malenkayacherepakha | (no subject)

How do you make yourself write?

I have this idea in my head, I keep thinking about it, I've got the characters and most of the plot, I've even started writing it, but I just cannot get myself to consistently sit down and write.

When I started in fandom I didn't have this issue at all (the opposite even), but without the structure of fandom (the fest deadlines, the friends waiting to beta, the general feeling of people out there waiting to read the fic) I'm struggling. There just isn't any urgency, I guess. The idea could sit in my head for forever, other than that I'd like to write it.

Any tips and tricks that you use to get yourself writing? Or is this just the downside of writing original, the need for more self-motivation than I seem to possess?!

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From:

magpie_fngrl

I'm sorry you feel this way! I feel you. I've been the same: wrote a storm in drarry with deadlines and fests, then when I decided to avoid deadlines, I wrote very little. Fanfic, not even original. It was a revelation to confirm how much deadlines work on me. (it has to be a formal deadline, though, with a Mod and an event; the idea of people waiting for a story doesn't cut it for me lol)

I would say, though, that once some time passed, I got used to making my own schedule and working on my own. So it's possibly a transition stage as far as making writing a habit.

I don't have much to advise, I'm afraid. I used to write original before fanfic, so the genre itself isn't an issue. The only difference is that fanfic is much easier. I know the characters very well, and more importantly, i've read tons of fic with the same characters, with how they behave and speak. Dozens of different interpretations, some of which deepen or alter my understanding of the character, and others are in opposition, which also make my impression of the character firmer. No matter how well an author is prepared, I seriously doubt she can know her characters that well before drafting.

Not that I've written loads recently (although that's due to a new full time job), these are 2 things that hmotivate me to work on a particular story:
--because, like I said, I'm very inspired by what I read, it helps when I read a lot of the same genre. I might read a ton of historical romance, and that inspires me to work on mine. Perhaps you can read a bunch of novels in your genre, the ones your book would sit next to, and feel like you're part of that conversation. When you write, it's you adding to it; the same way that we're doing when we're writing our first fic in a fandom.
--I also need to find something to motivate me in the story, something very specific. I have a fanfic WIP now where I'm trying a frame narrative and Outsider POV and the challenge keeps me invested. Or in my original WIP, it might be the worldbuilding, or the mood. It could be that I'm trying to see if the magic system works. It's like problem-solving: can I write this kind of magic in such a way as to achieve X?

I'm pretty much a pantser, so I've nothing planned, esp the plot. Often what motivates me to write more is to discover what happens. I think this is also why I'm so unmotivated to write my 4-yr-old drarry WIP. I know exactly what happens next and how it ends, so I've no reason to write it.

The thing with the fest deadlines is that it made me work faster but not necessarily better. It's not normal or expected in original fiction to write a 50k manuscript in a month or two; unless you write crappy KU stuff. Drarry is a very demanding fandom and I think it can leave people feeling like losers if they write in a more sustainable way. I've made that mistake a few times. I'd be like, oh I wrote a drarry 40k in one month; ergo, I can do it again. Nope--the drarry thing was the exception and it's not sustainable or healthy to write and edit a short novel in one month, and it's out of the question now that I work full time. So, check whether you've got very high demands from yourself.

Hope you figure it out! Self-motivation is definitely something I need to work on too.

From:

malenkayacherepakha

Yes totally agree on a formal deadline being needed - I can't do any of this, set yourself a deadline and stick to it, I know it isn't real! But good to know it got easier as time passed.

Fanfic is 100% easier, and you're so right about how all the reading feeds into it, which I hadn't considered before. I do read a lot in the same genre as I'm trying to write, but haven't so much in the past few months - I'll have to pick it up again as it definitely does make me want to write. The idea of some kind of challenge in the writing is an interesting one - right now it just feels like writing something longer is the challenge! but maybe I can reframe my thinking and find a way.

I have a very clear picture of the first few scenes, so maybe I need to just focus on writing those rather than getting bogged down with the idea of it being a whole novel, maybe that would be less intimidating. It might as least get me started - even when writing fic it was the getting started that I found hard, then I got in the zone and it all got a lot easier.

Very good point re the demands of Drarry fandom, it will be nice to take the time to write something and truly feel like I did a good job rather than feeling like I need to keep churning things out to stay relevant (which as you say, is totally impossible around a full time job). And of course writing original will take longer, because of all the extra thinking and work that has to be done to create the structure and characters that fanfic already has in place, especially as its my first time. So maybe I need to remember that, and give myself time and space for that, and not expect the writing to be as easy as it was when writing fic (and that wasn't that easy to begin with!)

Thanks for such an in depth comment, you've given me a lot to think about!

From:

pauraque

I wish I knew! Without deadlines, I'm pretty useless at actually finishing any writing, fannish or original.

Do you think it would help you to share your ideas with a friend and try to generate some of that community-feeling excitement of someone waiting to read the finished product?

From:

malenkayacherepakha

Good to know it's not just me haha!

Yeah it probably would - it feels a bit harder than with fic because it's less reciprocal? Although I suppose I could still help them in return, even though I'm not spending much time on fandom stuff anymore I still enjoy betaing and talking about ideas, so it wouldn't have to be a completely one way street.

There is a fandom sort of linked to the genre I'm writing in, actually I dunno why I'm hedging around it, the book is a hockey based romance, there is a hockey fandom - I don't entirely know how I feel about the RPF aspect of it, but there's more to the fandom than just that, so maybe I need to explore that and maybe see if just being around hockey enthusiasts (a lot of whom write, either novels with OC or fic around the actual athletes) can create that community feeling. It's definitely what I'm missing, so maybe that and finding a friend willing to listen to me talk about my writing might be enough to get me started.

Edited Date: 2022-01-08 06:23 pm (UTC)

From:

goddess47

Find a writing buddy. Someone who can be online the same time as you and you sit there and write at the same time...

It lets you ask the "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" question (or whatever trivia is needed for your story) without dropping into a Google black hole. Or you can do the "does this sound as bad as I think it does?" and read a sentence or two aloud.

During the beginnings of the pandemic, you would think I'd be writing since there was nothing else to do... nope! It wasn't until I was getting online with my friends regularly (we used Zoom but Google Hangouts are just as good) that I started really writing and I've built up momentum to the point that 2021 was my best writing year ever.

Although I will admit that like 90% of that was for prompts and fests and things with deadlines... whatever works.

Writing sprints on Discord are okay, but you're mostly on your own and you can't get that immediate feedback when you're stuck. And there's no one going, "I don't hear any typing" for you. But a lot of Discord communities host writing sprints, and sometimes you can just sprint by yourself... it's better than nothing.

If you don't belong, the

getyourwordsout community is accepting membership until Jan 17... they have a *ton* of sprints, writing goals, suggestions and are good people in general. I recommend that for the accountability alone, since they have monthly check-ins to track your writing. There's no penalty for not meeting a goal, they're into positive reinforcement.

Good luck, whatever you find works for you!