your nightstand is a good idea too, you never know what you might come up with in your dreams or just by letting your brain wander.

Your brain is supposedly more creative at night.

Wrote a screenplay one night from around 12:00 to 5:30, when I was supposed to be doing research for my final in English. Probably one of the better things I've written.

[Rommel]

Funny enough, I write all my school papers at night.

Usually the night before they are due.

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[Mongoosedog]

@GGS-S that's pretty much exactly my problem, although most of my distraction comes from video games. i have heaps of ideas i want to turn into a manga (i do comics instead of writing, and i only seem to fantasize about it instead of making comics). but yeah, it's annoying, i wanna know if there is a way to make me feel like working up the enthusiasm to sit down start... looking at other people's art, fan work gets me inspired.

Anyway, when i have lots of ideas i try and narrow it down to the most thought-out ones, so that leaves me with two serious comics and i'm toying with the idea of an Evangelion parody comic, i already have most of the end worked out but nothing else except that Asuka's first words will be "I'm pregnant" (don't rage, not fanwank, just making fun of the pregnant Asuka theory)

Topics like this actually give me inspiration knowing other people are in the same boat, but in the end that knowledge isn't gonna get rid of my laziness...

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[CorporalChaos]

Rommel wrote:

Funny enough, I write all my school papers at night. Usually the night before they are due.

This. And usually, they're the good ones.

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