Authors of Lit: How do you keep writing?

[carsonbizotica]

I'm in the midst of writing a quick and dirty short story right now, and I've got it laid out in my head, but when I sit down to write, I might get a couple sentences out before my mind just flits away off onto something else, and I wander off. So how do y'all do it?

Help me please! I'm getting literary blue balls!

 

[avioletmuse]

I haven't posted any of my writings in Lit yet, but I've self published a bunch for the Kindle, Nook, Smashwords etc and I do fairly well.
What works for me is to literally leave my house and go somewhere else, whether it's a coffeeshop, library, park etc. I flesh it out on paper, away from the temptations of the internet , then go back and type it up/edit and what not.

Good luck!

 

[sr71plt]

It's different for different writers. Most of my stories form the fundamental story in my mind before I sit down and type them out. I don't try to force a story that hasn't at least begun forming in my mind already. My problem isn't writer's block; it's in clearing the time necessary to get one of the stories down that's already insisting on being written. I'm sure there are periods when there are no stories there, but I don't consider this writer's block; I consider it an opportunity to do some other activity I also enjoy doing.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm in the midst of writing a quick and dirty short story right now, and I've got it laid out in my head, but when I sit down to write, I might get a couple sentences out before my mind just flits away off onto something else, and I wander off. So how do y'all do it?

Help me please! I'm getting literary blue balls!

I find something to do that either relaxes my mind or makes it focus on something else. I have pool table at home so sometimes I shoot around while letting the words form in my mind

Other times I stay at the computer and pick up a book of Sudoku puzzles or play bookworm on Pogo I notice my mind seems fresher after that.

 

[PennLady]

Are you nervous or self-conscious about actually writing your thoughts down? I was a bit when I first started. Remember, though, no one has to see this if you don't want them to, so only you will know.

Otherwise, you just need to find what works for you. You might need distractions, you might need to shut yourself away. Like LC said, maybe you need to play a game or write on something else.

It sounds at this point like perhaps you need a bit of self-discipline -- I don't know how much writing you've done to this point, and if you aren't used to it, it's probably easy to let yourself get distracted.

But good luck!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

This sounds toxic but here it is: If you had a good story in your noggin it would jump out inspite of you. No one ever has trouble expressing a good tale. I suspect writers block is our better angels saving us from us.

 

[Trinique_Fire]

I had trouble writing until I stopped telling people about my work while in the midst of whatever story I was working on. Shit never got done that way.

 

[LucyH]

I have the opposite problem: I don't know how to stop.

But maybe the thing for you to do is just write 2 sentences at a time.

 

[Sugary_Comfort]

Usually if I can't seem to get some writing done, even though I want to write, it's because I either 1) don't have a clear idea of what I want to write or 2) I've gotten to a boring part and just don't feel like messing with it.

If #1 happens then I try and listen to some music or find something to watch that has the same tones as my story, that way I can get some inspiration. If #2 happens, I skip over the boring part and just go to a part I do want to write. I can always come back and fill in what I skipped later.

 

[TE999]

Life is full of distractions, so focusing on a story can be difficult at times. Find a quiet spot and mull over what you're writing about. Flesh out your characters a bit, make them more real. Try going for a more involved plot instead of a 'wham, bam, thank you ma'm' sort of story. If you're more involved, the story will tell itself.

Happy writing.

 

[TrentEvans]

I'm in the midst of writing a quick and dirty short story right now, and I've got it laid out in my head, but when I sit down to write, I might get a couple sentences out before my mind just flits away off onto something else, and I wander off. So how do y'all do it?

Help me please! I'm getting literary blue balls!

Some great advice here already, but I will throw in my two bits as well.

Mind flitting off onto something else? Don't fight it; follow it. I'm not talking free association or brainstorming (though those both have their places too), but rather letting it go and watching where it lands. A huge part of writing is letting your imagination take you where it wants to go.

I have the exact same problem at times, and I have learned to just start something else. The best way I have found to channel that tendency is to work on many ideas at once. If your story is in a rut, and you are struggling to grind out even a couple of sentences then put it aside.

Start something else, even if it's just the roughest of outlines or concepts. Your ideas for the new story will spur your creativity, and before you know it you've discovered a new direction, plot element, character quirk, whatever.

As long as you keep writing, your imagination will eventually kick into gear. Keep at it! Please let us know if you're making progress.

 

[nakdsub]

There are a couple of methods

I know a lot of people rely on tape recorders. The Beatles had one with them constantly, so does Keith Richards. Sometimes it's easier to talk out a story than to write it.
The other is to get a word processor that has a good, "outline," feature and do a complete outline before writing a word.
Personally, I think up my general plots while I'm in bed. The next night I'll sit down and start writing. Most of the time I have no idea where the story goes from one page to the other. If I try to think too far in advance I find I start rushing it.

 

[SweetWitch]

Chocolate.

 

[PoppingTom]

Chocolate.

Thanks.

This really helped

 

[SweetWitch]

Thanks.

This really helped

You're Welcome. (it fixes everything)

 

[TE999]

You're Welcome. (it fixes everything)

Diedre, my muse, loves the stuff. It keeps the little rascal close to home.