Young Writers Society

This has happened to be before but I wasn't working on it nearly as long as you. Maybe if you just open up Word and start writing some brilliant idea will come to you and you'll have to write it. That's usually what happens to me.

Echoing the many other writers here, it just takes time. I'm on the second rewrite of a story of mine that i absolutely love to death. the first rewrite was crap and i didn't get far at all. sometimes it helps to think about it a lot and then you find the plotline you had isn't where the characters wanted to go. and as everyone else said, just open up word and write but if its becoming work to keep going take a break. nothing is worse than forced writing. good luck!

Whenever I'm stuck, I lock myself up in my room, turn on some music and try to daydream myself into the story. Also--it doesn't have to be good as long as you get the story down. That's what rewrites are for

Plain and simple, I forget about what I have written before and what I have yet to write. That forces me to focus on one scene at a time. Okay, so I think a little about what happened before, just so I can remember the place I left off, and I think a little about what happens next so I can have a direction, but that's it. The only thing I focus on is the scene I have to write.

Also, you might have just tapped the inspiration well dry for the moment. When that happens, I go onto another project or just stop writing until an idea keeps me up at night. An idea keeping you up at night because it is so cool is usually a great mentality to write in.

~Rosey

I don't know if this is still an issue or if you've figured out a way to resolve it, but things to consider:

- Find a couple of people who will listen to you talk about the story, people who will be willing to help you talk through characters, who will ask questions about your development and otherwise encourage you. That way you have people to turn to when you are having difficulties with plot or character, people who know these characters in and out, and that way you will always have someone asking you how the story is going.

- Get feedback for the what you've written so far. Ask people where they think the plot is going, ask them to analyze the characters — stuff like that helps to kickstart the creative juices (ugh I hate that term) and also helps to get you excited about writing the story. It also lets you know how people are receiving the story, and their plot/character ideas may inspire you in a certain direction if you are stuck.

- Just sit down and WRITE IT. Sometimes this doesn't work and the writing process becomes this miserable constipation of a creative effort. But a lot of times it is just creative constipation for the first little while, and then you start to remember the swing of things and your brain eventually starts leading the process and you're finally writing it, and not hating your life.

- You mentioned that the beginning of the story sounds awful and was written ages ago. You've also said that you've tried to go back and rewrite it. Maybe try to go back and rewrite it, but with a new approach? Maybe from the point of view of another character. Or maybe give your main character some new aspect: switch up their gender, give them a new personality trait. Start the story at a different spot.

- Write all over the place. Write all the bits that you want to write, the bits of the plot that you have formed clearly in your mind and are excited to write (I think everyone has those bits, the parts they can't wait to write, but maybe I'm wrong). Or start at the end and work your way backwards. Whenever you get blocked, skip to a part that you're unblocked at and keep writing. You can go back and fill up those spaces later but try writing everything that you want to write for now, and see where that gets you.

- Stop writing this story for a bit and maybe write a story in the same universe with the same characters, but with another character as the MC — maybe before or after the story that you're writing now. Like a spinoff story. It gives you a breather from the story but still keeps you close to the characters and story that you love.

- Stop writing the story altogether for a bit. Work on other projects. Maybe start another project that you've always meant to write but haven't gotten around to — and after that, when you're done with that one, you can try to go back to your other story and see if you feel ready to approach it again.

Good luck!