The typical [drought of a writer's motivation] cry for help

[DonutLuver]

How do people keep writing? I've only been posting everyday for the past 6 days and I'm already tired lol.

I guess a part of me still feels doubt when I know I'm writing an adult fic that is not catering to the masses (no harem, no gender bender, no GL/BL, female MC). I wanna do well, of course I do, but I also want to write what I want.

So like - I wish I had a magical item that let's me ignore my self doubt.

If anyone would sell that to me, that would be great!

/pity rant

 

[AliceShiki]

Well, just keep going?

Writing is a hobby that demands time and attention. It's really fun, but it's also quite tiring. It's absolutely normal to feel tired after a writing session.

It's like... I dunno, we all have a set amount of mental energy that we can dedicate to tasks? And writing demands a lot of that mental energy, so it's normal to feel kinda burnt out after a while.

Setting up a schedule for yourself and trying to commit to it is basically the best way to go about it? You don't need to force yourself to release daily or anything like it, but do be aware that nobody simply easily writes for hours and hours each day without breaking a sweat. Everyone struggles with it, and the people that are able to finish their novels are the people that were able to get past that mental exhaustion and kept on going.

Just keep trying, keep writing one character at a time and you'll eventually have your novel completed. There is no secret formula to it, just plain determination is what will let you write for a long period of time... Well, that, and a schedule. A schedule helps.

And uhn... Well, if you don't feel like writing anymore, you also don't need to. This is a hobby for many people and a job for only a few. You don't need to force yourself to keep going if this hobby is too tiring for you.

 

[doravg]

I have a story, hell, more than one, that didn't do well. Did I give up on those stories? No. I loved them to bits, and wanted to see them finished and published, even if they will never get too many readers. You have to focus on the love for the story, not on the views.

 

[Sayu]

Take a break here an there and always keep in mind that even if your artpiece is not getting recognition doesn't mean it's bad. Art is something created by those who put their heart into it not something that is successful, and who knows, your novel could just one day explode suddenly with everyone reading it.

Self doubt is just a hurdle when making a true masterpiece. A lot of famous paintings, scientific theories go unnoticed until the founder/creator dies. So just take in a deep breath, clench your fists and continue doing what you love, and instead of ignoring self doubt, embrace it as a natural part of the process.

 

[Oreo]

I'm writing an adult fic

Nice.

that is not catering to the masses

Doubt.

 

[SailusGebel]

I don't need more competition, so stop writing and start procrastinating.

 

[DonutLuver]

@AliceShiki and @doravg and @Kumiho thanks for the reply - I'm just mentally weak.

Maybe I should stick to a schedule. I just thought I could write a daily chapter of 1500 words but then each chapter is getting longer and longer because I need to end my chapter in a certain way.

@Kumiho I like your analogy except at the same time, not sure if I want to be remembered writing raunchy sex scenes.

 

[Jailbreak571]

...
This is might be the only reason why I still write but my dream in the writing field was to have multiple novels connected in the same universe (like the fate series). So I guess you could have a goal in writing so that you could go forward and not lose motivation.

Wanting to do well ain't enough, you should have an end goal that you will always strive on. Hope this helps

 

[DonutLuver]

Nice.

Doubt.

Okay. I am catering to the masses because it's smut. But at the same time, I think I'm catering to a sub section of said audience because it's het couple ending with a female mc. You know?

 

[Sayu]

@Kumiho I like your analogy except at the same time, not sure if I want to be remembered writing raunchy sex scenes.

There's a very simple way to fix that, you see, if you say that you are going Mt. Everest, most people do not question when you suddenly disappear.

 

[DonutLuver]

There's a very simple way to fix that, you see, if you say that you are going Mt. Everest, most people do not question when you suddenly disappear.

Excellent.

 

[Oreo]

Okay. I am catering to the masses because it's smut. But at the same time, I think I'm catering to a sub section of said audience because it's het couple ending with a female mc. You know?

There is an audience for that.
Kuchiyose: @Agentt
@Anon2021 @ElliePorter @Erys @minacia

 

[DonutLuver]

There is an audience for that.
Kuchiyose: @Agentt
@Anon2021 @ElliePorter @Erys @minacia

Wait
No. No. No

Please don't tag them in here. They are known as the smut overlord that oversees all smut in this universe. I'm going to get smited for posting this thread.

 

[JayDirex]

I've only been posting everyday for the past 6 days and I'm already tired lol.

Only highly motivated-beginners seeking dopamine rushes from posting, and those getting paid good money through patreon- post everyday.

The rest of us post once or twice a week. Many less than that. Why? Because we understand that the same readers you are killing yourself to get a chapter out to everyday, are the same readers you'd garner if you posted once a week.

Also, if you slow down you'll write better. But you don't want to hear that. You enjoy chasing the dragon, posting (barely proofread) drafts and getting that dopamine fix when someone reads it. That's fine too.

Have fun. You'll wise up after you burnout.

 

[DonutLuver]

Only highly motivated-beginners seeking dopamine rushes from posting, and those getting paid good money through patreon- post everyday.

The rest of us post once or twice a week. Many less than that. Why? Because we understand that the same readers you are killing yourself to get a chapter out to everyday, are the same readers you'd garner if you posted once a week.

Also, if you slow down you'll write better. But you don't want to hear that. You enjoy chasing the dragon, posting (barely proofread) drafts and getting that dopamine fix when someone reads it. That's fine too.

Have fun. You'll wise up after you burnout.

Oh god. There's science behind it now. I said I wanted magic not cold hard logic and fact.

But all joking aside. You're right. I actually thought about not posting today and take a break. Start the three chapters a week schedule - I have a weird tendency where I commit when in the end. This is just a hobby.

 

[LilRora]

Apart from all the advice posted above, one thing I found helpful is building a large backlog of chapters. And I mean 'large' as in 'enough to last for a month or even two'.

Yup, I'm serious here. It massively reduces the pressure a schedule puts on you, plus you can get sick or start writing another story, and despite putting the story off for two weeks you can easily keep the schedule. Then you get the zoomies and catch up in three days by outputting 6k words a day and you're good for another two weeks.

PS: No, I don't have a backlog two months long, but I'm wiritng faster than I'm publishing right now, so I'll probably be getting close to that in a while.

 

[Oreo]

Oh god. There's science behind it now. I said I wanted magic not cold hard logic and fact.

But all joking aside. You're right. I actually thought about not posting today and take a break. Start the three chapters a week schedule - I have a weird tendency where I commit when in the end. This is just a hobby.

Want to hear a secret? You're more than likely to get into trending by posting two to three chapters a week than posting every day.

 

[Topgun1908]

I regained my motivation to write by realising that I don't actually care that much about my readers. Yeah I'm being rude, but I write because I want to know what I'll do with my story since I write whatever I want on a whim. The readers are just there to give the occasional "You're doing good" feedback.

 

[LilRora]

Only highly motivated-beginners seeking dopamine rushes from posting, and those getting paid good money through patreon- post everyday.

I'm not taking it. I say that the people who get a lot of money from patreon aren't posting everyday. There will of course be different people, but I think that if someone is good enough to earn that money, they will care not about the amount of work they are publishing, but its quality, so that the readers they have won't go away.

Now that might by my very skewed opinion, but people who post everyday mostly don't care about the quality of their work, but only make sure it attracts readers and "care" about them in almost obsessive way. There are of course exceptions to that, but it is very, and I mean very hard, to find a story of good quality with a chapter posted every single day that has a lot of paid viewers. Most people who read those stories don't spend money on reading, at least not those stories.

The rest of us post once or twice a week. Many less than that. Why? Because we understand that the same readers you are killing yourself to get a chapter out to everyday, are the same readers you'd garner if you posted once a week.

Also, if you slow down you'll write better. But you don't want to hear that. You enjoy chasing the dragon, posting (barely proofread) drafts and getting that dopamine fix when someone reads it. That's fine too.

Have fun. You'll wise up after you burnout.

I can agree with all that though, and from my own experience.


Most amateur writers should first focus on the quality of their stories, and only then increase their output, because they will at least be aware of the shortcomings that come with it. They will always be there if you try to write more than 1,5k-2k words a day, because it takes time to think things through and make them consitent, properly paced, and deep.

 

[SkippyForfex]

Oh, it's simple! I torture myself mentally and force myself to write! Ahaha