snowflake challenge #3

[svgurl]

In your own space, Scream Into the Void. Get it all out.

Okay, I'm actually bad at this, at least online, because I always feel the need to correct myself at the end or be all "but it's not that bad" because I'm doing the whole "in the grand scheme of things", comparing it to what I feel are real problems. With other people, I will definitely be like "just because other people have it worse doesn't mean your problems are less valid" but somehow the brain doesn't really let you extend that kind of sympathy to yourself. Funny how that works.

Since I'm avoiding real life/politics talk and *gestures to the state of the world* all that, my gripe is currently my inability to write. I want to write fic, I have to write fic with the deadlines I have (both real and self imposed), but somehow, when I stare at a word document, I'm getting nothing! It's not like I don't know what to write either. I even have ideas on what I want to do or where I want to go with my stories, but the scenes that sound so great in my head will just not come out. I barely wrote in December and I have nothing so far this month. It's just extremely frustrating to want to want to do something yet not be able to.

I thought maybe stepping back for a few days and not thinking about it would help, but it's just a few more days that I'm not writing and it's not any easier. I may just have to go back into writing sprints and force it out but I wish it could come more naturally. I miss when it came more naturally.

If anyone has any advice on what they do in similar situations, please feel free to share!

Comments

[peaked]

It sounds like you're pressuring yourself and that pressure is blocking you. I definitely find sprints helpful (although, lately my idea of sprints is "Just sit down from 5.30pm and write until 6pm, and if you're over it by then, you can go play your game"). I find having a dedicated small block of time to write helps relieve the pressure for me.

When I feel this blocked, I set a time to sit down, open the document, and write whatever comes to my head. I can delete those garbage words because they're only serving the function of unblocking me. Sometimes I will legit write "Wanda walked to the park and this is so fucking stupid sdjfksjklfdfs" and do that a few times before I finally relax, maybe delete it, and start over and write.

Don't think about the fact that you haven't written much last month or this month. Focus on the fact you've sat down, pick a story or a character/prompt, and just let your brain stretch a little. If you write 80 words, that's good! If you write 1000, that's good! Writing 1 is even better.

[svgurl]

Yeah, that's definitely what is happening. I feel I need to write and can't concentrate on anything except the need to write so it doesn't get done.

Thank you for the suggestions! Just writing without thinking about it is definitely something I need to try. One word is better than zero words!

[peaked]

If you need to, I can be the Tommy Lee Jones to your Steve Rogers circa short stick era and tell you you must go write one word and report back or else I won't speak to you. Accountability buddies! (Except I'm a dictator.)

[svgurl]

Haha I would appreciate that actually! Having a dictator accountability buddy is probably what I need lol :D