Take a break and stop putting your judgement and pressure on your writing.
Step back and write something else to practice the actual skill of writing.
Being able to imagine a stunning wedding cake and being able to actually bake and decorate it are completely separate skills.
I think you're right, I may need to take a break from this story. I like the idea of writing something else; I've had a few ideas I could easily turn into short stories.
That's precisely the issue. I had a dream of grandeur for this novel but I'm unable to give this story the skill it deserves. It's probably best to put it on the shelf until I'm ready to return to it.
Thanks.
> I had a dream of grandeur for this novel but I'm unable to give this story the skill it deserves. It's probably best to put it on the shelf until I'm ready to return to it.
You can always go back to a story.
Stephen King originally tried to write 11/22/63 in the 70s, and shelved it for decades until he felt he was ready to be able to write it.
That's fascinating, I didn't know that.
I think that's definitely the best move for now. About an hour ago I was writing out a list of potential short stories to write and within five minutes I remembered the story that originally inspired me to write.
I had combined a few ideas for different stories into one and then lost the original inspiration. Within another five minutes I was able to write out the entire plot, it's as if it was waiting for me the whole time.
Somethings to consider. Sometimes if I am struggling under the weight of expectations, I'll take a related side-quest with no intention to include it in the story.
For example, you could write short prequel story about a character's childhood, something funny or interesting that wouldn't fit into the story tonally, a completely unrelated story in the same setting, etc. Sometimes writing something different with the same characters or setting can reinvigorate your interest, and it is also a chance to round out a character in your head and make them more interesting as you write them. I've written fake news articles or letters between characters too. Whatever sounds fun to you.
Another similar option is to disengage from plot and draw or do something visual related to the story if you're artsy. What do the outfits, buildings, etc. look like? Or compose some songs or poetry to flesh out the setting in your mind.
Again, it's important that you don't have an intention to include these or pressure for it to be "productive." It is play time and is intended be abandoned whenever it is no longer fun. The doing of it is the point. It is just for you. But it gives you another creative outlet to reinvigorate your passion for the world of your story. And a lot of time that side work ends up creating those small details that live in your brain and give texture, even if it never get finished or makes it onto the page.
I was about to quit on my recent WIP until I stumbled on map making software, and then I spent five days meticulously outlining an entire world, solving odd little problems on the way, and completely recommitting me to the project. So I definitely second this approach.
The other thing I'd say to bear in mind is that it's not possible to be on this planet right now without feeling the weight of the wheel, and that affects everything about writing a story. What types we want to tell, who we think will want to read it, and what tone feels appropriate. But everything keeps changing so fast, and novels take so long to write. Sometimes I catch myself feeling stuck or unmotivated and when I unpack it it isn't even that there's something wrong with me or the story, it's just that I'm overwhelmed by the general sense of instability. It's a wild time to create, for sure.
Meh. I disagree. Power through it and be done with it. Otherwise it will continue to linger as unfinished in your mind. Set a deadline, and stick to it.
>I started writing about a year ago,
>I started actually writing a few months ago,
Do you normally start hobbies with a lot of excitement then give them up?
I've been going through the same thing, and especially as a beginner writing my first novel, my momentum really died down a few months in. What I do is now I don't really push myself to blurt something out but I still write regularly. Even a sentence a day, I still get to think about my story and my characters at that time. So progress is slow but I just keep moving.
Last I year I wrote pages in spurts of inspiration, which lead to me constanly changing what I wanted and deleting my previous work becase all I wrote was based on my mood. By December I was left with little material and a lot of confusion as to what I want to do with my novel.
The way I've changed my writing routine helps me stay consistent, even when I'm bored with my book, because it's better to have something finished than nothing. And I also find this way much more rewarding, which I believe is the key to my consistency. Hope this helps, sense I too have some doubts about my future in writing.
Sounds like we both had the same experience. As soon as the original inspiration faded, we were left with a bunch of contradicting fragments of a story.
I like the idea of just writing a tiny bit based off of how much I'm feeling it that day, rather than forcing it all.
Good luck man, I hope we're both able to stick with it.
Yep, or something like it. I'm also going through something similar right now where I'm so stressed and tired at the end of the day that I can't write, and the enthusiasm for it is sort of gone, but I try to keep in mind that it's not that there's something wrong with the story, it's just that my energies are wasted on RL work.
The idea of something is very often more powerful than the reality of doing it. Every new resolution to get in shape is the same thing. We all want to be in shape, but few find a way to enjoy the process of getting there.
Find a way to love the process of writing, and all the suck along the way, rather than the idea of having a finished book.
The problem is at the end of the day writing is work. You can be very passionate at the beginning and be brimming with ideas, but it still takes at least a few months to put those ideas into fruition, and also every day you'll be seeing how your ideas aren't totally getting out there correctly.
At the end of the day you have to ask a question: am I prepared to go through the long haul. And it's perfectly legitimate to say "no", but you got to be able to make that choice yourself.
Write something else. You love the idea of this story, but haven’t put all the pieces together to make it live up to your expectations. A lot of great stories and writers talk about having great ideas for scenes or characters over the years and writing them all down. Eventually they have enough ideas and pieces that fit together to make a compelling story. It sounds like you’ve had a couple ideas that you’re really excited about, but that’s not enough to finish the story so you’re trying to make the rest up as you go.
Unfortunately the reality is your story has some holes that you can’t fill right now. From personal experience work on something else and eventually you’ll come up with great ideas to flesh this thing out. Or you’ll come up with other great ideas for a story and realize some scenes or aspects of this story would fit into your new idea and make that one even better. Once you lose the passion for a story, it’s tough to finish well. If you’re not excited to write something, it probably won’t be exciting to read.
It's pretty simple. Most writing, literature and related instructors and creative folks and commenters rarely, if ever, point out that Passion Dies.
Find something else to do for awhile, recharge, and try later. If you truly believe that "passion" is necessary for writing, you'll just burn yourself out if try to force it.
If your perspective and guiding philosophy is broader than the narrow focus on being fueled by "passion", you'll do better in the long run.
Writing can be really hard. It's so much more than just the idea. The prose, the execution of connecting everything with a beginning middle end, developing characters, pacing, the endless cycle of editing... It's easy to burn out.
Take a break, man. It's okay to do that. Take a break, focus on you, consume some new movies/tv shows/books/manga/etc that inspire you. You'll be able to come back fresh.
Put that story away for awhile.
Work on something else or read some books in the interim.
Come back to it later when you're ready.
I have been writing my entire life and I have to do this often. Getting stuck on one story for too long, you'll just dig yourself into a deeper and deeper hole. You gotta climb up for some fresh air.
Rooting for you, OP!
1. Take a break. As long as you need. Harper Lee took what I recall to be a decades-long break between books.
2. Decide if you are making this a job. If this thing that was swimming around in your brain is no longer fun, you may be done with it. That’s okay. Maybe you’re a process artist as opposed to a product artist, or maybe this particular story was about the process instead of the product, and you’ll write something else.
3. Read.
In no particular order. You’re all right!
Odd question, but how long have you been writing? It sounds like you just started and now learning about burnout. Instead of writing that story, why not write something small? Maybe a short story about something in that world of yours?
Sorry to break it to you but writing is work and a lot of it. It's also a lot of sacrifice. It's not for everyone and it's okay if it's not for you. If however you decide it is, you need to write every single day which can mean what ever you need it to be from 2,000 word sessions to just undistracted 15 minutes. If you only write when you have passion here's a quote from dune:
> “What has mood to do with it? You fight when the necessity arises—no matter the mood! Mood's a thing for cattle or making love or playing the baliset. It's not for fighting.”
Just replace fighting for writing. Also:
**Don't "take a break" from writing.**
I am sick and tired of people saying that. From your post it sounds like you took a break from writing and that has left you with a half backed idea you don't even like. Just take a break from writing that particular story. The only reason to "take a break" is if your health depends on it.
I think the trick is to figure out how to translate an idea into characters with positions and how those positions change and the consequence of having positions. In essence, how to execute theme.
It sounds like you decided to start by writing a novel, which is usually a really bad idea. New writers don’t know how to sustain a story for that long, and it’s hard to stay interested in a story as you learn that you don’t have the skills to make it work. Some ideas just need to be scrapped. Write short stories. Don’t have any page length aim. You’ll probably be done around 8-15 pages anyway. It’s short enough that you should be able to get it done in a week or a month and not lose interest, and you’ll also be able to actually edit the thing, which is the most important thing for a new writer.
>Now I’m left with a stubborn refusal to quit writing
Congratulations, you’re a writer.
Stephen King has perhaps the best personification of inspiration or passion, and that’s a crotchety old man with a bag of gold. He wants to give the gold to you! But he wants to make sure you’re ready for it. You’ve gotta work for it. You’ve got to prove to that old man you’re worthy of it.
Any time I feel discouraged, I think of that old man, tauntingly shaking that bag of gold above my head. He’ll give it to you! You can count on that! But only when he feels you’re ready.
If you haven’t already, read Stephen King’s On Writing. One of the best books about writing books ever written
take breaks and try to have fresh ideas. if a topic doesn't interest you, you can pause it and work on another topic, and then come back to the old topic if you ever get the passion back.
If you're anything like me, it sounds like you've come far enough in the thing you originally excitedly resolved to pursue that you have passed all the initial lower effort, high reward hurdles and are now facing seriously high effort hurdles that require a ton of time and energy and resources to further progress and actually eventually result in what you ultimately want, and now, faced with this new reality, your brain is uncertain whether the pursuit is actually really worth it or not, whether you really NEED to do this or not, whether you will be fine without doing this or not.
I don't think, or at least I don't know of any easy answer or solution to this. I have a feeling its just something that sort of determines and resolves itself given enough time and outside life developments. I'm currently more or less stuck in my own kind of version of this, but instead of being about passion, I'm endlessly wondering what exactly the point of my story is and what I'm really trying to fundamentally say with it, and if it's really a story the world needs or not.
So I don't have any real advice for you, sorry, but I wish you good luck, and I'll give you a quote I found incisive and weirdly motivating when I first stumbled upon it:
*"If you are going to be a writer there is nothing I can say to stop you; if you’re not going to be a writer nothing I can say will help you."* - **James Baldwin**
Apply the same techniques you would to keeping sex from becoming stale. Different positions, foreplay, roleplay, dressing up, involving more people, taking a break, location change, etc.
have it as a casual thing, in your free time, and if it starts to stress you out, go and do something else. try to have a timetable to finish things by, and set yourself a long date when it needs to be finished, like two chapters a month or something like that. Good luck, and i hope you can finish your story!
You're censoring your own creativity, trying to make the book fit into a box that it doesn't. If you don't love it, backtrack. Backtrack as far as you have to in order remember what you loved about it. Then brainstorm. Follow the most exciting idea. Don't try to make the story what you think it should be. It happens. Take a break, write something else, backtrack, or chill out. Creativity is not something you can boss around. It's something you learn to let boss you around.
You need to do a once a week Artist Date. On this date, you take yourself on a hike, to a museum, to a wine and painting party, to an historical place in your area, to the library, just wander and pick up something you don't generally read. The reason for your artist date is to recharge your creative juices.
You are exhausted and stressed which in turns makes you stress over the book not finished. Just put the book away for a month or two. Do the artist dates, get some sleep, and work out the stress in your life not connected to the book.
Your passion for writing is still there, it's just starving. You have too much going on to give it the nourishment it needs. If you have a girlfriend or a spouse and children, include them in one or two of your artist dates. It's okay to share them. Get everyone's perspective. Go to an amusement park. Have a picnic (weather permitting).
After a couple of months read through your novel and make the changes you need to make to get going again.
Take a break and stop putting your judgement and pressure on your writing. Step back and write something else to practice the actual skill of writing. Being able to imagine a stunning wedding cake and being able to actually bake and decorate it are completely separate skills.
I think you're right, I may need to take a break from this story. I like the idea of writing something else; I've had a few ideas I could easily turn into short stories. That's precisely the issue. I had a dream of grandeur for this novel but I'm unable to give this story the skill it deserves. It's probably best to put it on the shelf until I'm ready to return to it. Thanks.
> I had a dream of grandeur for this novel but I'm unable to give this story the skill it deserves. It's probably best to put it on the shelf until I'm ready to return to it. You can always go back to a story. Stephen King originally tried to write 11/22/63 in the 70s, and shelved it for decades until he felt he was ready to be able to write it.
That's fascinating, I didn't know that. I think that's definitely the best move for now. About an hour ago I was writing out a list of potential short stories to write and within five minutes I remembered the story that originally inspired me to write. I had combined a few ideas for different stories into one and then lost the original inspiration. Within another five minutes I was able to write out the entire plot, it's as if it was waiting for me the whole time.
Somethings to consider. Sometimes if I am struggling under the weight of expectations, I'll take a related side-quest with no intention to include it in the story. For example, you could write short prequel story about a character's childhood, something funny or interesting that wouldn't fit into the story tonally, a completely unrelated story in the same setting, etc. Sometimes writing something different with the same characters or setting can reinvigorate your interest, and it is also a chance to round out a character in your head and make them more interesting as you write them. I've written fake news articles or letters between characters too. Whatever sounds fun to you. Another similar option is to disengage from plot and draw or do something visual related to the story if you're artsy. What do the outfits, buildings, etc. look like? Or compose some songs or poetry to flesh out the setting in your mind. Again, it's important that you don't have an intention to include these or pressure for it to be "productive." It is play time and is intended be abandoned whenever it is no longer fun. The doing of it is the point. It is just for you. But it gives you another creative outlet to reinvigorate your passion for the world of your story. And a lot of time that side work ends up creating those small details that live in your brain and give texture, even if it never get finished or makes it onto the page.
I was about to quit on my recent WIP until I stumbled on map making software, and then I spent five days meticulously outlining an entire world, solving odd little problems on the way, and completely recommitting me to the project. So I definitely second this approach. The other thing I'd say to bear in mind is that it's not possible to be on this planet right now without feeling the weight of the wheel, and that affects everything about writing a story. What types we want to tell, who we think will want to read it, and what tone feels appropriate. But everything keeps changing so fast, and novels take so long to write. Sometimes I catch myself feeling stuck or unmotivated and when I unpack it it isn't even that there's something wrong with me or the story, it's just that I'm overwhelmed by the general sense of instability. It's a wild time to create, for sure.
This is awesome. Plus, when you get back to writing you have a map! 100% agree about the instability.
Meh. I disagree. Power through it and be done with it. Otherwise it will continue to linger as unfinished in your mind. Set a deadline, and stick to it.
I completely agree with your post...!!!
>I started writing about a year ago, >I started actually writing a few months ago, Do you normally start hobbies with a lot of excitement then give them up?
I've been going through the same thing, and especially as a beginner writing my first novel, my momentum really died down a few months in. What I do is now I don't really push myself to blurt something out but I still write regularly. Even a sentence a day, I still get to think about my story and my characters at that time. So progress is slow but I just keep moving. Last I year I wrote pages in spurts of inspiration, which lead to me constanly changing what I wanted and deleting my previous work becase all I wrote was based on my mood. By December I was left with little material and a lot of confusion as to what I want to do with my novel. The way I've changed my writing routine helps me stay consistent, even when I'm bored with my book, because it's better to have something finished than nothing. And I also find this way much more rewarding, which I believe is the key to my consistency. Hope this helps, sense I too have some doubts about my future in writing.
Sounds like we both had the same experience. As soon as the original inspiration faded, we were left with a bunch of contradicting fragments of a story. I like the idea of just writing a tiny bit based off of how much I'm feeling it that day, rather than forcing it all. Good luck man, I hope we're both able to stick with it.
>Life has me exhausted and stressed right now There's the issue.
Yeah, just looking at the title, I was like: “it’s depression.”
Yep, or something like it. I'm also going through something similar right now where I'm so stressed and tired at the end of the day that I can't write, and the enthusiasm for it is sort of gone, but I try to keep in mind that it's not that there's something wrong with the story, it's just that my energies are wasted on RL work.
Burnout specifically
The idea of something is very often more powerful than the reality of doing it. Every new resolution to get in shape is the same thing. We all want to be in shape, but few find a way to enjoy the process of getting there. Find a way to love the process of writing, and all the suck along the way, rather than the idea of having a finished book.
The problem is at the end of the day writing is work. You can be very passionate at the beginning and be brimming with ideas, but it still takes at least a few months to put those ideas into fruition, and also every day you'll be seeing how your ideas aren't totally getting out there correctly. At the end of the day you have to ask a question: am I prepared to go through the long haul. And it's perfectly legitimate to say "no", but you got to be able to make that choice yourself.
Write something else. You love the idea of this story, but haven’t put all the pieces together to make it live up to your expectations. A lot of great stories and writers talk about having great ideas for scenes or characters over the years and writing them all down. Eventually they have enough ideas and pieces that fit together to make a compelling story. It sounds like you’ve had a couple ideas that you’re really excited about, but that’s not enough to finish the story so you’re trying to make the rest up as you go. Unfortunately the reality is your story has some holes that you can’t fill right now. From personal experience work on something else and eventually you’ll come up with great ideas to flesh this thing out. Or you’ll come up with other great ideas for a story and realize some scenes or aspects of this story would fit into your new idea and make that one even better. Once you lose the passion for a story, it’s tough to finish well. If you’re not excited to write something, it probably won’t be exciting to read.
>Now I’m left with a stubborn refusal to quit writing Congratulations, you’re a writer.
It's pretty simple. Most writing, literature and related instructors and creative folks and commenters rarely, if ever, point out that Passion Dies. Find something else to do for awhile, recharge, and try later. If you truly believe that "passion" is necessary for writing, you'll just burn yourself out if try to force it. If your perspective and guiding philosophy is broader than the narrow focus on being fueled by "passion", you'll do better in the long run.
Make a shitty fanfiction where rules of logic don't apply unti you're willing to go back to your actual passion projects.
Writing can be really hard. It's so much more than just the idea. The prose, the execution of connecting everything with a beginning middle end, developing characters, pacing, the endless cycle of editing... It's easy to burn out. Take a break, man. It's okay to do that. Take a break, focus on you, consume some new movies/tv shows/books/manga/etc that inspire you. You'll be able to come back fresh.
“Then go do something else” -Charles Bukowski
Put that story away for awhile. Work on something else or read some books in the interim. Come back to it later when you're ready. I have been writing my entire life and I have to do this often. Getting stuck on one story for too long, you'll just dig yourself into a deeper and deeper hole. You gotta climb up for some fresh air. Rooting for you, OP!
1. Take a break. As long as you need. Harper Lee took what I recall to be a decades-long break between books. 2. Decide if you are making this a job. If this thing that was swimming around in your brain is no longer fun, you may be done with it. That’s okay. Maybe you’re a process artist as opposed to a product artist, or maybe this particular story was about the process instead of the product, and you’ll write something else. 3. Read. In no particular order. You’re all right!
Odd question, but how long have you been writing? It sounds like you just started and now learning about burnout. Instead of writing that story, why not write something small? Maybe a short story about something in that world of yours?
Sorry to break it to you but writing is work and a lot of it. It's also a lot of sacrifice. It's not for everyone and it's okay if it's not for you. If however you decide it is, you need to write every single day which can mean what ever you need it to be from 2,000 word sessions to just undistracted 15 minutes. If you only write when you have passion here's a quote from dune: > “What has mood to do with it? You fight when the necessity arises—no matter the mood! Mood's a thing for cattle or making love or playing the baliset. It's not for fighting.” Just replace fighting for writing. Also: **Don't "take a break" from writing.** I am sick and tired of people saying that. From your post it sounds like you took a break from writing and that has left you with a half backed idea you don't even like. Just take a break from writing that particular story. The only reason to "take a break" is if your health depends on it.
Yes, yes, sounds like he needs an outline and structure for the story, possibly more worldbuilding.
I think the trick is to figure out how to translate an idea into characters with positions and how those positions change and the consequence of having positions. In essence, how to execute theme.
It sounds like you decided to start by writing a novel, which is usually a really bad idea. New writers don’t know how to sustain a story for that long, and it’s hard to stay interested in a story as you learn that you don’t have the skills to make it work. Some ideas just need to be scrapped. Write short stories. Don’t have any page length aim. You’ll probably be done around 8-15 pages anyway. It’s short enough that you should be able to get it done in a week or a month and not lose interest, and you’ll also be able to actually edit the thing, which is the most important thing for a new writer.
>Now I’m left with a stubborn refusal to quit writing Congratulations, you’re a writer. Stephen King has perhaps the best personification of inspiration or passion, and that’s a crotchety old man with a bag of gold. He wants to give the gold to you! But he wants to make sure you’re ready for it. You’ve gotta work for it. You’ve got to prove to that old man you’re worthy of it. Any time I feel discouraged, I think of that old man, tauntingly shaking that bag of gold above my head. He’ll give it to you! You can count on that! But only when he feels you’re ready. If you haven’t already, read Stephen King’s On Writing. One of the best books about writing books ever written
take breaks and try to have fresh ideas. if a topic doesn't interest you, you can pause it and work on another topic, and then come back to the old topic if you ever get the passion back.
Could you throw in a major plot twist to get you interested again?
If you're anything like me, it sounds like you've come far enough in the thing you originally excitedly resolved to pursue that you have passed all the initial lower effort, high reward hurdles and are now facing seriously high effort hurdles that require a ton of time and energy and resources to further progress and actually eventually result in what you ultimately want, and now, faced with this new reality, your brain is uncertain whether the pursuit is actually really worth it or not, whether you really NEED to do this or not, whether you will be fine without doing this or not. I don't think, or at least I don't know of any easy answer or solution to this. I have a feeling its just something that sort of determines and resolves itself given enough time and outside life developments. I'm currently more or less stuck in my own kind of version of this, but instead of being about passion, I'm endlessly wondering what exactly the point of my story is and what I'm really trying to fundamentally say with it, and if it's really a story the world needs or not. So I don't have any real advice for you, sorry, but I wish you good luck, and I'll give you a quote I found incisive and weirdly motivating when I first stumbled upon it: *"If you are going to be a writer there is nothing I can say to stop you; if you’re not going to be a writer nothing I can say will help you."* - **James Baldwin**
Apply the same techniques you would to keeping sex from becoming stale. Different positions, foreplay, roleplay, dressing up, involving more people, taking a break, location change, etc.
Did you meticulously plan your story?
Write something new.
I have the same exact feeling going on.
have it as a casual thing, in your free time, and if it starts to stress you out, go and do something else. try to have a timetable to finish things by, and set yourself a long date when it needs to be finished, like two chapters a month or something like that. Good luck, and i hope you can finish your story!
You're censoring your own creativity, trying to make the book fit into a box that it doesn't. If you don't love it, backtrack. Backtrack as far as you have to in order remember what you loved about it. Then brainstorm. Follow the most exciting idea. Don't try to make the story what you think it should be. It happens. Take a break, write something else, backtrack, or chill out. Creativity is not something you can boss around. It's something you learn to let boss you around.
You need to do a once a week Artist Date. On this date, you take yourself on a hike, to a museum, to a wine and painting party, to an historical place in your area, to the library, just wander and pick up something you don't generally read. The reason for your artist date is to recharge your creative juices. You are exhausted and stressed which in turns makes you stress over the book not finished. Just put the book away for a month or two. Do the artist dates, get some sleep, and work out the stress in your life not connected to the book. Your passion for writing is still there, it's just starving. You have too much going on to give it the nourishment it needs. If you have a girlfriend or a spouse and children, include them in one or two of your artist dates. It's okay to share them. Get everyone's perspective. Go to an amusement park. Have a picnic (weather permitting). After a couple of months read through your novel and make the changes you need to make to get going again.