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Is this writer's block or have I completely lost interest?



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Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:04 am
WritingWolf says...



Most of you probably aren't aware, but last year I participated in NaNoWriMo's young writer program. It was just the young writer program so I wasn't worried about actually writing an entire novel, more-so about picking a word-count goal and actually meeting it. Because it was my first time I went with 15k.
I made my goal and had a lot of fun with it. The story grew around me as a wrought, and it was lovely. I could see the connects pulling together, how one character accidentally affected another, how said situation would cause something else, and things like that. It was breath taking.

But after NaNo I took a break. It was more for my family then for me (missing a family member for four hours a day was a little difficult for them to get used to). In January I went back an dabbled with the novel again. I enjoyed thinking about the plot and how it had evolved in just one month and possible paths I could take it on, but I had a hard time actually writing. At first I blamed that on how poorly-written what I had done was (usually things like that bother me a lot until I fix them). So I went and did some slight editing, but that was hard too. I just didn't want to work on it. I felt discouraged anytime I opened Word (even before pulling up the document with my story in it).
That wasn't all that bad. It was just writer's block. I had read a lot of stuff about writer's block and figured it wouldn't be that hard to get over. So I did what all the advice said. I wrought other things (that is why over the past few months I've gotten more into poetry), I thought about my story and came up with some new ideas for it, and generally didn't push it that much.
I'm not exactly sure when it was, I think it was March, I tried writing my novel again. I hardly did anything. The entire time I was thinking about a conversation I had had with my father near the very end of November talking about the length of my book. Based on all the plot twists and whatnot I have in store for my story, me and my father predict it will be somewhere between 100k and 150k words. I only have 15k. I just couldn't stop thinking about how much writing that will be.
It got kind of depressing so I just stopped working on it (which I know was a really bad move on my part). A couple weeks ago I decided that I need to do something about it. I started thinking about my story again, but nothing sounded inspiring. I was also thinking a lot about my poetry and which poems were better. I realized that the best poems were always the ones that I felt the strongest about. The ones that I really poured my heart out into. The ones with meaning.

So in the end I started thinking about what my story means. What is it for? I can't answer that question. As far as I can see it's just something I'm writing because it sounds like a really cool story (the kind of thing I would read). And honestly, the only reason I can see someone reading it is because they want something to read and don't have anything better.
I don't want that. I want to write something with a meaning, with a purpose. But I don't know what. There isn't anything that I feel strongly about that I know enough about or that has the right context to build a novel off of. I know I want to write a novel. I loved that feeling, in November, when I was spinning my story. I want to write a novel, but I can't do it just because.


So what I'm wondering is is this really writer's block? or is it something more? Have I got writer's block so bad that I'm coming up with excuses as to why I don't want to write my novel? Or is it that I genuinely don't want to write this anymore, and should find something else to write? How do I tell?
I don't know anymore. I just don't know.
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Mon Jun 23, 2014 10:45 am
Tenyo says...



Ew. Writers block.

This isn't an uncommon thing after Nano, or after any break. Remember, a page a day keeps the block away. There is no end to how useful this advice is.

Imagine it like running!

Let's say you go running every day, you get fit and healthy. At first you'll have to drag yourself out of bed, but after you get into the routine it just becomes natural. You even find you feel uncomfortable if you don't go running, because it's become a healthy and essential part of your every day life.

Then you stop for a while- maybe for a break, or an injury, who knows. A few months pass by, maybe even a year, and one day you stick your trusty old running shoes on and hit the road.

But you just can't do it. After a few minutes your chest is feeling tight, your insides are jiggling about, your legs are burning. To add to it, that neat little path you had worn out has overgrown again, so before you go running you'll have to spend a few days clearing the thorns and overhanging branches. There's no way you'll ever be able to cover your ten miles when you're struggling to even get around the corner, so what's the point in trying?

Writing is exactly the same. If you jump in expecting to meet the old demands, the old pace and enthusiasm, you'll get overwhelmed and discouraged easy. The trick is to start a little at a time.

Write a paragraph a day, just about your day or the thoughts in your head. Then start writing about your novel. Write about your characters, put them in new scenarios. Open them up with a fresh perspective and get to know them all over again, like you would with a friend you haven't seen in a long time. Take the plot holes and loose ends as opportunities, rather than obstacles. If it's been a while then you've probably got lots of fresh, new ideas to add to it.

It might also help to delete your last chapter. It might be that your ideas ran dry at that point, so getting rid of the dead end will let new things grow. Be prepared to abandon a few ideas and input some more. Often the reason some things seem to be unfixable is that we're just too stubborn to make the necessary changes, so be bold and go for it.

A story torn apart at the seams and stitched back together is better than a story left to die, right?
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Mon Jun 23, 2014 11:12 am
Blackwood says...



I see a clear distinction between Writers Block and Loss of Interest.

Writers Block can come either when you are working on a project or when you are not working on a project. Considering when you are no working on a project its impossible for you to lose interest in nothing, being stuck will always be writers block.

However when you are working on something I see the two defined as this.
Lost Interest: Your story no longer makes you feel happy, you no longer think about it, imagine it. It no longer calls to you. Its just a chore, its not something you look forward to. Its just another thing.
Writers Block: You love your story, you think about it all the time you want to write you really really want to write but you just can't. No matter what you can't express what you are feeling in your head.

Do take note, if interest is lost, it could be permanent, but it also could be temporary. Its common to lose interest in something then get inspired by it again later on.
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Mon Jun 23, 2014 12:30 pm
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Apricity says...



Writing Block is horrible, I hate it but it comes to every writer. What I'm going to say combines both of Blackwood's and Tenyo's advice together and a bit of my own. I don't think you're suffering from a loss of interest because that would mean you have absolutely no interest in pursuing this idea any further.

The case here I think is what I think a lot of writers go through when they think about their plots for too long. They start to question the whole purpose of their story, the whole point behind it and you get so sick of it that you think that the story is pointless but you still want to write it because the plot is cool. But you just can't get anything down, you force yourself too and whatever you write, you feel that is never as good as anything you've written before.

If the above is true, I believe you're suffering from the 'I don't have a meaning for my story' syndrome also known as, 'mid-plot crisis.' Combined with Writer's Block, is a nasty case but I'm suffering from it as well. So here's a few tips.

-Take a break from writing, do something else. Draw something, because writing endlessly about a single idea could make you even more blocked. Or like Tenyo say, start anew. You don't even have to write to a plot, just get random writing prompts and write those. Doesn't matter if it has no meaning or is crap, sometimes meanings will reveal itself when you least expect it. Or just read writing tutorials or random blogs.

http://www.writersdigest.com/ -> I spend a lot of my time browsing through some great tutorials on Writer's Digest. They've got some epic articles.

-Write about your feelings, starting a diary. I can feel the frustration in your words, lost about what to do and write. I notice that you said you write strongly about what you feel. I started keeping an online diary back around last year, my first few entries were great because they contained a lot of emotion as well as prose but after that, it went into a true diary style with me rambling. xD. What I'm saying is, you could start a similar thing. Maybe just write about your day in prose form or something, it doesn't even have to be every day.

Lastly, don't force yourself to write anything rash if you don't feel like you're up for it. Take a break from writing, it may be one month or one year but one day, you will come back to it. I remember last year I wrote furiously and my works were good, but this year I wrote even more but my works just flopped because I don't think I felt like writing for a lot of the times. I don't think you've lost interest, just that you're feeling a bit lost and frustrated.

Good luck and all the best!
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Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:52 pm
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WritingWolf says...



Thank you guys, that was really helpful. There are just two things that I don't think you understand...
1) I've been taking breaks from either writing in general or from writing my novel since January. (it doesn't seem to be helping)
2) I still have been able to write other things just fine. The only problem is my novel.

I think that @Tenyo might be right about the last chapter thing. I hadn't realized it until he said it, but I believe a lot of my frustration (not nearly all of it, but still a good portion of it) is coming from a scene in the most recent chapter. I should try redoing it.

Thank you for providing those descriptions @Blackwood
I think I might be somewhere in between. I still like the story when I think about it, and it kind of makes me happy. But I only think about it when I have something to remind me of it (it doesn't just pop into my mind like it used to). And I lose that happiness when I try to write it.

@SubtleSanity hit the nail on the head with how I'm feeling. I have definitely got this 'I don't have a meaning for my story' syndrome. But the things you suggested sounded a lot more like things to help with writer's block (advice which I will definitely look into, particularly the diary), not so much about how to get around my mid-plot crisis. Do you have any advice on things to help with that? Do I need to find a meaning for my story? Add one? Or is there already one there that I just can't see? Or maybe it's not important and I'm stressing over it too much, and that's the only reason it's a problem?
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Mon Jun 23, 2014 1:57 pm
Apricity says...



You are right about those advices, I wasn't specific enough. I suppose the only thing I can say is that you don't need a meaning for your story. Not every story has to have a clear meaning but I get how you feel again. I think the important thing is actually getting the idea down without worrying about the meaning, the message or the plotholes. That comes later. There is always a meaning within a story I believe, whether we see it or not but there is always one hidden there. I don't think you're stressing over it, is perfectly normal. I've stressed over it a lot myself, if you ever feel like you're head is going to burst from all the thinking. If you see me on the chatbar or even just send me a PM and we will try and solve this together. xD.
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Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:57 pm
Blackwood says...



Considering 2) I would certainly say you are losing interest in you novel. Try either starting a new project or going back to the source that originally inspired you to respark that interest.
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Mon Jun 23, 2014 7:44 pm
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Rosendorn says...



Well, if you're not interested in the story, then something's wrong with it.

I'd suggest dynamite.

You can still enjoy the characters and concepts, but if the plot twists aren't capturing your imagination anymore or you just don't like what you've got at all, then completely blowing up the plot and freeing yourself from its constraints is probably your best bet.

I do that fairly often. I'll look at my plot, go "nope not working", and cut until I'm happy with how it's working. It's a natural part of the process (I once cut about 10k because I introduced a plot arc that plain old didn't work) especially as you keep writing and think you know what's happening but not realizing that your idea is actually one that writes you in a corner.

Some of the things to ask yourself:

- Did the character behave out of character at one point, leading to a situation they'd never get into?
- Do I feel like I forced a plot arc into this when it wasn't what I really wanted?
- Did I kill tension somewhere in the story?
- Did I reveal something too soon?
- Has nothing happened in too long, so now I'm bored?

Those questions can help you figure out what went wrong.
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