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Where'd it go and will it come back?

Ok I have read all the post. Usually I find that inspirational. Not today. I can't seem to write anything. I did manage to organize my notes but that's about it. Last night I read the chapters I have already written and told myself this is a good book. I then neatly placed all of it back on the desk, went into the family room and turned on the TV.

I just can't seem to go back to writing. I have no idea what happened. I can't sit down to write. I can sit down to read a book, play Skyrim or text my friends but not to write. This has been my situation for two weeks!

I don't think it's writers block. It's not as if I sat down to write and nothing pops up. I just don't write.

Anyone else been there?
 
Actually, this is exactly what I call writers block.

I never get the kind of writers block where I run out of ideas - I just kinda stop writing. It's really annoying because whenever I get online and ask for advice people keep giving me suggestions on how to come up with new ideas. I already have ideas, I just can't write them down. >_<

Anyway, mine has lasted for about two years, maybe a bit more. Hopefully, yours will be shorter. I wish I could suggest some sort of strategy but in my case, the only thing that seems to help is a drastic change of enviroment - the only time I wrote anything during the last two years was when I went to Amsterdam.
 

San Cidolfus

Troubadour
Have you tried showing snippets of your writing to trusted friends? Sometimes feeling the enthusiasm of a prospective fan is enough to give you that vital spark. Hearing that they're keen to know what happens can sometimes make you want to forge ahead. It's gotten me off my lazy ass before.
 

Klee Shay

Troubadour
Until just recently I hadn't written anything for any of my stories since 2006. I can't say with any certainty what made me want to write again. It was like my characters were in a coma. Then, for no reason I can readily name, they all started yelling at me.

I can only tell you that if you wait long enough, yours will start yelling at you again, too. I hope so anyway.

In the meantime, stick around and post if you like. Perhaps something will come to you.
 
Until just recently I hadn't written anything for any of my stories since 2006. I can't say with any certainty what made me want to write again. It was like my characters were in a coma. Then, for no reason I can readily name, they all started yelling at me.

I can only tell you that if you wait long enough, yours will start yelling at you again, too. I hope so anyway.

Six years is a long wait, though.
 

SlimShady

Troubadour
When I run out of steam I read, read, and read. Not just fantasy either. Anything that is entertaining. When I read a good book I always think: "I wanna write something as good as this!" Then the pieces usually fall into place. If that don't work read a bad book. Seriously, it might make you want to just prove that you can write a thousand times better.

My two cents.
 
When I run out of steam I read, read, and read. Not just fantasy either. Anything that is entertaining. When I read a good book I always think: "I wanna write something as good as this!" Then the pieces usually fall into place. If that don't work read a bad book. Seriously, it might make you want to just prove that you can write a thousand times better.

My two cents.

Alas, when I was struck by my writers block, I was also struck by readers block.

Yeah, apparently that's an actual thing. oO
 
I find wandering around a good bookstore or library helps, or even just walking around outside. Another trick I sometimes use is to stop writing when I still have a good sense of what I wanted to say next. So, when I sat down to write the next night it was easier to get started. Of course, sometimes I lost the thread that way, but more often it helped me maintain momentum.
 

Telcontar

Staff
Moderator
At some point any serious writer has to master (or at least possess) the ability to write even when the Muse isn't around. This took me a long time to get down, but I'm glad I did. I have so little free time right now that if I had to wait for inspiration I would never do any writing.

My suggestion? Work on sitting your butt in the chair and forcing words out. Not necessarily the right words. Any words. Get towards your goal with something that will "do for now." Sometimes you might find yourself getting into the swing of it. Sometimes you won't, and you squeeze out a thousand words that you'll probably delete down the road. Cumulatively, it's still more productive that writing nothing. Trust me, I know how hard it can be. Even now, when I might have only half an hour at a time to write, I'll sometimes dither and try to give up. Don't let yourself.
 
If its any consolation it happens with any field, as a painter I often find myself unable to paint or draw, its not a lack of ideas or inspiration I just can't paint! and it can last for months at a time too!
 

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
Hello Dark Huntress!! This is not writer's block, it happens to me too sometimes and I am sure that it's caused by a depletion of what I call Writing Energy: When I have been writing for many days in a row this always happens, because I am like a battery and when I am tired I need to recharge my writing energy before I can write again =)

I compare writing a novel to climbing a huge mountain: You cannot climb it all just like that, you have to climb by parts and set campsites where you have to rest...

You just need to rest for some time, and then your Writing Energy will come back!!
 
Thank you for your helpful post. I have given out too many 'thank you's ' so I will give those I missed theirs in the next few days.

I needed these words of encouragement. Thank you all ...:)
 
I'll second (third? fourth?) the notion that just getting some words out, even if it's just stream-of-consciousness nonsense, can revive your urge to write. I do that when I'm stuck on a plot/character point and need to figure out how to fix it.

Here's a section copied and pasted verbatim from the notes file for Mindfire:

Okay, so the man problem with this chapter is that the bulk of it is Amira escaping, not Amira having character development. What does she think or feel about all this? I mean we can assume she’s scared and panicked, but we never really see her thoughts. Go through and highlight everything that shows her thinking about her state of mind, feelings, thoughts after escaping Edon.

This is me trying to figure out how to rewrite a particular chapter. Just putting the words down helped me figure out how to fix my problem, and figure out what to write. Once I knew what I was going to write, actually generating the prose was trivial.
 
Very true. I do know trying to force a story doesn't work for me, but everyone has a different way of doing things. I can only share what did work for me and hope it helps.

I'm pretty sure I can force myself to write, if I really try - there's nothing actually wrong with my ability. It's just, I have basically no willpower (which I'm pretty sure is related to my Asperger diagnosis) so I'm really only productive when in the right flow.

I'll second (third? fourth?) the notion that just getting some words out, even if it's just stream-of-consciousness nonsense, can revive your urge to write. I do that when I'm stuck on a plot/character point and need to figure out how to fix it.

Here's a section copied and pasted verbatim from the notes file for Mindfire:

This is me trying to figure out how to rewrite a particular chapter. Just putting the words down helped me figure out how to fix my problem, and figure out what to write. Once I knew what I was going to write, actually generating the prose was trivial.

Thing is, this is the kind of advice you give to people who suffer from common writer's block - not knowing what to write. Like you say, when you figure out what you need to write, actually writing it isn't a problem for you.

Whereas if Huntress has the same problem as me, it's that we can know exactly what we need to write, but still find ourselves unable to write it. I can see the entire scene in my head, know the thoughts and motivations of my characters inside out, know exactly what I want to say. But when it comes to physically writing it... nothing.

As for writing streams of consciousness: Why would I ever do that when I have actual stories that I could write down instead?
 
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Because writing anything can help unblock you if you can't put the words down. Even gibberish. Knowing what to write and being able to actually write it are two different things.
 

Morgoth

Dreamer
I myself found reading helpful. I stopped writing and reading for a number of years. I read one book, and suddenly I found the urge to write again.
 

Argentum

Troubadour
Last year I felt the need to have a writing break. When I finally started writing again, it was hard. Like you said, just didn't/couldn't do it. I did force myself to type out words, but it took me several days to actually get back into it. Keep at it and force out those words even if you don't want to. If you do it long enough, you'll get back into the groove. What I also found helpful, was rereading my stuff. Have you ever read your own work and gone, "Gee, I love this story!" If you have, it wouldn't be too hard to reread as much as you want and then go on to add more to it. I got a friend of mine to read my first chapter and he pointed out all the good things about my writing (I already knew the bad). Sometimes REAL encouragement is enough to make you want to write more. But if no one's there to read and critique your writing, or rereading doesn't work...you're stuck with forcing yourself into that chair and making yourself write. :p
 

Philip Overby

Staff
Article Team
I'll echo what Telcontar said. Force yourself. The old saying is "writers write." Meaning you have to do it just like you would do any other job.

I'll add this too: have more than one thing to write. I don't mean have multiple novels going at the same time. That can be overwhelming. I do think it's good to write short stories when your novel feels dried up. Sometimes writing something short can get the "writing blood" flowing again. I tend to have lots of small projects when I'm working on a main novel. That way if I get stuck temporarily or bogged down and I can go to these other smaller stories and bang some of them out.

Sometimes you have to exercise before you run the marathon. Cliche' yet true.
 
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