I need some encouragement

Nole786

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Hey everyone at the risk of sounding super self centered and selfish I've made this thread :blob_teary:

As of now I have a story that I feel is doing pretty good at 40,000+ words 2 patrons and a good amount of interest on scribblehub, but I just can't write lol. It's not exactly writer's block as I have the plot for the next 20+ chapters outlined and ready, I just lack encouragement i don't know why. Has anyone felt this? As of now writing is my only "hobby" besides working out but I just can't seem to find myself to do it. I I finally made it on the top 5 trending page (a dream/manifestation of mine) and I thought that would be more than enough encouragement to make me write like crazy but the exact opposite happened. Any advice from fellow authors? Feel free to promote and ask for reviews here too if that will give you encouragement.
 

K5Rakitan

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Carlo.jpg
 

EternalSunset0

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I never had the level of success you did, but I can relate with that. I think taking a break can help. I also go through "mood swings" when writing. You know the feeling when you got so many things thought out, but when you start typing stuff on the keyboard, the proper words just won't come out.

I find breaks very helpful, as they also give me time to re-evaluate some stuff I have planned out and make some changes. You can also try watching a series or something to draw inspiration from. It's never too late to find a new hobby, after all.

It also helps if you can get someone to talk with about your story. Whether it's plot points or some epic things that you are really so excited about. A beta reader can come in handy here, or just personal friends that you would like to share the story to. It becomes much easier to write when you're not the only one excited about your work.

Hope that helped.
 

DubstheDuke

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At the end of the day, just write what you enjoy. If you don't enjoy what you write, then nobody else will. Make it fun. Make it crazy. Make it emotional. Make it whatever you want it to be. Just make it so that you're on the edge of your seat wondering 'What is gonna happen next?'

Easier said than done though. How do we do this?

Think.

And think.

And think.

Showers are good for this.

Do it bit by bit. Have fun with it. And as everything is in this massive cloud of thoughts, at some point it will all piece together, and you'll smile to yourself and say 'YESSSSSS!!!!'

Always know that no matter how much you've planned already, there is always room for things to link together even further, and for new developments. Flexibility is key. I often start writing something and then halfway through go 'omg what if I did this instead?', and it works great.

Always follow the 'what ifs'. If you think it's interesting, then it is.
 

Freesia.Cutepearl

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Ooooh, your story is one I've been wanting to read, it sounds interesting.

I'm not really sure much what I can say. I think @K5Rakitan made a good post, while I am typing this, lol.

Sometimes I have times where I find it difficult to write, even if I'm excited about an idea.

I can't really say where or how to find your motivation. I also feel bad because I want to help, but I've not really experienced this, I find myself floored and motivated by the mere fact people actually want to read my work. Their enjoyment is my enjoyment.

I hope maybe that can provide a clue though, where do you find enjoyment in writing? If you're not sure maybe you can explore and do some soul searching and find out.

In your shoes, I would feel immensely pressured, having a Patreon. I already feel pressure from having close to 500 readers, on what I expected to be a practice story.

As for the Trending thing making the exact opposite happen, what did it make you feel? Maybe you can figure out the cause?

I know for me, it actually felt scary, exciting too, but scary, it felt like being exposed, as if I was naked in public. All my flaws, my horrible writing, everything I'm critical of, on full display before everyone on the front page.

That said, I think we're both in a similar position in one way, we have nearly 500 people who want to read our stories. Things can't be too terrible if that's the case. When you think in realistic terms about how many people that is, it's nutty, that's like, maybe, a small shopping mall worth of people? At least?

If anything, maybe you can write for them if not yourself. I can say as a reader of many a halted series, it's really disappointing to see someone leave a story with potential languish incomplete.

Actually, as I type this, @EternalSunset0 replied too and their suggestion is great, it reminds me, that when I have trouble sitting down to write, I do other things, sometimes I'll read and after a while, I feel the urge to start writing again. Maybe some scene I had trouble describing, suddenly becomes easy to write after I've read other things for a while.

Also the suggestion about having someone to talk to about things is really good too. Lately @Assurbanipal_II and I have been reading each other's stories and talking, though admittedly I've been mostly on the receiving end. Perhaps I should comment more to A2 :blob_hmm_two:

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, I just wanted to try to provide some encouragement. Goodness knows I've needed some at times, though in my case it's because of being super self-critical.

Best of Luck to you!
 

CupcakeNinja

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Hey everyone at the risk of sounding super self centered and selfish I've made this thread :blob_teary:

As of now I have a story that I feel is doing pretty good at 40,000+ words 2 patrons and a good amount of interest on scribblehub, but I just can't write lol. It's not exactly writer's block as I have the plot for the next 20+ chapters outlined and ready, I just lack encouragement i don't know why. Has anyone felt this? As of now writing is my only "hobby" besides working out but I just can't seem to find myself to do it. I I finally made it on the top 5 trending page (a dream/manifestation of mine) and I thought that would be more than enough encouragement to make me write like crazy but the exact opposite happened. Any advice from fellow authors? Feel free to promote and ask for reviews here too if that will give you encouragement.
you probably feel pressure. Why? because now you're on trending, a sort of dream of yours, and now you;re trying to figure out how to STAY there. You may be getting stressed over it. So to avoid dealing with possible failure, you're shutting down.

I say stop being a goddamn pussy. You're not gonna stay popular all the time, that's just a fact. You'll have your high and low points, especially if you're a new author still getting used to writing and discovering what your writing style is going to be.

Listen mate, I cant get you to stop worrying. But I can suggest ways to get out of your own head. For me, if I enter a phase of my story I don't like...for any reason even if I cant identify it...i start writing something else. Or I do something wild in the story. I can have plans for the next ten chapters, or the next hundred. But I WILL ruin those plans entirely if it means I can get out of my funk. Because I could still plan other things. I can still work around whatever mess I get myself into. But not if I cant write. Not if I avoid writing.

So i guess this would be...shock tactics? Try either writing a different story or writing something crazy in the one you are working on. Do something big. Force yourself to give up on a plan or two for the sake of getting back that motivation
 

Typing...

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What you are experiencing right now is temporary. The shock, the anxiety, the pressure. You will acclimatize. Don't suppress it, allow yourself to feel the emotions you are experiencing right now. Give yourself the opportunity to process. Observe it, allow yourself the time to know how this kind of experience feels so you will not surprise yourself so much the next time.
Next time you will be prepared.
 
D

Deleted member 29316

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It might be because you're pressured to keep up with the Trending pace that you're feeling the pressure to deliver.

Well, I could tell you need to take a break. If you're writing as a hobby, then by all means, remove the pressure on yourself and just take it easy. It is good to be on Trending (and I never had the opportunity to reach it), but know that an author is only good if he/she is writing something. If you burned-out or totally lose motivation to write, then all your hard-work put into your story would only be for naught.

Nevermind the readers for the meantime. Those who are serious about your story would understand why you need a time-off; and the only ones who'd whine are those you don't need to stay.

Take a break. Go out if you need to.
Play games. Reconnect with friends (but be careful because of the virus). When you return refreshed, you'd find you can bring out fresh and inspired ideas.

Hope this advice helps.
 

Fox-Trot-9

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There's a term for what you're feeling right now. You're going through a "slump," which is a natural part of the writing process. We're not machines. We can't write indefinitely at the drop of a hat. Most people just don't work that way. And just as you said, we all need encouragement from time to time. It's only natural, so don't feel bad about it, okay? If you need to recharge your creative juices, then do it. Slack off and binge-watch videos. Read books or manga or whatever catches your interest. Take care of yourself, first and foremost, if all that extra pressure of getting onto the trending page is draining on your batteries.

With that said, though, take the pressure off yourself with small goals. Write 200 words or 100 words or even just 50 words a day to keep your head in the writing game. It may not feel like you're making progress, but you are. And it may feel like you're shoveling shit from the sitting position, but it'll be worth it, trust me. And if you're having a hard time with the next scene, then skip ahead to a future scene in your outline and write that instead. Write what excites you or interests you at the moment. Writing out of order is a good way to keep things fresh and interesting for yourself, if you're going through a creative funk. And don't worry if what you're writing doesn't fit or feels like crap. That's what rewriting is for.

So listen to Shia LaBeouf in the above post. He's being a major dick about it (especially with where his hands are in the screenshot), but just do it and see what happens. You'll never know if you don't try. And if you think I'm being a major dick about it, trust me, I'm not. In fact, I'm right there with you in the trenches with 154 words written in the last 2 days of my current scene.

What I'm trying to say (and what everybody else in this thread is trying to say in their own ways) is that you're not alone. We're with you in spirit, so get typing!
 
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if you want to stay on trending longer, you can try putting some obscure combination of tags that fit only your story and filter the release.
 

Assurbanipal_II

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Ooooh, your story is one I've been wanting to read, it sounds interesting.

I'm not really sure much what I can say. I think @K5Rakitan made a good post, while I am typing this, lol.

Sometimes I have times where I find it difficult to write, even if I'm excited about an idea.

I can't really say where or how to find your motivation. I also feel bad because I want to help, but I've not really experienced this, I find myself floored and motivated by the mere fact people actually want to read my work. Their enjoyment is my enjoyment.

I hope maybe that can provide a clue though, where do you find enjoyment in writing? If you're not sure maybe you can explore and do some soul searching and find out.

In your shoes, I would feel immensely pressured, having a Patreon. I already feel pressure from having close to 500 readers, on what I expected to be a practice story.

As for the Trending thing making the exact opposite happen, what did it make you feel? Maybe you can figure out the cause?

I know for me, it actually felt scary, exciting too, but scary, it felt like being exposed, as if I was naked in public. All my flaws, my horrible writing, everything I'm critical of, on full display before everyone on the front page.

That said, I think we're both in a similar position in one way, we have nearly 500 people who want to read our stories. Things can't be too terrible if that's the case. When you think in realistic terms about how many people that is, it's nutty, that's like, maybe, a small shopping mall worth of people? At least?

If anything, maybe you can write for them if not yourself. I can say as a reader of many a halted series, it's really disappointing to see someone leave a story with potential languish incomplete.

Actually, as I type this, @EternalSunset0 replied too and their suggestion is great, it reminds me, that when I have trouble sitting down to write, I do other things, sometimes I'll read and after a while, I feel the urge to start writing again. Maybe some scene I had trouble describing, suddenly becomes easy to write after I've read other things for a while.

Also the suggestion about having someone to talk to about things is really good too. Lately @Assurbanipal_II and I have been reading each other's stories and talking, though admittedly I've been mostly on the receiving end. Perhaps I should comment more to A2 :blob_hmm_two:

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, I just wanted to try to provide some encouragement. Goodness knows I've needed some at times, though in my case it's because of being super self-critical.

Best of Luck to you!

Comments sound good. :blob_aww:
 

Eleven_M.A.

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I think I know what you mean. I've been in the same place, my friends have experienced the same thing, too.

The way you describe it, I think you had something that motivated you up until now: The dream to get to the top 5. Perhaps, now that you've fulfilled your dream, you've lost the one thing that drove you forward? I know it happened to me a few times - the moment a dream is fulfilled, that dream is over, so to speak.

On top of that, sometimes fulfilling your dream feels... Anti-climatic. We think that our dream is a big deal and expect that things will change when we achieve it... But they don't. I remember feeling like that when I got my M.A. My friend went through it, too - she was extremely focused on finishing a story, but once she did, she found out it wasn't such a big deal. This can be even more demotivating: Not only you no longer have anything to strive for, but you know that making a dream come true isn't always as awesome as you think.

Finally, us amateurs tend to have humble dreams, which means they're (relatively) easy to achieve. Once we get there, it might feel like there's nothing left to aspire to. It might be helpful to find a new ambition - something bigger you want to achieve. Sometimes it means scaling your game up a bit, reaching for bigger things. Or, you could try to grow in a different direction: Set for improving your weakest areas in writing? Try writing a different kind of story or a new arc, something outside of your comfort zone? Again, I think the key is having something to write for.

Whatever you do: Don't try to muscle through it with a 'just do it' attitude. It's a straight way to burn-out - which is one thing you don't want in your creative life. Trust me, for every person who made it through by sheer persistence, there are ten who ground themselves to the bare bone. You never hear their stories - only the stories of success.

I hope it was helpful in any way. Best of luck! :s_smile:
 
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Nole786

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Wow I didn't expect so many responses and I really appreciate the encouraging words everyone. I've decided to continue writing my story:giggle: I am going to take a short one week hiatus however starting today where I will try to write for fun again. Thanks for all the advice everyone (y)
 
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