Young Writers Society

It's been a looooong time since I actually did any creative writing, and this summer I resolved to try and start again. Only thing is, it feels like I've forgotten how! I have a lot of little snippits of thoughts that I think "Oh that would be interesting to have in a story", but when it comes to actually writing, I am just left staring at a blank page with a mind full of indecipherable noise.

So, hit me. Have any of you had long writing breaks? How did you beat the block? How do I stop overthinking and start doing? What do I even want to write about?

All ideas welcome.

I'm having the same problem! What's getting me through it is basically just word-vomiting onto a page lol. I just start writing and of course its awful but it gets my brain thinking and i can always cut stuff out and rewrite anything that has potential.

I was trying to pick prompts but I quickly found that I was having this barrier of perfectionism. I think I've forgotten how to word-vomit! But I did have a bit of a think, and realise that maybe I could use my own barriers as a theme and play around with that. So I actually got some words out this evening which felt liberating...

But it was tough to feel like I was really expressing what I wanted. It was tough to find the thoughts I was trying to reach for, and the right words for what I wanted to say.

I guess the only answer to that part is to stick with it though?

What are you word-vomiting about?

I've never taken a *long* break from creative writing, unless you count long breaks from "serious" creative writing, but I'd second the word vomit option

Something else that I also find good to do when it's hard to find the words is to

1. add brackets and write a summary of what you intend to convey, for example in the middle of something I'd write [insert a conversation between characters A and B where they foreshadow what happens in scene X] and then move on to the part I feel I can write (and save the unknown part for later) or

2. open a separate document or use a second sheet of paper and start writing bullet points describing what I'd like to have in that part. Sometimes I draw spider diagrams of different groups of images until I find a word that fits the line I'm working on in a poem.

I also used to like writing pieces with the intention that they be as bad or poorly thought-out as possible, because it's funny and entertains me and it takes some of the stress or weight out of writing. (Write the worst poem you can. was a favourite thread of mine)

Good luck with the writing!

Ohh! Those two tips I think are perfect for my overthinking. I know roughly what I need to put in but stress that I need to write all those bits in order, but actually having that summary and being able to tackle seperate bit and then work them together seems like something I could really work with. Thank you!

This is so relatable. Getting into the zone and actually trying to have an idea of what to write is incredibly hard for me.
My advise is to find something you're really interested in! For example, I really like acting, and I once tried to write a story about a character who also enjoyed it. It didn't go anywhere, but at least I got writing! (For like... 10 minutes.)
You can also look through old story ideas that you've had and see if you still like them. Maybe you can combine some. (That's what I did!!)
You can also take a look at things that make you excited, particularly other stories. It doesn't have to be a book either! Maybe there's a cartoon you really like that just gets you excited for some reason.
Or there's an event in your life that super exciting, and you can write about how you think it should turn out.

It differs from person to person how to get into "a writing habit." For some, it's just sitting down and cranking out a bunch of words of nonsense! Others, taking a walk outside. I try to find ways that I can get motivated. For example, I've really wanted to try NaNo for a while. All the community and support around it really helps me and I can actually get going for a little while.

Hopefully that was at least a little helpful.

It was helpful thank you!

I think the common theme is to find the thing that I feel strongly about writing about, that gives me some inspiration. Playing around with these suggestions I am sure now that for me that is more about a feeling I want to express, so if I can take that feeling and put it into a world that gives me the freedom to get creative with it, then I reckon something will flow.

But routine is a great point too. I've forgotten the whole process of starting to write and getting my brain in the mode, so I probably also need to find the place that makes me feel creative and find a routine for starting the juices flowing again.

I think the hardest part was just starting, so fingers crossed I can be disciplined enough to follow it through and get a short story out there and use that as the start point.