Words flowing like a river, then drought. Argh!

[stickygirl]

Some time ago an author I was working with was impressed that I'd written 1,000 words in an hour or so. I shrugged "Is that a lot, then?"
At times my words run like a bath tap, then the pressure suddenly disappears and I'm watching the next drip bounce uncertainly at the rim, without ever falling.
I used to be terrified that it meant I'd lost lose interest in the project; the spark had gone; the wind had blown the seeds to the four corners.

Recently I started reading a huge tome - a collection of diaries and notes by Patricia Highsmith. I was fascinated to read how she went through the same highs and lows; angry that her words had dried; how she'd often spend weeks rewriting whole passages, uncertain if he had found the right tone.
Just now, I'm watching a recent interview of David Gilmour by Rick Beato and he describes how he and the band would struggle over songs for weeks, years even. Tunes that we all sing in the car as though the melody had always existed.

Perhaps what I'm describing is the difference between 'craft' and 'inspiration'? I think it reflects a confidence in one's ability "Don't stress - it'll come. Keep faith, keep mulling, keep the notepad open."

 

[EmilyMiller]

Some time ago an author I was working with was impressed that I'd written 1,000 words in an hour or so. I shrugged "Is that a lot, then?"
At times my words run like a bath tap, then the pressure suddenly disappears and I'm watching the next drip bounce uncertainly at the rim, without ever falling.
I used to be terrified that it meant I'd lost lose interest in the project; the spark had gone; the wind had blown the seeds to the four corners.

Recently I started reading a huge tome - a collection of diaries and notes by Patricia Highsmith. I was fascinated to read how she went through the same highs and lows; angry that her words had dried; how she'd often spend weeks rewriting whole passages, uncertain if he had found the right tone.
Just now, I'm watching a recent interview of David Gilmour by Rick Beato and he describes how he and the band would struggle over songs for weeks, years even. Tunes that we all sing in the car as though the melody had always existed.

Perhaps what I'm describing is the difference between 'craft' and 'inspiration'? I think it reflects a confidence in one's ability "Don't stress - it'll come. Keep faith, keep mulling, keep the notepad open."

I empathize

 

[StillStunned]

I think we all face it, at some point. Yesterday I wrote 2k words of a new story. Today I've rewritten one sentence of it.

Like all art, writing is a combination of inspiration and effort. Inspiration gets the story started, but it's the effort that gets it finished and published.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Some time ago an author I was working with was impressed that I'd written 1,000 words in an hour or so. I shrugged "Is that a lot, then?"
At times my words run like a bath tap, then the pressure suddenly disappears and I'm watching the next drip bounce uncertainly at the rim, without ever falling.
I used to be terrified that it meant I'd lost lose interest in the project; the spark had gone; the wind had blown the seeds to the four corners.

When you drip your word drops into a simple thread like this, it's such a delight to see them falling. You'll never run dry, Stickygirl!

Recently I started reading a huge tome - a collection of diaries and notes by Patricia Highsmith. I was fascinated to read how she went through the same highs and lows; angry that her words had dried; how she'd often spend weeks rewriting whole passages, uncertain if he had found the right tone.

Most poets have said the same - Sylvia Plath, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, immediately spring to mind

Just now, I'm watching a recent interview of David Gilmour by Rick Beato and he describes how he and the band would struggle over songs for weeks, years even. Tunes that we all sing in the car as though the melody had always existed.

Perhaps what I'm describing is the difference between 'craft' and 'inspiration'? I think it reflects a confidence in one's ability "Don't stress - it'll come. Keep faith, keep mulling, keep the notepad open."

That's my philosophy too - wait long enough, and if the words are there, they will come.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I was stuck for six months, producing almost nothing. Then I finished a novella and a novel (first draft) in about a month, writing something like 100 manuscript pages in that time.

I gather it happens to many writers.

--Annie

 

[Statius]

Where I'm at right now. No words. I think partly for me is I need to be in 1 characters head to write and I just can't get there right now, even with 2 drafts of well established characters. That and I've been going through a writing style change, that's been a huge pain in my ass adjustment, although a necessary one. So here I sit wasting time going through the threads I stead. *Sigh*.

 

[SkyBubble]

I'll have 6 things going on at once, then nothing for a month or two.

Working on a few stores for here, both new and edited, a potential novella, a Shakespeare parody or two, and a poem (longish, free verse) about love and grief. That kind of variety is good for me.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

Yesterday, my “writing day,” when I had a whole 2 hours blocked off in the morning to write, I wrote a grand total of 31 words.
Didn’t even write that haiku I said I’d write lol

 

[SimonDoom]

This is very common. My writing pace is all over the map, but I'm not very disciplined so I'm a poor example. I can crank out a few thousand in a good day, or almost nothing.

Hemingway said he wrote about 500 words a day, so that's comforting, except he was disciplined about making himself write almost every day, so the result over time was successful. He also said that most of what he wrote was crap and had to be rewritten, so I draw some comfort from that, too.

 

[Statius]

Some time ago an author I was working with was impressed that I'd written 1,000 words in an hour or so. I shrugged "Is that a lot, then?"
At times my words run like a bath tap, then the pressure suddenly disappears and I'm watching the next drip bounce uncertainly at the rim, without ever falling.
I used to be terrified that it meant I'd lost lose interest in the project; the spark had gone; the wind had blown the seeds to the four corners.

Recently I started reading a huge tome - a collection of diaries and notes by Patricia Highsmith. I was fascinated to read how she went through the same highs and lows; angry that her words had dried; how she'd often spend weeks rewriting whole passages, uncertain if he had found the right tone.
Just now, I'm watching a recent interview of David Gilmour by Rick Beato and he describes how he and the band would struggle over songs for weeks, years even. Tunes that we all sing in the car as though the melody had always existed.

Perhaps what I'm describing is the difference between 'craft' and 'inspiration'? I think it reflects a confidence in one's ability "Don't stress - it'll come. Keep faith, keep mulling, keep the notepad open."

So what do you do? Force yourself to write? Or dwell on one story/ character point and wait it out? I've tried force writing, but that makes editing and deleting a pain when the words and story really do start flowing. So now I'm attempting dwelling on one crucial mood I need to permeate the story and how to layer that in before I continue

 

[sirhugs]

So what do you do? Force yourself to write? Or dwell on one story/ character point and wait it out? I've tried force writing, but that makes editing and deleting a pain when the words and story really do start flowing. So now I'm attempting dwelling on one crucial mood I need to permeate the story and how to layer that in before I continue

have you tried skipping ahead and writing a line or passage to write towards?

 

[iwatchus]

So what do you do? Force yourself to write? Or dwell on one story/ character point and wait it out? I've tried force writing, but that makes editing and deleting a pain when the words and story really do start flowing. So now I'm attempting dwelling on one crucial mood I need to permeate the story and how to layer that in before I continue

Probably my most common stuck point is sex scenes. Based on someone's advice here (I don't remember sho said it), I just wrote <<sex happens here>> and went on past it. I have started using that trick to skip parts I am struggling with and I will sometimes do it with discussions as well. I will usually come back and fill in some more details, like specific positions or sentiments or whatever. Eventually, I can write the missing chunk when I am in a better place mentally for it. Writing something else is my best medicine for getting past it.

If I can't write at all, I read other stories, which can help in a different way.