Can You Break Out of a Slump?

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

I am definitely in a slump. I haven't written anything at all for a couple of months now. It's not writer's block. I have ideas. I have a couple of stories in progress. But when I finally find the time to sit down at the computer and write, the words just won't come.

My characters used to chatter away in my head, and I'd record their conversations. They've been silent for a long time now. The last story I finished... it felt kind of forced. Like if I didn't get it done by the Geek Pride deadline, then it would just never be finished. So I forced myself to finish it.

I enjoyed writing. I miss writing. I very much want to write something, but none of my stories seem to want to be written.

I can't be the only one this has happened to, can I? Does anyone have any tips for breaking out of a slump? Or is this just something I have to wait out?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[SimonDoom]

I sympathize, although my problem is a bit different. If I open up the story and force myself to sit before the keyboard, I can almost always write. My problem is I get distracted with other things and don't open up the story. I'm extremely undisciplined when it comes to writing fiction.

One recommendation: forget contests and events. I like the idea of posting stories for contests, but more often than not it doesn't work for me. I write at my own pace and for my own purposes. I suggest you do the same, if you're having some problems.

Open up your story on your computer/phone/whatever (I use a desktop computer for all my story writing). Focus on the character. What is his/her need? What interesting erotic concept does he/she confront? Put your character in a sexy/interesting situation, and just let the story happen.

Based on your success to date, you know you can do this.

 

[jaF0]

Stopped counting years at about 25 and no indication of any let up yet.

 

[rescatooor]

Been there.

It's also ok to take time off. Maybe eventually inspiration will strike and it will be something you feel like you can and want to write.

Try meditation and building up a routine. It's ok not to write, but try and reserve a time and place for it to see if that will get the stone rolling.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I hope it's possible. My normal turtle speed muse has morphed into snails.

 

[HeyAll]

1. I've always felt like the mind is like the body. If you workout a lot, all year round, your body wants a break. Hormones will drop for a while. Then they go back up.

2. I keep my mind open for new ideas. Everything is a plot point. News, tv, movies, pictures. Look for anything that inspires.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Usually I have several things going at once, so if one falters, I can go to another one. Or I do something else besides writing that day.

Also, these things take time. Over a year ago, someone asked for a sequel. I said, "I have to think of one first, if ever." It's finally in the pending folder.

 

[_Lynn_]

I am definitely in a slump. I haven't written anything at all for a couple of months now. It's not writer's block. I have ideas. I have a couple of stories in progress. But when I finally find the time to sit down at the computer and write, the words just won't come.

My characters used to chatter away in my head, and I'd record their conversations. They've been silent for a long time now. The last story I finished... it felt kind of forced. Like if I didn't get it done by the Geek Pride deadline, then it would just never be finished. So I forced myself to finish it.

I enjoyed writing. I miss writing. I very much want to write something, but none of my stories seem to want to be written.

I can't be the only one this has happened to, can I? Does anyone have any tips for breaking out of a slump? Or is this just something I have to wait out?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I went something like four years without posting a story. I didn't write during that time either. My focus was on my health. Writing was waiting in the background for the day I was ready.

Did I miss writing? Yes. Did I want to complete old starts? Yes. But I didn't worry about it.

 

[SamScribble]

It has been a very long time since I last found myself ‘stuck in the mud’. But, back in the days when I did occasionally find myself in such a predicament, I found that a pretty reliable way out was to try to ‘improve’ on something that I had already written – preferably something with which I was already pretty happy.

Among the good things about this approach are, first, you are not starting with a sometimes-daunting blank page. Second, the evidence that you can write is right their in front of you. And, third, you’re moving forward from the first keystroke.

Often, after just a few pages of tweaking, I would find myself back on the road and firing on all twelve cylinders.

Good luck.

 

[NotWise]

That happens. I worked on the end of "A Valentine's Day Mess" for months after last year's Summer Lovin' contest without really being able to write anything. Everything felt forced. Everything was written and re-written.

I had new stories gnawing at my brain, and I let myself synopsize those stories -- not really writing them, more like planning them -- and that started things flowing a little and let me finish "Mess."

That was like a dam breaking.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Sometimes it happens for a reason. I had a close relative die in November 2019 and I was very depressed. I wrote less and less until I finally stopped. I had a therapist who said (in March 2020), "Just give it fifteen minutes a day and see how that goes."

I thought, "I can't just give this up." I had to force myself to look at something I had left half done. The first day, I spent two hours on it. After that, I quickly recovered.

 

[LAHomedog]

It happens to everyone.

Mix it up. Change where you write, what you write on, how you write, why you write.

Change where you get your inspiration. Sometimes it's a life experience, sometimes a book, sometimes a movie or TV show, or something you overhear.

Maybe change what category you write in or give yourself a challenge.

On occasion I like to pick a friend and put her name on my computer, picture her in my mind reading my story and then write it for her.

Good luck.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I'm not in slump but a rut. Every time I get a request for a story, for the last two years or so, is always a interracial cuckold story. I'm doing one, in my free moments, right now. I always swear this is the last one, only it never is. I don't know how to turn down a person when they aren't unreasonable in the request and have at least the semblance of an outline. Well, as long as they are nice in the communications.

 

[LilyWaters]

I am definitely in a slump. I haven't written anything at all for a couple of months now. It's not writer's block. I have ideas. I have a couple of stories in progress. But when I finally find the time to sit down at the computer and write, the words just won't come.

My characters used to chatter away in my head, and I'd record their conversations. They've been silent for a long time now. The last story I finished... it felt kind of forced. Like if I didn't get it done by the Geek Pride deadline, then it would just never be finished. So I forced myself to finish it.

I enjoyed writing. I miss writing. I very much want to write something, but none of my stories seem to want to be written.

I can't be the only one this has happened to, can I? Does anyone have any tips for breaking out of a slump? Or is this just something I have to wait out?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm pretty new on here, but a little piece of advice that helps me is to start in the middle. Or even at the end. If there's a little piece of dialogue that I want to include, I write that down. Shaping a whole story can be daunting. You have the ideas - just start with the little kernel of an idea, and write "outward" from there. That helps me, sometimes.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I sympathize, although my problem is a bit different.

Yeah, like setting challenges for other authors.

I should say write your own bloody story, but you know me, always up for a challenge .

 

[gunhilltrain]

I'm not in slump but a rut. Every time I get a request for a story, for the last two years or so, is always a interracial cuckold story. I'm doing one, in my free moments, right now. I always swear this is the last one, only it never is. I don't know how to turn down a person when they aren't unreasonable in the request and have at least the semblance of an outline. Well, as long as they are nice in the communications.

What is so interesting about interracial cuckold stories? It seems like their preoccupation, not yours. That's why I rarely take requests or suggestions for a story or sequel, maybe two or three times. I think I can come up with better ideas than what most of them suggest. Frankly, most of what they want seems trite or implausible.

A couple of times there were good suggestions that I haven't written yet - maybe not for a while, maybe never.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I hope so. I'm in one now. I can come up with all kinds of ideas, start typing and halfway through the story... BAM! I hit a wall. It really hurts too.

 

[gordo12]

What is so interesting about interracial cuckold stories?

Double taboo. And the Incels hate them if you post them in LW. Strangely enough, the more the incels scream about them belonging in I/R, the more they show up in LW. It could be someone trolling. Also, the black guy/white wife is a common cuck fantasy. Right up to impregnation and the subsequent embarrassment to the male when a black baby shows up.

I am definitely in a slump. I haven't written anything at all for a couple of months now. It's not writer's block. I have ideas. I have a couple of stories in progress. But when I finally find the time to sit down at the computer and write, the words just won't come.

My characters used to chatter away in my head, and I'd record their conversations. They've been silent for a long time now. The last story I finished... it felt kind of forced. Like if I didn't get it done by the Geek Pride deadline, then it would just never be finished. So I forced myself to finish it.

I enjoyed writing. I miss writing. I very much want to write something, but none of my stories seem to want to be written.

I can't be the only one this has happened to, can I? Does anyone have any tips for breaking out of a slump? Or is this just something I have to wait out?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I hear you. I've been opening stories lately and sitting there staring at them. I know WHAT I WANT to write. But it won't connect to the fingers.

A friend of a friend told me that some people write better when horny

 

[MillieDynamite]

What is so interesting about interracial cuckold stories? It seems like their preoccupation, not yours. That's why I rarely take requests or suggestions for a story or sequel, maybe two or three times. I think I can come up with better ideas than what most of them suggest. Frankly, most of what they want seems trite or implausible.

A couple of times there were good suggestions that I haven't written yet - maybe not for a while, maybe never.

I appreciate my readers and want to write to please them as long as it doesn't weird. The first time I received a request, the story was a snap to write and with his small description my mind's nasty meter went into overdrive.

After that one, the cuckold story request kicked in. I did a little research, went to a cuckold chat site, solicited help from bulls and cucks, and got a ton of suggestions, most were garbage, some stuff was entertaining, and some was useful.

Of course, as with political polls, you're never sure whose truthful and who isn't. It seems like those that like that type of story really love them, and those that don't would roast you over an open pit and invite their friends over dinner.

Enough said.

 

[gunhilltrain]

"Originally Posted by gunhilltrain

What is so interesting about interracial cuckold stories?

Double taboo. And the Incels hate them if you post them in LW. Strangely enough, the more the incels scream about them belonging in I/R, the more they show up in LW. It could be someone trolling. Also, the black guy/white wife is a common cuck fantasy. Right up to impregnation and the subsequent embarrassment to the male when a black baby shows up."

It was a rhetorical question; I knew the answer. I suspect that this been of interest since 1619.

Yet big budget Hollywood films like Monster's Ball (monstrous balls?) and The Bodyguard invert the trope.

 

[MillieDynamite]

"Originally Posted by gunhilltrain

What is so interesting about interracial cuckold stories?

Double taboo. And the Incels hate them if you post them in LW. Strangely enough, the more the incels scream about them belonging in I/R, the more they show up in LW. It could be someone trolling. Also, the black guy/white wife is a common cuck fantasy. Right up to impregnation and the subsequent embarrassment to the male when a black baby shows up."

It was a rhetorical question; I knew the answer. I suspect that this been of interest since 1619.

Yet big budget Hollywood films like Monster's Ball (monstrous balls?) and The Bodyguard invert the trope.

I wasn't trying to answer the question of why it's interesting to people, just that I have researched their interest to write a better story for them. I don't see a taboo in interracial encounters like others do. I know the myths are just myths as well.

Yeah, I have romance story in the works that white man black woman but it is very personal, to me, as it is based on an event in my adoptive fathers life.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to offer advice. I'm glad to hear so many can relate. I mean, not glad others have been in a slump, but glad I'm not alone. It sounds like the overwhelming opinion is that I just need to wait it out, which is what I was afraid of. In the meantime, there have been a few suggestions that are worth trying while I wait.

One recommendation: forget contests and events.

Easy enough. I do find deadlines to be motivating, but at this point, I'm not willing to commit to one.

Try meditation and building up a routine. It's ok not to write, but try and reserve a time and place for it to see if that will get the stone rolling.

Yeah, that's going to be tricky. The pandemic threw my family's routines into chaos, and with all of the re-openings and re-closings, it's been hard for anyone to settle into new ones. Maybe the pandemic is what I need to wait out. But maybe I need to try harder to carve out my own routine within the chaos.

It has been a very long time since I last found myself ‘stuck in the mud’. But, back in the days when I did occasionally find myself in such a predicament, I found that a pretty reliable way out was to try to ‘improve’ on something that I had already written – preferably something with which I was already pretty happy.

It's not so much that I'm "stuck in the mud". More like "I can't bring myself to turn the ignition." The idea of "improving" a previous work is intriguing though. I actually have a problem with fiddling with my stories while I write them. I have to publish them just so I stop fiddling with them. So maybe I'll let myself do that for a while and see what happens.

I let myself synopsize those stories -- not really writing them, more like planning them -- and that started things flowing a little and let me finish "Mess."

I have outlines sort of sketched out in my head. Maybe it would do me good to actually write them out. That is a different kind of writing, like LAHomedog suggests.

Mix it up. Change where you write, what you write on, how you write, why you write.

That's not a bad idea. I've had a couple of technical-writing projects bouncing around for a while. They'll need some research, and they won't be useful, or probably even interesting to anyone but me, and certainly not something for Literotica. But maybe playing with those will help.

I'm pretty new on here, but a little piece of advice that helps me is to start in the middle. Or even at the end. If there's a little piece of dialogue that I want to include, I write that down.

Excellent advice for writer's block, and something I frequently do myself. A lot of stories go through a phase where they are disjointed scenes with ### in between and I finish them by going back and writing the connections. It hasn't really helped me recently though. I can't seem to bring myself to write any scene, no matter where in the story it happens.

Usually my issue when I hit a slump is I'm trying to force stories I'm not passionate about and when the right one comes along it just frees me up to dive right in and start writing again.

Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm not passionate about the stories I have in progress. Maybe I need to put them aside and find something new that inspire me more.

A friend of a friend told me that some people write better when horny

Well, that's certainly worth a try.

Thanks again for the advice and support everyone.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think the best strategy is just to force yourself. Sit at the computer, or wherever you compose, open up the story. Make yourself write. Just do it. The Nike slogan philosophy.

You may think, this is just crap. But that's how Ernest Hemingway felt. He thought most of what he wrote was crap, and he had to edit it, and he did, and he did pretty well for himself.

This is easy for me to say, and I offend this principle as much as anyone. I'm a lazy and undisciplined and inconsistent writer. But I have found that if I just open up the document in Word and make myself hit the keyboard with my fingers, it works as well as any other strategy.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I think the best strategy is just to force yourself. Sit at the computer, or wherever you compose, open up the story. Make yourself write. Just do it. The Nike slogan philosophy.

You may think, this is just crap. But that's how Ernest Hemingway felt. He thought most of what he wrote was crap, and he had to edit it, and he did, and he did pretty well for himself.

This is easy for me to say, and I offend this principle as much as anyone. I'm a lazy and undisciplined and inconsistent writer. But I have found that if I just open up the document in Word and make myself hit the keyboard with my fingers, it works as well as any other strategy.

I was going to say exactly the same thing, but in words Loqui will understand - having written a collab with him I will take writer bro privileges:

Just write the fucking story, you bastard .

 

[TadOverdon]

I hit a slump two-thirds of the way through our current book.

I did what I've done in the past, which was to begin revising the book from the beginning. Usually, an hour or two of rewriting gets me un-stuck.

It took me a month to revise the first chapter of this book. Aggh!

Part of it is that the book is rather a mess, with details and backstory and the personalities of supporting characters being adjusted on the fly in the knowledge that a front-to-back revision would be a real effort. Still...

Finally, just recently, I discovered something important about revising that I should have known and that other writers probably all know: instead of rewriting a problem paragraph sentence-by-sentence, rearranging sentence order and structure and vocabulary, cross the paragraph out and write a new paragraph that accomplishes what you meant to do to begin with.