but we knew they'd try

[tea_and_ink]

Been feeling odd, lately. As if I had this well inside my head, this pit of ideas waving and revolting around, making themselves known, making me stop and stare. And then I grab my legal pad and... they're gone. I wanna write and, apparently I can, the ideas are there which is sort of fundamental for the craft, I think, but I don't seem to have the drive. Or something.

I'm intimidated by a legal pad.

Don't even wanna bother with the laptop.

But, this is a happy day because I am convinced that leaves are falling! Finally!

So, back to the original reason for this post (when in doubt, always ask your flist), does this lack of drive, as I have christened it, happen to you? If so, how do you handle it? Advices?

Comments

[shopfront.livejournal.com]

It does, I highly doubt it's possible to be creatively driven at all times without going mad! For short failures in drive (we're talking one to three days, tops), I can usually find a cause. I'm too busy, too tired, have too many non-creative to-do's weighing on my mind, or my mental health has lost a little of it's shine. Or I'm just having a few bad days creatively, sometimes that just happens too, but usual there's an external stress making it worse. Those, I just wait out. Put the writing aside and work on something else that I need to do a few days from now, so that when the drive comes back I'll have the free time to write then.

For longer failures, I generally find I have to write myself through it. Just keep putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, even if what you're writing is boring, uninspired drivel. I don't recommend working on anything you're planning to post/publish unless you have a non-negotiable deadline, although I'm sure some people can craft uninspired yet worthy prose during these sorts of periods - think of it like Nano writing. You keep writing regularly for the word count, and never mind what you're actually putting on the page. I find it I put writing aside to wait out a longer down time, I eventually start to lose the drive to pick it back up and try again. It's like something gets a little rusty, and when the inspiration comes back I'm 'write' the stories in my mind or another medium, but develop an aversion to tackling the dreaded legal pad or laptop, because I let it intimidate me in the first place.

Just keep swimming in words until you rediscover that spark that gets the whole process churning over properly again. I generally find I'm suddenly invested in this horribly flat character I've been writing, or the loose plot thread or missing backstory is suddenly integral and fascinating and I desperately want to fix it. Once I've got that, it usually transfers over into my other writing with ease as well.

Good luck, however you decide to handle it! I hope you find your own best way to handle the block.

[penandnotebook]

No, I agree there, can you imagine? If you're too busy creating stuff, when would you live? It's probably a nefarious combination of factors that begun with lack of time to sit down and produce something, then I'd be too tired and then I'd just be out of ideas, and so a vicious cycle was born. Now though, it's mostly getting started what holds me back. ::headdesks::

That's a good idea, actually. Sit down and write x number of words per day, regardless of theme or quality, just for the oiling it provides to the engine. I'll try that, definitely.

Oh, the investment in characters. Man, do I love those moments. I'm currently having this bit of a torrid affair with the idea of a character I want to write. Maybe I´ll start there.

Thanks a lot. Surely this will help me get back on the horse. <3