So, I’ve heard of writers block (I’ve even had it before), but my problem now isn’t so much I don’t know what to write. I know what I want to write, I even know the words I wanna use. For some reason though I’m unable to write for some reason, even though I’m really excited to! I figured I might try that whole ‘write a different scene’ thing, which I have never done before. Even stranger, I’m not really sure where to start with it. I’m a little OOC about everything being in there place.
I guess I’m asking for advice, seeing if anyone has been through this before? Sometimes I look at what I’m working on and just feel overwhelmed.
Everybody’s brain works differently, but for me, it’s all about outlining. There are days when I can’t put a single decent sentence together, but I can keep adding more and more detail to my outline. Eventually, I’ve added enough detail that the outline just starts to turn into the actual writing, kind of on its own.
The first sentence you write each day is almost always the toughest. It doesn’t matter how late you’ve stayed awake the previous night mentally advancing and fleshing out the story–that first sentence is still not going to come easy. Re-reading the past couple pages (or even the entire thing from the beginning) is a great way to focus on a chain of thought.
Focusing on the immediate, one sentence at a time helps make the process much less daunting. Hope that helps!
The main reason for me not to write sometimes is that there appear to be more exciting things to do :).
Out of the activities related to having a Hosted Games gamebook published, writing is by far my most favourite. Outlining comes a close second. Things like proofreading, coding, testing and debugging - they just need to be done in order for the whole exercise to make sense.
I know what I want to write, but I’ve got problems focusing and buckling down at times. This here forum is probably the biggest culprit when it comes to distraction funnily enough. =P Second being Youtube. Being without internets for a few days would probably work wonders.
Try making a list of what you should write/add/change, then tick them off as you fancy and if you can handle it, turn off the interwebs and turn off the tv. Personnally, music goes into that category as well for me, not even music that is supposed to help with concentration works. And I don’t even have ADD, ADHD or anything. Mrgrgr. Oh and remember that staring at a blank page is murder, writing anything at all is better than that. The same goes for looking in your scenes folder trying to figure out which one to work on.
Whenever I find myself unable to write, whether it’s a lack of ideas or just because I can’t get the words on the page for some reason, I just force myself to write anyway. After a few forced sentences, it starts to flow and I get back into it.
Wow, a lot of answers! I’ll try a few of these suggestions. I know I’ve been told a few times to ‘just write anyway.’ I might try that. I have made a list before! Then I write to the list more than to the writing itself. <.<’’ Sometimes I feel hopeless lool. And yes, the first sentence is always the one that I sit there on, just…wondering.
It’s a nice feeling that I’m not alone in this feeling though. That makes me feel more ‘normal.’
and that’s an amazing line from the story.