1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.
  2. Welcome to Lake Valor!
    Catch, train, and evolve Pokémon while you explore our community. Make friends, and grow your collection.

    Login or Sign Up

Why write?

Discussion in 'Creative Zone' started by ShinigamiMiroku, Nov 6, 2017.

Tags:
  1. ShinigamiMiroku

    Sorceress' Knight
    (Ralts ♂)
    Level 23
    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2017
    Posts:
    2,067
    PokéPoints:
    ₽3,354.4
    Red Orb ★★★★★
    Okay, I'm probably going to sound a bit on the melodramatic side, but...

    I've lost my drive to write. I sit down to write, and there's nothing; just a bottomless pit of blank space where ideas and creativity used to flow. And the more I try, the more I just seem to come back to the 'why', and I can't answer it anymore. Honestly, I feel like there's no point in my even trying. Even if I were to try and come up with something original, let's be real here - very few aspiring authors ever actually get published, and fewer become successful on a consistent basis; even fewer than that are remembered beyond their lifetime.

    And is that not the point of writing, to record our thoughts and feelings through proxy characters and have our stories of the way we saw things passed down to the next generation? If this cannot be done, then what is the reason? What point is there in creating what will simply be forgotten before too long?

    But should I give up on something that for a long time was a source of enjoyment in life? What does it say about me that I should be pushed into a corner like this? How do I reclaim what I have lost, if it is in fact reclaimable?
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  2. VictoryStar34

    SS Egg #1
    (Lugia Egg)
    Level 22
    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2017
    Posts:
    577
    PokéPoints:
    ₽1,103.5
    Mewnium Z  ★★★★★Choice Specs ★★★★★Legendary Triforce ★★Deep Sea Scale ★★★Rage Candy Bar ★★★
    As much as I hate to say it...I sometimes feel this as well.

    Sometimes I just wonder if I should continue to write and just end my fanfic there, but...

    I made a promise, and I'm gonna keep it!

    Well, all I have to say to you is: If you love it, keep going! Think of everything in a different way! I know what it feels like to be writer's blocked, so THINK VERY HARD AND THINGS SHOULD FLOW! Maybe read some other things to get ideas flowing. And that's all.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    ShinigamiMiroku likes this.
  3. SnowboundBecca

    SnowboundBecca Scarf Enthusiast

    Jet Stone
    (Froakie)
    Level 27
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Posts:
    2,976
    PokéPoints:
    ₽2,335.7
    Marshadium Z ★★★★★Beast Ball ★★★★Black Glasses ★★★★Luxury Ball ★★★Legendary Triforce ★★
    I sometimes get like this too, honestly. I've been trying to get back into drawing a comic that's been a very, very long time overdue. I often think of it as a giant road block, a wall that seems too high to climb over if you don't have the motivation and the drive to do it. And then after a while, you just give up and leave it as is, but you can still see it sometimes.

    It's aggravating, and it feels like it's not even worth it.

    But that doesn't mean you should just give up on it, because it is worth it. It's worth the satisfaction of finishing, of receiving praise for your hard work and creativity. It likely won't be perfect, and you'll probably receive some criticism, but you can use that constructive criticism to push you into writing something even better. You'll run into more road blocks, but if you're really passionate and motivated on your work, you can get over any obstacle.

    It's easier said than done, I know. I'm still working on getting over my road blocks. But I'm not giving up just yet. Neither should you.

    "Stay determined."
    -A quote from UnderTale
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    ShinigamiMiroku and Sonic Ramon like this.
  4. DiancieIsBae

    Merio12
    (Mew Egg)
    Level 10
    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2017
    Posts:
    110
    PokéPoints:
    ₽187.0
    Yache Berry ★★Amulet Coin ★★★Skull Fossil ★★★
    Ok this is probably gonne come off as somewhat harsh but I kinda have to say all of this sooo here we go...

    The first part of this is perfectly normal. But the second part, that's where I got shit to say. Part of me feels that at this point, you just don't enjoy writing anymore. Because if you can't come back to the 'why' (even the simplest 'why'), then you most likely lost your ability to enjoy writing as an activity.

    This is actually why I'm so disappointed and angry at this post. You saying this is basically just saying that you wanna give up. And that, to me, is a sign of weakness. Like, you would just give up in the face of adversity, and that's just cowardly.

    Well...not all the time. Most stories won't even be seen or heard of by people. So what would be the reason? In other words, the 'why'? Well, if for no other reason you can think of, you can at least say that it's just "for the hell of it". (which is the simplest 'why' I was talking about) If at the end of the day, you can't have any amount of fun writing, then what's the point of writing to you? So what if you have a story idea you would like to make public? If you can't have fun doing it, then that story idea wouldn't really mean anything. It would just be a drag that you would practically be forcing yourself to do.

    Ok so you've been writing for a long time, and have been pushed into a corner. Ok. Well considering you've been writing for so long, this whole "you losing your drive" scenario must've happened multiple times during your lifetime. So the end-all-be-all question here would be: How did you regain your drive during those occasions? I think if you can answer this question, then you can find your way back to enjoying writing again.

    Again I know I was kinda harsh here, but that's kinda the point. This is stuff I feel had to be said by someone, and that someone ended up being me.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    ShinigamiMiroku likes this.
  5. Sonic Ramon

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2017
    Posts:
    140
    PokéPoints:
    ₽10.6
    You couldn't said this any better than I could, SnowboundBecca! I praised this comment because of such.

    And dude, if you feel as though writing is no longer your thing but still wanting to proceed towards something else, then go for it. But if you still want to write, then you shouldn't give up that easily. Most writers tend to do that with their fanfics, especially when it's actually good. I'll try to not be one of them.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  6. ShinigamiMiroku

    Sorceress' Knight
    (Ralts ♂)
    Level 23
    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2017
    Posts:
    2,067
    PokéPoints:
    ₽3,354.4
    Red Orb ★★★★★
    @VictoryStar34 and @SnowboundBecca Thank you for your encouragement.

    First, I want to say thank you for your honesty.

    I apologize for angering you, but it's a right anger, and I don't blame you. I'm angry at myself for the same thing, because I spent so much of my younger life as a coward, but the fact is that even now I fight against that instinct to run away, to give up... I bear a lot of self-hatred because of it, and despite my progress against both that nature and my self-loathing it still creeps up from time to time. Thing is, I can't pretend that everything is okay; I need to be real with people, without pretense; I won't blame you for thinking less of me, but everyone has multiple dimensions to them, and I felt this was something I needed to share with those who share the same passion about writing.

    I've forgotten how to write 'for the hell of it'. So much of my 'writing' nowadays has been for school, so it's all had a very specific reason and end to them - and I'm not even doing graduate work yet.

    Thank you for being honest with me. I needed to hear a lot of this. Yeah, I've dealt with normal writer's block, and I have gotten past it, but those times I wasn't at school, and I wasn't having to deal with family issues (because at that time I was completely ignoring it) so it was easier.

    I spoke to my literature professor about this (I typically do so when I need advice about anything literature-related, so she knows a lot about what's going on not just with my writing but in my life as well) and she helped me realize that I was being burnt out by focusing so much on my work, my family relations, my schooling, and everything else that I wasn't setting any time aside for myself, to relax and recharge. She suggested that, since I like to read, I find a book to read that is just for the sake of enjoyment - which I did. It will take time, but she reminded me of my gifting and that I didn't need to force it, that it would return if I relaxed.

    Thank you, as well, for your encouragement. I don't want to leave anything unfinished, but I also know that if I don't do what I need to do to find my love for my work again, any work I do will be, as Diancie said, 'a drag'.
     
    DiancieIsBae and Sonic Ramon like this.
  7. Sonic Ramon

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2017
    Posts:
    140
    PokéPoints:
    ₽10.6
    You're welcome, Shinigami! n3n
     
  8. Owly

    Owly Friend of the Eco, Foe of the System

    Torako
    (Eevee (J))
    Level 9
    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2017
    Posts:
    1,220
    PokéPoints:
    ₽2,981.7
    I think your professor's right. You do sound burnt out. My main suggestion in this case would be to take a break. Obviously, you can't take a break from all writing, considering you're busy with schoolwork. But maybe stop doing recreational writing for a bit. It doesn't have to be a long time. Try doing some other activities. I like your professor's suggestion to read for pleasure; that definitely will help. Maybe try taking a walk or doing something else you enjoy at times you feel like you should be writing. Sometimes we all just need a break from that sort of thing. When you feel you're ready you can come back to it and hopefully your interest in writing will be rekindled.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  9. BraviaryScout

    BraviaryScout Way of the Wind

    Bravo
    (Braviary)
    Level 66
    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2017
    Posts:
    2,045
    PokéPoints:
    ₽2,847.3
    Crown of ValorPoké Ball ★
    You sound like you're a busy person, so as odd as this sounds, remember that I do this myself.

    If you find yourself struggling to write or experiencing that dreaded "writer's block" stop...just stop writing altogether. Writing stuff like fanfiction is supposed to be done with creativity, enjoyment and a way to express your imagination into a story. You need to have that mindset to write because you WANT to.

    If you're writing because you HAVE to, then it becomes less enjoyable and I find writer's block to come much quicker...and then it's more of a chore than something leisurely done.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  10. Wolf Expert

    Wolf Expert Canine Scholar

    Wolf
    (Riolu)
    Level 24
    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2017
    Posts:
    2,314
    PokéPoints:
    ₽761.2
    Moon Ball ★★★★Love Ball ★★★★★Premier Ball ★Friend Ball ★★★★Luxury Ball ★★★
    It definitely sounds like burnout. Everyone gets this at some point. At times like that, it just goes back to why you started in the first place. Odds are, it's because you enjoyed it. Why did you enjoy it? That's your motivation to keep going. When you feel bunt out, the best thing to do is take a break. Try reading or watching a series instead.

    This might sound kind of weird, but for writing projects that you're required to do, try procrastinating. Not to the point where you struggle to finish on time, and you certainly shouldn't continue once the burnout has passed, but to the point where you have to get everything out onto a page or a word document all at once. It will give you more time to think beforehand, about your writing or anything else.

    Try doing something new, completely unrelated, maybe something you've never considered before. Listening to new songs helps for me sometimes, but you can go more extreme than that. Go somewhere new, try spelunking (random example), it could be anything. That will give you a new perspective on things that you had never considered before and you'll learn about things that you never knew existed. That will give you a ton of ideas for your writing that you wouldn't have had before.

    My thought is that if you didn't care anymore, you wouldn't bother asking.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...

Share This Page