Can't finish anything off any more.

[jaF0]

I've got a few posted, but they're rough and unpolished. More like letters to Penthouse than short stories. And even that was a long time ago.

I've got several outlines and blocks of text and ideas, but I can't seem to get them into any form worth posting.

Brain just doesn't want to cooperate.

 

[RunningJib]

I've got a few posted, but they're rough and unpolished. More like letters to Penthouse than short stories. And even that was a long time ago.

I've got several outlines and blocks of text and ideas, but I can't seem to get them into any form worth posting.

Brain just doesn't want to cooperate.

What are you working on?

 

[TamLin01]

If you've got ideas then your brain is working just fine. The next part is up to your fingers: Writing is work, and sometimes you've got to force yourself to do work. Writing ANYTHING is better than writing nothing at all, so from a certain point of view it doesn't even matter what you're writing as long as it's ANYTHING at all. Even if what you're writing is terrible, make yourself do it. Have you ever read Anne Lamott's bit about the value of shitty first drafts (her phrase)? Best advice I ever got.

 

[Handley_Page]

I've got a few posted, but they're rough and unpolished. More like letters to Penthouse than short stories. And even that was a long time ago.

I've got several outlines and blocks of text and ideas, but I can't seem to get them into any form worth posting.

Brain just doesn't want to cooperate.

Don't think you are alone, please.
I have this all the time.

PS. Love the AV.

 

[StrangeLife]

We all have it sometimes. There is nothing to do but waiting it out and do something else for a while.

Inspiration is like love - you can't force it


http://s2.postimg.org/ql6uogi6x/Writers_Block.jpg

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The trouble is not knowing where your story is going at the start.

My sole E story took 5 years to write because it had no gag from the beginning. When the gag came along 5 years later it was simple yet perfect. So hatch the gag first, then write to it.

 

[sr71plt]

Or you could just not bother to write up anything and claim on the forum that you had a Green E. That doesn't require much effort.

I think StrangeLife gave a good response. You don't have to write if it's not happening for you.

 

[jaF0]

PS. Love the AV.

Slick, ain't it?

 

[slightcrazed]

Best cure for writers block is..... more writing (at least for me). I find that if I'm stuck with one story, ill move on to something else. If nothing creative comes to mind then I'll journal. If I don't feel like journaling then I'll do stream-of-consciousness writing or just put words on paper for the heck of it.

Thing is... I think we all get caught up in that 'where should I go with the story next' rut, and that always sucks. Good stories write themselves, in a way, so just stick with the practice of writing and wait it out until your mind becomes more fertile.

If all else fails take a break for a bit. I find that reading sometimes spurs more writing, so pick up a good book and get to reading. Change it up.

Best of luck.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Or you could just not bother to write up anything and claim on the forum that you had a Green E. That doesn't require much effort.

I think StrangeLife gave a good response. You don't have to write if it's not happening for you.

Bite me, Worm.

 

[lovecraft68]

Or you could just not bother to write up anything and claim on the forum that you had a Green E. That doesn't require much effort.

I think StrangeLife gave a good response. You don't have to write if it's not happening for you.

Much easier to believe JBJ has an E than the endless stream of falsities you claim

 

[GPLockwood]

I agree with Strangelife. Some people might be able to force creativity in themselves, but I find that I can't, and it's even worse when there is pressure and a deadline. If you have the luxury to do so, take the pressure off of yourself and let the story work itself out like a program running in the background on your computer. Sleep on it. If you're on a deadline, try working at hours of the day when you're NOT at the top of your game, either early in the morning or late at night. According to an article published on February 8, 2012 by Dr. Sian Beilock, Ph.D. in Psychology Today, there is clinical evidence indicating you're actually more likely to perform better in creative tasks at times of the day when you might normally regard your cognitive abilities as not being at their peak.

I find that I'm never happy with the results if I try to force myself to write when I'm not in the mood. Some of the old professionals here can do it perhaps, but I can't.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Seems to me we've all had periods like that. Deep breaths. Relax. This, too, shall pass.