snowflake challenge #3

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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

[mx_vertiginous]

This is the worst! Or when you have ideas in your head when you're driving or half asleep or in another situation where you can't write and then they're gone by the time you open a word doc.

One thing I find helpful is to go for a walk and let myself think about the story, fully conscious and undistracted, but unable to write. So I just gotta think about what's going on with the characters, how they feel, what they're thinking. It helps me get over a hump when I'm stuck in the middle of a story.... but it never really helps to get something started when I'm not sure where to start.

[vriddy]

This is tough. I don't have much advice beyond what you already tried and sprints with friends (to keep them fun!). Maybe trying to write a different, short, no pressure project to see if that gets the writing juices flowing again? Wishing you well and good luck.

[wearing_tearing]

It's really tough when that happens :(

I usually deal with that by setting ridiculous writing goals for myself like: today I need to open one of my docs and write 2 words. I can delete them tomorrow if I want to, but I have to get them down. This usually gives me a sense of accomplishment and like I'm making progress? Because before I had no words and, by doing this, I now have 2 \o/ And then that motivates me to add another 5 words or 10 or a full paragraph to my story :D

[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.

[demigodscum]

Ah, I've been in the exact same boat with regard to writing for a couple of months now. It's the whole reason I started vidding.

City Lights did a virtual session last year with adrienne maree brown and Alexis Pauline Gumbs, whose work I enjoy deeply, in which they talked a little about following Octavia Butler's (brown and Gumbs are both Butler scholars) philosophy. Basically, the advice is "Trust habits, don't wait for inspiration. Make yourself available to the work and take responsibility for it." So now I try to practice that. I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm slowly getting more consistent, I think. It helps to start by building routine — every evening, even if I know I'm not going to write, I open Scrivener and re-read bits of my wip or whatever. I also really like the advice wearing_tearing gives above, and I think it could work well in combination with this habit thing. I'm certainly going to give it a go.

Best of luck! May we all write all the words in our head soon.

[senmut]

Wanting to write and not being able to is a source of frequent frustration.

I have two methods to combat - ask for one word prompts and characters to do STRICT drabbles for. (this... doesn't work for writers who do long form only)

Or pick up a quick hobby/game/craft that I can do over a couple of days in the time I would usually write. That usually makes the muses come back from the fishing hole begging to get on with words.

[silveradept]

I'm reminded of the bit in Check Please! where Jack gets Bitty to write his thesis by poking him in the arguments and then letting Bitty blow up his phone with texts about how wrong he is about all of it. It may not be a perfect match for you, but if you have a friend who you can complain in long form at about all the things you want to write but we're having trouble with and have them ask prodding questions in return, maybe all you'll have to do is save your chat log and then polish it up?

[fairyniamh]

This has happened to me often. I am part of an LJ community where I do a monthly pledge to write 100 words a day. It's not many and even writing lists count.

If I can't fully think of anything to write, I will write random words... not always in English. If I find a foreign word I like (Schadenfreude: taking pleasure in someone's misfortune) I'll use that as a boost.

[apachefirecat]

Writing block BEYOND SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! But the next time you feel the ideas coming for what you would WANT to write, try to grab some alone time and something to write with/on RIGHT AWAY. No matter how badly you dislike what you're typing, keep it. Don't delete it. And keep typing just whatever comes to mind. Hopefully this will lead you to actually being able to write again. It's worked for me in the past, no matter how much I didn't like my own stories! LOL Best of luck, dear!!

[cmk418]

Writing sprints are generally good when you're trying to get the words out. During NaNo, we do something called "chain sprints" where you write for five minutes, pause for a minute, write for five more, pause for a minute, and then write for the last five minutes. With the breaks you get a little processing/refresher time that you wouldn't have if you force yourself to go for fifteen minutes straight. And usually even if you're stuttering through the first round, by the time you get to the last one, the words may be flowing.

I sometimes like to write a conversation between characters. It might not have anything to do with the story or assignment I'm supposed to be writing. Being able to hear their voices, to get their rhythms down, and insights as to what's making them tick are going to be important in the long run. You could even do it as an interview- "What do you think of X?" and then write what your character says.

Give yourself some grace. The words are there. Good luck!

[pianogurl330]

*HUGS* It's so frustrating when you get writer's block and it's not coming naturally! Or the ideas come at times when I can't write and then forget the idea/s. One idea a professor gave me once was to set a timer for 20-30 mins (or it could be shorter) and just write until the timer goes off. Don't worry about grammar or if it makes sense but just getting thoughts out. Sometimes that has worked for me, sometimes it hasn't. I hope you find something that can help! ♥

Good Luck!

[tsuki_no_bara]

i feel this so hard. i think the only thing that really works for me is a hard deadline imposed by someone else, because my desire to not let someone down is stronger than my inability to put words on a page. of course then i look at those words and think "ugh, this is so flat...." but at least they're out.