So I think college has killed my drive to write.

And probably my sense of prose, too. I'm majoring in English and I've only written a few (very) short stories this summer. Is - is this common? Will I ever get my groove back? IT'S SO FRUSTRATING ASDKJAL. xD I'm pretty sure I can just pump out prose on command, I just don't ... have the drive to do it on my own, without a deadline and a grade to work for. But I still like to write plots and create characters and plan out their lives. Should I just force myself to write something everyday, no matter how bad?

Has school clobbered any of you guys in this way? :'D

Yes, you should. Write every day, that is.

I am in biochemical engineering, so writing is my escape from that. I don't write as often as I used to when I was younger though.

Yeah, I should really start doing that. :/ And I totally know the feeling! I used to just write prolifically when I was younger and now when I have the time, I don't feel like it, haha.

Uni destroyed my writing drive, too. But then I was always a pretty lazy writer.

I'm also most definitely a lazy writer - unless I have something to say, though I do journal more than anything else of late (and letter write). To that effect, I was also an English major, and I learned more about how to write by studying lit. and writing about it than anything else has taught me - ever. I wouldn't worry over much about not writing much, as it were, just don't stop reading! Course books, any books, old favorites! I may not have written much during uni, but what I did write most definitely had the benefit of what I'd been reading/analyzing/choking down during classes, and in writing papers about what I'd read.

Plus, uni = stress, which =/= conducive writing environment, per se So I'd say continue to write out plots and characters and their lives to your heart's content! Don't force yourself to do anything that will make you miserable, especially if you're writing something - and I think that creative outlet is just fine. Every time you write anything - yes, including those long, tedious analysis papers! - you're working on your craft in some manner, so just keep that in mind and you'll be fine, I think!

Everything Snoink says. Just make it 'biotechnological engineer.'

I'm in a highly creative field, so by the end of school I was completely burned out. So what I did was sleep. I tossed the characters around in my head when I was bored, but basically let all creative energy rest because I needed to. Somewhere between three and six weeks of doing this, I got some itch to write. But the scene I was faced with was harder to write, so I put it off for another month. xD Eventually I just knuckled down and managed to put out about 3/4 thousand in a month and a half.

So what worked for me was rest. If you put out a lot of creative energy in school, then you're probably just burned out.

Having a roommate 4 feet away from my desk most of the time really killed the mood. Couldn't do much but expel creative energies in other media: visual, theater, music...

When I finally got my own place and some alone time, I still couldn't churn out larger pieces. So I began "journaling."

I bought a nice, pretty journal that felt good to the touch...one that just made you feel wiser and comfortable by holding it. And I brought this journal with me everywhere: to class, walking, on public transit, to parks, to parties. And whenever I was struck, I would pull it out and write tidbits and morsels: in class, on public transit, on a bench, or after the party (I'm not such a nerd to interrupt a party to write!).

Everyday or so, maybe a couple paragraphs a day.

And now that I do have more time to write now, looking back on this journal, there's some stuff worth pursuing (a lot of trifling stuff, too).

It'll get better soon!

Edit: another important part was a good pen. Not just a Bic or something that you have to scrawl in the margins to make write. My favorite was a uniball pen that seemed to bleed a little on the page sometimes. Depending on the angle and lingering pause on the page, it would react differently. Give a life of its own. You never had to worry about whether or not it would write...only whether or not you could read it later.

Not in college yet, but I WILL FIGHT THIS PLAGUE if it comes. I don't want to be so exhausted I can't even think about writing.