Where is my inspiration?

I wasn't sure whether I should post this in Writer's Corner or here... oh well.

*sigh* I haven't written a word in five months. I just have no inspiration! I had some drafts I was going to continue working on, but I re-read them, and found them to be simply awful. I had to refrain myself from erasing the whole thing off my computer.

I've actually been thinking about leaving YWS. All I ever do these days is critique others' work. I feel like an impostor, a fake among writers.

I was just wondering where everyone here gets their inspiration. Do plots just come to you? Are there any strategies you use? I just feel that I need to write something before I go mad.

Sorry, I know this wasn't really a question, but I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

Thanks in advance,
Sakura

I currently have the exact same problem I haven't written in a dedicated way since summer vacation. I actually think that my particular problem is because of my tension depression, but still. I don't know what causes someone's muse to fade, but I have a few suggestion as to how to get it back:

-Write something. I know that this sounds simple, and pointless as to what the problem is, but it does help. Choose a topic, preferably something you are passionate about or is something rather controversial, and just begin writing. Slowly change from your perspective to that of a "character". It doesn't necessarily have to be an actual character that you currently have, but just slowly draw it from your personal belief, to something somewhat similar, until it becomes a different person altogether.

-Begin writing and DON'T post what you write. Worrying about posting something makes you anxious about as to whether someone will like it or not. Write it for your eyes only.


Sorry if this doesn't help you
-Lydia

I think everyone has that problem, so don't worry about it. In the last 4 months, I've only written 2 pieces because the inspiration hasn't been there. However, I'm finding that by doing things like entering contests and doing short writing promps are finally getting the gears back in motion. Sometimes giving yourself a goal to really work for can help.




And please don't leave. *grabs Haruno Sakura and holds on tight* We'd miss you and your wonderful reviewing skills too much.

I was the same for awhile. Critiques only for two months. Then I started getting some insperation back.

Nowww, as for this little problem. My answer would be: Learn. I kid you not, learning about history, characters, plot-lines, whatever can generate plot ideas. It works for me almost every time. Another place that helps is reading new books, but that could just be that I hardly read outside critiquing.

But, if that doesn't help, I was going through the Knowledge Base and I came across this little article on writer's block.

Hope this helps!

~Rosey

P.S.- I was tempted to chain you to YWS, but that would just be mean.

That's too bad. I'm a patient person for that reason when my inspiration leaves me I'm fine with it. I just do something besides writing. What do you enjoy to do outside of writing. Think about it and do that. For me being patient is what inspires me. You see when I force inspiration say for a school project it comes out rushed and pedantic. If literally don't think about it for a long time eventually I'm hit with an awesome idea.

Note this way takes a lot of patience. I decided I was going to be a writer when I was in 3rd grade. My first great idea didn't come till seventh. Worse was the time it took to put together my latest idea. I've been trying the clone idea since 7th grade. I'm in twelfth now so that's five years of writers block.

I'm not saying you should take a major break like this. Just keep what you do simple.

Don't erase anything off your computer or throw anything out, no matter how bad it seems. You're going to want it when you're old and grey!

Don't leave YWS! You don't need to be super active all the time - sometimes I leave for a month at a time when I'm not into writing as much. I would say to crit as much as possible. I always feel inspired to create when I read something really good by someone else.

I get inspired by what happens to me. Like yesterday this boy fron student council came into homeroom to talk to us and I just felt inspired by the way he leaned against the wall and squinted his eyes to relay the experience. If it's really bothering you, I would say just sit down, pick up a pen, and write something - anything! Don't worry about how good it is or whether it has a plot.

Good luck!

I've encountered the same problem, Sakura. I've found myself so focused on critiquing that I barely write in my novel anymore.

But I'm just getting started here at YWS. I'll just have to find time for novel-writing, too!

Thanks a lot, guys! I'm trying to devote my study hall period or down time to just scribbling down things in a notebook. With a little work, I might be back to writing soon.

*sigh* I haven't written a word in five months. I just have no inspiration! I had some drafts I was going to continue working on, but I re-read them, and found them to be simply awful. I had to refrain myself from erasing the whole thing off my computer.

I know the feeling. XD I've got four stories that I just can't be bothered to work on because every time I read over what I have, the writing corner of my brain just shuts down while my inner editor commits suicide.

Based on my own experiences, I'd suggest putting those stories aside and forgetting about them for now. I've found that when I'm forcing myself to write something, the results are either terrible or nonexistent, and if I keep forcing myself, eventually I come to hate the story. Taking a break from those frustrating stories keeps me from deleting their sorry bytes from my harddrive, and I usually find the motivation directed towards one of the other writing projects that I had given up on, else a new project is born.

You can never have too many potential stories. XP

I was just wondering where everyone here gets their inspiration. Do plots just come to you? Are there any strategies you use? I just feel that I need to write something before I go mad.

There's a place to get inspiration? :P In my case, it's more of a question of where do I not find inspiration and will I get the chance to write it down before I forget it? I've found, though, that when you spend extra effort to look for inspiration, it likes to become a nigh uncatchable beastie, rivaling the sheer evasiveness of the ever-elusive Muse. So, basically, I say don't try to find inspiration; let inspiration find you.

As for plots, plots don't just come to me, per se. The characters, however, do. Every once in a while, a new one will come along and pitch his or her tent up in some corner of my mind before proceeding to make a right nuisance of themselves. The most vocal ones tend to get their own stories as the more quiet characters migrate and form camps around the loud ones' tents. Conflict thus arises from how those characters in the same and different camps interact among themselves. And so is a plot born. XD

I've found that setting aside the same time each day for writing and writing alone helps induce the writing bug to bite. Also, making writing something comfortable to do rather than stressful also helps. Try to not focus on that you haven't written anything in a while; instead, remember what it is about writing you enjoy so much and the reason why you write in the first place. That usually does the trick for me. :D

Whenever I look back at something I've written I get a big shock: Most of it is atrocious. But I keep writing telling myself that it will improve over time. And it does... I've had certain tendencies to throw away old works and start with them from scratch, but I don't because I like to watch myself improve. Yes, when it comes to writing, I find that whatever I write just writes itself. Some of it ends up good, some of it ends up bad, but I learn more about writing with every word that I write.

And there are those occasional glimpses of a sudden inspiration and when I come upon the right one, I want to be able to do it justice. Even if my piece that I'm working on is mediocre, I feel that I grow. New ideas, new inspiration comes with every thing I write.

I also get my inspiration from what I read. Nothing is truly original, but if you take a bit of deadly chlorine, and mix it with deadly sodium, you get a relatively harmless table salt. When you see what other people write, you find new ideas yourself.

Please don't stop writing. It's just really important to keep writing even when things get you down. If you give up on writing, and suddenly a streak of inspiration strikes, you won't know what to do with it.

When I want to write something, I think of a situation, ask myself what could go wrong, what else could go wrong, and finally what else could go wrong. Then comes the hard part, making it go write. It's a solid place to start.

Good luck with the writers block, and have a good one!

Oh yeah, I forgot one more thing about deleting works (I tell you, that trash bin is evil! xD) And, not, it's not simply "don't do it."

Before I started my current project, I had a bunch of stories with no ending. Or plot. Or anything. They got deleted off my lap-top (my lap-top is a dinosaur, so I wanted more space) but I kept them on a flash drive. Fast forward about three years, and on one of my photography treks I came across an idea for one of those old stories! Yes, the plot is totally different then it was, but I got the names of two characters and with a little modification, I got the way they meet. Good thing I didn't delete them, eh?

Try FreeWriting

Everybody has their down time, don't stress it.
I've found that hunting for inspiration with a gun makes it run. : [

I recently got over a block by 1) trying some new activities that were pressure free like beading and pottery.
Also, 2) drink lots of water and get plenty of exercise. 3)Clear your mind with some fun games like 3D Logic 2.
And finally, get out there and live life. It's doing things, seeing new places, meeting new people, etc. that gives me inspiration.

G'luck!

Don't even think about leaving YWS!!!!! Everyone has hard times like these, you just need to think a while. You can read my post on tips that help me out out in the main... uh... well, I just had a major brain blank. But! I did post tips! I just... completely forgot what it's called. I'm gonna go before I ramble so long that you eyes fall off!

i have the same problem, what I do to stop it is write. Not writing a actual story or anything, I write to myself, I'll give you an example,

"Hey, how's it going? I'm doing good, you? Just spiffy, nice weather we're having. You bet, I haven't seen this much pretty weather since the spring of 1977."

Then, if I really want to, I start writing about the spring of 1977. It works for me, give it a try! I can't hurt!