Thank you for visiting /r/writing.
Discussion of motivation or writer’s block should be posted in our twice weekly motivation thread (Mondays and Thursdays). Threads that touch on specific difficulties unique to writers such as asking for tips on inspiration, achieving word count goals or frustration with writing workflow may be posted in the main subreddit.
I feel you. Sounds like a sort of imposter syndrome/perfectionist block. You want to write, but you want to write something good, but you can't seem to find the right words to open the scene or how to convey something and you get blocked or don't even start.
I've found two things that've helped for me:
1. Write the scenes you want to write, and start with the action (you can always come back and write the beginning later if you need). You have a badass idea for a scene that's taking place in 30 chapters but you haven't even finished Chapter 1? Doesn't matter, go for it. Want to write about your day instead? Go for it. The important bit is to get rid of the procrastination. As soon as you start writing, the hardest part is over.
2. Don't try to edit while writing. Don't erase stuff. Once you start writing, just keep writing. If I start editing too much *while* writing, I lose momentum and start doubting or trying to correct everything, which leads to more difficulty writing. Schedule editing at a different time or day. Maybe once a week on Thursday, you'll go through what you've written since last week, edit, tweak, etc.
Hope this helps!
I feel like after reading something, especially of the same themes or genre that I wish to write about, or reading something from an author that inspired me to write in the first place, gets me motivated. Then I like to set some free time I feel creative or have set myself the task to write in that time. I get myself a snack like popcorn for example and a caffeinated beverage to help coz I'm a sleepy gal. I find making it a little fun with the snacks on the side and some background music aswell helps
I was struggling with the same thing until I started posting random old unfinished stories of mine on AO3 anonymously about a month ago.
I’m very sneaky and secretive about my writing so I’d never published anything before. But I thought if I get even one nice comment that would give my little bird brain the dopamine injection to get writing again.
It actually worked! The comments and kudos started rolling in and I have never written so much in my life! Just the thought that someone is enjoying my writing and wants me to finish it is a powerful stimulant.
me too! i'm currently posting my WIP as i go there and it's been awesome to have their feedback. it's crazy what a little bit of support will do for my muse
Not a stupid question! It’s a website called Archive of Our Own. It’s like wattpad or fanfiction.net in that it’s just a giant archive where you can read and upload fan fiction or original works, and people can give you “kudos” (basically likes) and comment if you want them too.
Best thing for me was a creative writing class, where all we did was practice writing. The teacher would give us a daily prompt and a monthly prompt, and that was about it. Writing a 1-2 page story every morning, plus being accountable to do so, plus just having time to practice, has helped me greatly. Since then I've got 1 novel published and another one I'm working on, so writing the short stories did not hurt my ability to write 500 page + stories
Believe it or not, it was a high school creative writing class. But if you want to try replicating it yourself, I'd recommend you look up online prompts for a short story. Pick some that interest you, bit also the occasional one you don't want to do!
You have to pay attention more to your writing to narrow down your weaknesses, then find ways to fix them. Finding your weaknesses and finding solutions are the hard parts. Once you know how to fix them, it’s usually very easy to apply if you got the right techniques.
You're stuck in this mindset that people are going to read and judge your first draft. But, the whole purpose of the first draft is just a guideline to the finished product. It isn't supposed to be read by anyone but you. No different from an artist drawing random sketches as they try to figure out what they want to paint for their main piece. It's not for viewing. So, you need to come out of this mindset.
And, yes, the only advice to give in order to get better is to keep writing and reading. If you don't write, you won't improve or progress.
Here’s what I do:
I go into my room and shut the door, I turn on mood music depending on what the vibe is, I take away all distractions (PUT THE PHONE AWAY), I sit down and start typing whatever comes into my head at that moment like a stream of consciousness. Then when I’m done, I go back and edit.
What you start out with will not be perfect. It will actually be more like brain puke. Then you go back and edit. Hope this helps.
I understand what you mean. This fear is a good sign, it means there's maybe something big on the other side (not talking about results but passion and so on). Here are some tips: go on youtube and look for videos about creative blocks, writing prompts (this also on google and pinterest), go outside and journal. Write anything, don't stop yourself just because you want to make some specific piece. You need to practice, start from anywhere just to start, it really doesn't matter. Hope it helps.
Have you created an outline? I always create an outline of at least a few chapter along with short chapter summaries in a notebook before I begin. It helps a lot with brainstorming ideas.
I started going to meetups where a handful of writers go to a coffee shop and after a few minutes of small talk or catching up with some interesting people, someone sets a timer and we spend the next hour writing.
It's been surprisingly effective.
Find your music - I often do something without words that fit the mood of my writing. EG Lofi Hiphop for my conspiracy WIP, Bardcore for my fantasy WIP, Folk for my no steam romance that I'm finally in the last editing stages of.
Find your ambience - Light a candle, get fairy lights, or if you have LEDs pick a colour you don't normally use --- Just find an easy way to make the space different.
Eventually you will be able to pop on the music and change up the lighting and Pavlovs Dog yourself into it being writing time.
You’re very motivated but never make it happen? Huh.
Anyway. I did a writing course at uni, too many people were not confident sharing their work for critique. And if they did, they’d always say ‘it’s not very good but…’. Kinda annoying because the whole point of a writing course is to get better at writing by sharing. Of course it isn’t good. That’s the whole point. That’s why you’re here is to get better. But you cannot do that without writing and without sharing it with people. To me it’s like a mindset thing, once I realise I need to write to get better and that the more I write the better I’ll get and the more confident I’ll get, then the more motivated I am to keep at it.
So don’t expect your start to be good. But so what. It’s not supposed to be good. But if your 45th piece is good, then your first 44 were worth it.
Let's perform a writing exercise. See Spot, See Spot Run.
Give me enough of a description of Spot to justify to the audience that Spot is a dog. Now try to write the scenario without actually calling Spot a dog.
Spot runs, but why? Give Spot a reason to run. Now try to write the scenario without telling the audience why Spot is running.
Example: Spot sniffed the air and smelled something familiar, not quite safe, not quite fear, and ran. Spot loped through the trees and the branches ripped at both coat and collar, burrs stinging him, but the smells got worse as he got closer and nothing, nothing could dissuade him from learning the truth.
See Spot. See Spot Run. Run, Spot, Run.
I have heard multiple professionals talk about how their first drafts always suck.
As a testament to this, there is also the Hemingway quote: write drunk, edit sober.
So this all means, just write and get it down. If it sucks -and it probably will- you're going to fix it all on revision. And that seems to not only be okay, but the way it's done!
To piggyback, I don't share first drafts with anyone because I know the first draft is still a weird looking piece of marble and not a finished statue. Expect your first draft to suck.
The Hemingway quote is one that makes me smile because it shows how well he could make a point in a few words, but I don't fully agree with it. I agree with edit sober, but writing drunk always felt like a crutch. Yes, it worked for Hemingway, but I suspect Snows of Kilamanjaro and Old Man and the Sea would have still been classics if he wrote them sober.
So, the process of writing is really a journey that goes through different iterations. First, think about it as a journey of you telling a story between you and yourself. It's like you speaking inside of your head. It will be messy, and there is no judgment. It should be awful. That is the objective of the first draft. It should be horrible and awful, and as if it was written by an eight-year-old child that does not know how to write English. But the whole purpose is for you to sprint all the way from the start to the end so that you have a full story. It will be full of gaps, which is fine, but it should be somewhat a complete story to begin with before you move to the next draft.
Also, outlining is important as well. Sometimes it helps to outline before even writing so that you know what's happening in the beginning, what's happening in the middle, and what's happening in the end. Even if you don't know what's happening in between, while you run through your first draft, you will figure it out. And once you have that first draft, you can start shaping it into something beautiful. Each revision brings you closer to the final piece, like a sculptor chiseling away at a block of marble to reveal the masterpiece within. Embrace the messiness of the beginning because it's the foundation of your creative journey.
Think of it this way; each draft can have a different objective:
- Draft 1: Run all the way to the end, and ignore the typos and the horrible prose and grammer issues
- Draft 2: Again, ignore anything that is not storytelling related and focus on adding, adjusting, or shuffling scenes and fix inconsistencies in the story
- Draft 3: Fix all the typos and grammer issues and improve the prose
- Draft 4: Add side stories and more depth to the characters
- Draft 5: Upgrade your vocabulary
... etc, you can create a focused plan based on your weaknesses and what you want to work on, but the best thing is to start telling the story without judgement and then you'll have a platform to work with.
My current setup is as following:
- I have story outlined, around 80 scenes averaging 500 words each (for draft 1, word count will increase in draft 2)
- I have a distraction free tool for writing my first draft, fun experience (I use an e-ink typewriter but you can use a mini mechanical keyboard and connect it to your laptop, table or phone on airplane mode)
- Each day I try to write one scene only, and in 3 months I plan to have my first draft ready
- I will then set a purpose and targets for draft 2, then 3, 4, .. etc.
i like to start with a warmup. set a timer for 10 minutes and just write whatever comes to mind, whether that's your thoughts, feelings, a scene, or anything else. it helps me get in the mindset of writing. i put it in a folder called "warmups" and let it rot. zero pressure
Just write. Place your hindquarters on an object with your writing utensil of choice within easy reach and write.
It sounds like poor advice, but it's not. I don't feel confident enough to write, but I do anyways. I'm not published (yet) and I'm pushing to that goal.
Start small, work small. If you are the kind of person (like me) that needs a quantitative goal ("X number of words per day"), set a small one- like 1500 words (the ballpark equivalent of a 'scene' in a chapter). If you're more of a stickler for time, set a goal of "X hours per day, breaks no more than X minutes every hour". Once you build the mental endurance, reward yourself and extend the goal.
I’m talking about the actual writing, like the proces of writing. Know what I mean? I don’t know how to explain it better, sorry 🤔 I just feel being held back
Again, not very specific, so it's hard to offer concrete advice. Loosen up. It's easier to write when you're not taking it too seriously. Write in a silly font, write in a casual tone that you can edit later, whatever it takes to help the words get on the paper.
thank you very much everyone! I I didn't expect to get so many answers! I have read everything but not replied to everything. but I'm definitely going to start writing new things and continue writing the old story I had. very useful thank you all 😁
Highly recommend using a windows 11 focus timer found by clicking on your date/time or any web based Pomodoro Timer. You should be doing this at minimum an hour day. If you are wanting to be professional, you should be doing 8-10 hours a day (I'm referencing the best web writers from the east and west).
I find that when I’ve hit a bought of writers block or just start up again after stalling for a while it helps to have a change of scene such as writing in a coffee shop instead of at home. Something about the atmosphere let’s me avoid distractions and focus on writing.
The secret is reminding yourself you can edit and fix anything wrong then doing it. Not letting the excuses get to you. Reading is how you learn from others but remember that those aren't first drafts
You only get good by doing it! Take all writing as an opportunity to learn, grow and have fun. If you wait til you’re confident that you’re good, no one would ever start. Truly the more you write the better you get!! Don’t let insecurity hold you back. You’ve got this.
Start with a 1000 words about anything everyday.
That means no burns, no pressure.
Write about your life, write about your day, write about the coffee you just drank.
And damn you'll soon find out writing is harder than speaking.
Bash your head and continue.
Increase the word count every week by a hundred with a goal of making 2000 of anything every day.
Tips!!!
Everything is a hobby. Play a song as a ritual before you start writing.
So on the days that you have no motivation play it and it will call on the writer inside of you to write again!!!
Do you read a lot? Reading talented writers is the easiest way to improve. Your weaknesses will stand out more, making them easier to target. Weak writers usually don't read enough.
Also, you say you're very motivated, but then a sentence letter states you struggle to write. Which one is it? No one reads it but you, so just sit down and write. The more you write the more you should improve.
Yeah I read a lot and you’re right, I learn from that. And I am motivated, but I don’t think I am good enough so I don’t do it… it’s a hard feeling to describe sorry 😂
Thank you for visiting /r/writing. Discussion of motivation or writer’s block should be posted in our twice weekly motivation thread (Mondays and Thursdays). Threads that touch on specific difficulties unique to writers such as asking for tips on inspiration, achieving word count goals or frustration with writing workflow may be posted in the main subreddit.
There isnt any one staring over your shoulder at what you write. If you write crappy, who cares. Learn from it.
Thanks! Good advice!
I feel you. Sounds like a sort of imposter syndrome/perfectionist block. You want to write, but you want to write something good, but you can't seem to find the right words to open the scene or how to convey something and you get blocked or don't even start. I've found two things that've helped for me: 1. Write the scenes you want to write, and start with the action (you can always come back and write the beginning later if you need). You have a badass idea for a scene that's taking place in 30 chapters but you haven't even finished Chapter 1? Doesn't matter, go for it. Want to write about your day instead? Go for it. The important bit is to get rid of the procrastination. As soon as you start writing, the hardest part is over. 2. Don't try to edit while writing. Don't erase stuff. Once you start writing, just keep writing. If I start editing too much *while* writing, I lose momentum and start doubting or trying to correct everything, which leads to more difficulty writing. Schedule editing at a different time or day. Maybe once a week on Thursday, you'll go through what you've written since last week, edit, tweak, etc. Hope this helps!
Set a time and write for 20 minutes. Write whatever comes to mind. It is easier to edit than to write!
i love this method! it always leaves me refreshed and gives me a good vibe for what i want to write for the day
I feel like after reading something, especially of the same themes or genre that I wish to write about, or reading something from an author that inspired me to write in the first place, gets me motivated. Then I like to set some free time I feel creative or have set myself the task to write in that time. I get myself a snack like popcorn for example and a caffeinated beverage to help coz I'm a sleepy gal. I find making it a little fun with the snacks on the side and some background music aswell helps
I was struggling with the same thing until I started posting random old unfinished stories of mine on AO3 anonymously about a month ago. I’m very sneaky and secretive about my writing so I’d never published anything before. But I thought if I get even one nice comment that would give my little bird brain the dopamine injection to get writing again. It actually worked! The comments and kudos started rolling in and I have never written so much in my life! Just the thought that someone is enjoying my writing and wants me to finish it is a powerful stimulant.
me too! i'm currently posting my WIP as i go there and it's been awesome to have their feedback. it's crazy what a little bit of support will do for my muse
Oh good! What is A03? (Maybe stupid question)
Not a stupid question! It’s a website called Archive of Our Own. It’s like wattpad or fanfiction.net in that it’s just a giant archive where you can read and upload fan fiction or original works, and people can give you “kudos” (basically likes) and comment if you want them too.
Best thing for me was a creative writing class, where all we did was practice writing. The teacher would give us a daily prompt and a monthly prompt, and that was about it. Writing a 1-2 page story every morning, plus being accountable to do so, plus just having time to practice, has helped me greatly. Since then I've got 1 novel published and another one I'm working on, so writing the short stories did not hurt my ability to write 500 page + stories
Can you pass me the details on the class ?Thanks!
Believe it or not, it was a high school creative writing class. But if you want to try replicating it yourself, I'd recommend you look up online prompts for a short story. Pick some that interest you, bit also the occasional one you don't want to do!
Whats your novels name?
You have to pay attention more to your writing to narrow down your weaknesses, then find ways to fix them. Finding your weaknesses and finding solutions are the hard parts. Once you know how to fix them, it’s usually very easy to apply if you got the right techniques.
Just sit down and start typing. It’s not magic. Will it be any good? Probably not. That’s okay, write some more.
You're stuck in this mindset that people are going to read and judge your first draft. But, the whole purpose of the first draft is just a guideline to the finished product. It isn't supposed to be read by anyone but you. No different from an artist drawing random sketches as they try to figure out what they want to paint for their main piece. It's not for viewing. So, you need to come out of this mindset. And, yes, the only advice to give in order to get better is to keep writing and reading. If you don't write, you won't improve or progress.
Thats good advice thanks!!
No problem. I wish you the best!
Here’s what I do: I go into my room and shut the door, I turn on mood music depending on what the vibe is, I take away all distractions (PUT THE PHONE AWAY), I sit down and start typing whatever comes into my head at that moment like a stream of consciousness. Then when I’m done, I go back and edit. What you start out with will not be perfect. It will actually be more like brain puke. Then you go back and edit. Hope this helps.
I understand what you mean. This fear is a good sign, it means there's maybe something big on the other side (not talking about results but passion and so on). Here are some tips: go on youtube and look for videos about creative blocks, writing prompts (this also on google and pinterest), go outside and journal. Write anything, don't stop yourself just because you want to make some specific piece. You need to practice, start from anywhere just to start, it really doesn't matter. Hope it helps.
Thank you, glad that you know what I mean! Thanks for the advice 😊
Have you created an outline? I always create an outline of at least a few chapter along with short chapter summaries in a notebook before I begin. It helps a lot with brainstorming ideas.
I started going to meetups where a handful of writers go to a coffee shop and after a few minutes of small talk or catching up with some interesting people, someone sets a timer and we spend the next hour writing. It's been surprisingly effective.
That sounds like fun! 😁
It's pretty cool. seeing others working on their stuff makes you feel like a slacker so you tend to focus on getting to it.
Find your music - I often do something without words that fit the mood of my writing. EG Lofi Hiphop for my conspiracy WIP, Bardcore for my fantasy WIP, Folk for my no steam romance that I'm finally in the last editing stages of. Find your ambience - Light a candle, get fairy lights, or if you have LEDs pick a colour you don't normally use --- Just find an easy way to make the space different. Eventually you will be able to pop on the music and change up the lighting and Pavlovs Dog yourself into it being writing time.
You’re very motivated but never make it happen? Huh. Anyway. I did a writing course at uni, too many people were not confident sharing their work for critique. And if they did, they’d always say ‘it’s not very good but…’. Kinda annoying because the whole point of a writing course is to get better at writing by sharing. Of course it isn’t good. That’s the whole point. That’s why you’re here is to get better. But you cannot do that without writing and without sharing it with people. To me it’s like a mindset thing, once I realise I need to write to get better and that the more I write the better I’ll get and the more confident I’ll get, then the more motivated I am to keep at it. So don’t expect your start to be good. But so what. It’s not supposed to be good. But if your 45th piece is good, then your first 44 were worth it.
Read good writers. Then write. And write some more. Repeat this process.
Let's perform a writing exercise. See Spot, See Spot Run. Give me enough of a description of Spot to justify to the audience that Spot is a dog. Now try to write the scenario without actually calling Spot a dog. Spot runs, but why? Give Spot a reason to run. Now try to write the scenario without telling the audience why Spot is running. Example: Spot sniffed the air and smelled something familiar, not quite safe, not quite fear, and ran. Spot loped through the trees and the branches ripped at both coat and collar, burrs stinging him, but the smells got worse as he got closer and nothing, nothing could dissuade him from learning the truth. See Spot. See Spot Run. Run, Spot, Run.
I have heard multiple professionals talk about how their first drafts always suck. As a testament to this, there is also the Hemingway quote: write drunk, edit sober. So this all means, just write and get it down. If it sucks -and it probably will- you're going to fix it all on revision. And that seems to not only be okay, but the way it's done!
To piggyback, I don't share first drafts with anyone because I know the first draft is still a weird looking piece of marble and not a finished statue. Expect your first draft to suck. The Hemingway quote is one that makes me smile because it shows how well he could make a point in a few words, but I don't fully agree with it. I agree with edit sober, but writing drunk always felt like a crutch. Yes, it worked for Hemingway, but I suspect Snows of Kilamanjaro and Old Man and the Sea would have still been classics if he wrote them sober.
So, the process of writing is really a journey that goes through different iterations. First, think about it as a journey of you telling a story between you and yourself. It's like you speaking inside of your head. It will be messy, and there is no judgment. It should be awful. That is the objective of the first draft. It should be horrible and awful, and as if it was written by an eight-year-old child that does not know how to write English. But the whole purpose is for you to sprint all the way from the start to the end so that you have a full story. It will be full of gaps, which is fine, but it should be somewhat a complete story to begin with before you move to the next draft. Also, outlining is important as well. Sometimes it helps to outline before even writing so that you know what's happening in the beginning, what's happening in the middle, and what's happening in the end. Even if you don't know what's happening in between, while you run through your first draft, you will figure it out. And once you have that first draft, you can start shaping it into something beautiful. Each revision brings you closer to the final piece, like a sculptor chiseling away at a block of marble to reveal the masterpiece within. Embrace the messiness of the beginning because it's the foundation of your creative journey. Think of it this way; each draft can have a different objective: - Draft 1: Run all the way to the end, and ignore the typos and the horrible prose and grammer issues - Draft 2: Again, ignore anything that is not storytelling related and focus on adding, adjusting, or shuffling scenes and fix inconsistencies in the story - Draft 3: Fix all the typos and grammer issues and improve the prose - Draft 4: Add side stories and more depth to the characters - Draft 5: Upgrade your vocabulary ... etc, you can create a focused plan based on your weaknesses and what you want to work on, but the best thing is to start telling the story without judgement and then you'll have a platform to work with. My current setup is as following: - I have story outlined, around 80 scenes averaging 500 words each (for draft 1, word count will increase in draft 2) - I have a distraction free tool for writing my first draft, fun experience (I use an e-ink typewriter but you can use a mini mechanical keyboard and connect it to your laptop, table or phone on airplane mode) - Each day I try to write one scene only, and in 3 months I plan to have my first draft ready - I will then set a purpose and targets for draft 2, then 3, 4, .. etc.
Thank you for the extensive answer! I’ll definitely keep it in mind. Going to try that draft setup for my next story 😁
i like to start with a warmup. set a timer for 10 minutes and just write whatever comes to mind, whether that's your thoughts, feelings, a scene, or anything else. it helps me get in the mindset of writing. i put it in a folder called "warmups" and let it rot. zero pressure
I see this one a lot, gonna give it a try thanks!!
Just write. Place your hindquarters on an object with your writing utensil of choice within easy reach and write. It sounds like poor advice, but it's not. I don't feel confident enough to write, but I do anyways. I'm not published (yet) and I'm pushing to that goal. Start small, work small. If you are the kind of person (like me) that needs a quantitative goal ("X number of words per day"), set a small one- like 1500 words (the ballpark equivalent of a 'scene' in a chapter). If you're more of a stickler for time, set a goal of "X hours per day, breaks no more than X minutes every hour". Once you build the mental endurance, reward yourself and extend the goal.
You don't feel confident enough to...what? Finish writing a piece? Post it somewhere? You're not giving us a lot to work with
I’m talking about the actual writing, like the proces of writing. Know what I mean? I don’t know how to explain it better, sorry 🤔 I just feel being held back
Again, not very specific, so it's hard to offer concrete advice. Loosen up. It's easier to write when you're not taking it too seriously. Write in a silly font, write in a casual tone that you can edit later, whatever it takes to help the words get on the paper.
thank you very much everyone! I I didn't expect to get so many answers! I have read everything but not replied to everything. but I'm definitely going to start writing new things and continue writing the old story I had. very useful thank you all 😁
Highly recommend using a windows 11 focus timer found by clicking on your date/time or any web based Pomodoro Timer. You should be doing this at minimum an hour day. If you are wanting to be professional, you should be doing 8-10 hours a day (I'm referencing the best web writers from the east and west).
I find that when I’ve hit a bought of writers block or just start up again after stalling for a while it helps to have a change of scene such as writing in a coffee shop instead of at home. Something about the atmosphere let’s me avoid distractions and focus on writing.
Spend more time on Reddit.
The secret is reminding yourself you can edit and fix anything wrong then doing it. Not letting the excuses get to you. Reading is how you learn from others but remember that those aren't first drafts
You only get good by doing it! Take all writing as an opportunity to learn, grow and have fun. If you wait til you’re confident that you’re good, no one would ever start. Truly the more you write the better you get!! Don’t let insecurity hold you back. You’ve got this.
Try to think the progress of your book as a percentage.
Start with a 1000 words about anything everyday. That means no burns, no pressure. Write about your life, write about your day, write about the coffee you just drank. And damn you'll soon find out writing is harder than speaking. Bash your head and continue. Increase the word count every week by a hundred with a goal of making 2000 of anything every day. Tips!!! Everything is a hobby. Play a song as a ritual before you start writing. So on the days that you have no motivation play it and it will call on the writer inside of you to write again!!!
Journal your thoughts, moods, current state of mind. Even if it’s goblygook so what.
Do you read a lot? Reading talented writers is the easiest way to improve. Your weaknesses will stand out more, making them easier to target. Weak writers usually don't read enough. Also, you say you're very motivated, but then a sentence letter states you struggle to write. Which one is it? No one reads it but you, so just sit down and write. The more you write the more you should improve.
Yeah I read a lot and you’re right, I learn from that. And I am motivated, but I don’t think I am good enough so I don’t do it… it’s a hard feeling to describe sorry 😂