OK, so what do you write about when you
can't think of anything to write about? I am stuck on my novel
because I took too much time off. I can't seem to get back into the
story. I tried writing a few short stories about the characters like
Elise suggested, but I am not making any progress. I am still ill so
that is a giant set back. I don't mind sharing that I am feeling a
little hopeless and this isn't even the Insecure Writers Support
Group.
Do you have any more suggestions that I
could try? I would love to hear them.
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I feel your pain. I am in the same boat and getting increasingly frustrated. I can however see a light at the end of the tunnel.
ReplyDeleteI have been using 750words.com to write down all my feelings about my WIP and why I am stuck. I am not trying to write anything on the novel itself in there, it is more a way of getting down all my worries, a bit like talking a problem through with a friend. It has taken a while but I have found this extremely useful and have worked out solutions to quite a few of the kinks that have been holding me back. I finally feel ready to get started again.
What works for one person may not work for another, but it may be worth a try. Go easy on yourself, this writing gig is hard work at the best of times, nevermind when you are ill.
Just try and remember, there is always hope :)
WOW! Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteHey, babe. This is your friendly editor/fellow author/Friday Flasher/Triberr mate here...
ReplyDelete1. Give yourself permission to write crap.
2. Write crap.
3. Tell yourself it's fine to write crap.
4. Write more crap.
About this time, the crap will go away and start to resemble something worth keeping.
Hang in there -- and feel better, too! That'll help -- although you'll be amazed at how writing well will also help you feel better. It's a symbiotic relationship.
Sorry that I never got to your post last month. This blog hop is quite large! But I can now. Usually when I get stuck on my WIP, it means I need to take time away from it, or what helps a lot, is reading what I have from the beginning to get to know and fall in love with the characters and storyline all over again.
ReplyDeleteAnother way is to do writing prompts. Several times stories I've written from writing prompts have become subplots or a chapter of my WIP.
I wish you luck and hope you join in again in next months IWSG.
Writing short stories etc can be an interesting exercise, but it can also be problematic because those stories are a distraction. First, understand that stories can take time, and that you might not be ready to finish this one. Having said that, you don't need to 'reconnect' with the story. It isn't about going back. It's about getting excited by it now. So try treating it as if another writer has just handed you the start of something and told you that you can go any way you want with it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have a hard time writing more on a story, I go back and reread what I have already written. I try to remember what I was thinking when I wrote it, how I felt and once I recapture those feelings I can usually start writing again.
ReplyDelete