writing frustrations

[PancaKe]

So I just want to whine about what frustrates me about writing. Feel free to join in or offer advice!

It frustrates me when I sit and try and continue writing a story I haven't written for like four years, and I keep forgetting what I've written or where I was going with it.

It frustrates me when I sit at the computer and get all prepared to write, and nothing happens.

It frustrates me when I WANT to write, but I just have nothing to write about.

Sigh

[classy_cat18]

Plot holes. I hate plot holes.

That's all.

[mr_pikachu]

Whenever I get the urge to write, I have too many other things that I have to do.

Whenever I don't have things that I have to do, I can't find inspiration.

...Yeah, that's pretty much it.

[PancaKe]

Editing the first chapter forty times instead of writing a new chapter.

I hate that

[Lune the Guardian]

Intense over-planning and second guessing to avoid plot holes. Been stuck constantly editing the first chapter even though I have a bunch of the story written in my head. I even threw out a complete first chapter and rewrote it from a different angle.

[PancaKe]

Being overly critical on characters I once embraced.

Being away from certain muses that made me write with fury and passion five years ago due to changes in my life

Having to get into the right frame of mind and not being able to do so.

Thinking that all my ideas are dumb except one which I can't write about anymore cos I'm stumped!

[eevee-shayna]

Having ideas for stories stack up, but not being able to write any of them because I feel obligated to finish the long term projects first.

Editing a project that you've read through so many times that you're not sure what works and what's just boring anymore.

school/sleep/eating/life getting in the way of writing.

Trying not to use the word "I" too much in a first person narrative.

[classy_cat18]

Trying not to use the word "I" too much in a first person narrative.

Oh yeah, that's tough too.

[Roses are Red]

Getting stuck writing a project even though you know how you want to do it, the muse isn't coming to get it done.

Other writing projects getting in the way.

I dislike writing battle scenes. Everything always feel repetitive. The only thing that helps this out if I know personalities and can match the tone.

Tests getting in the way.

Probably other things as well.

[classy_cat18]

Writing dialogue, then reading it over again and thinking "Man, that was corny" or "That sounded too stupid".

[DivineAll]

Writer's block and writing motivation. Sure, like any good writer, an active imagination is practically quid pro quo, and I think I, myself, have a somewhat active one, but that doesn't mean I can't come up with something original every once in a while. As for writing motivation, reviews and praise makes us writers want to write more. Limited reviews=low writing motivation... at least for some writers.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Limited reviews=low writing motivation... at least for some writers

Quoted for truth.

[Goodnight Seadra]

Pretty much what everyone said here frustates me in writing. XD For me:

Rewriting the ending ten times and still not happy about it.

Getting stumped on some ideas.

Trying to get all ideas fit into one story but seems that you can't.

Somehow at first you're very motivated to write, but then not due to real life issues.

Excited about scenes you wrote but not sure what the readers will think.

[Lune the Guardian]

Oh yeah, that's true... It's easy to be overly critical of your own writing and if you're looking for outside opinions and get no reviews, you might become more unsure of your work.

[Gavin Luper]

Taking months to write a chapter because you keep second-guessing yourself.

And trying to write perfectly. I don't know about everyone else, but I don't seem to draft, I just expect my writing to be perfect the first time it tumbles onto the page, which means I end up putting way too much pressure on myself every time I go to write, and end up being dissatisfied with anything less than what I think is good.

[Astinus]

Taking months to write a chapter because you keep second-guessing yourself.

I understand how that feels. XD

That's why it took me longer than expected to finish the first draft of my fanfic, because I just couldn't get the words to sound "right" in my head. x.X Whenever I think I could finally move on from the scene, I would read it over, think it didn't make sense or that it could be better, and rewrite it again.

Finally, to fix that, I just moved on to write the rest of the fic and come back to that one scene. By that time, I was ready to write it so I could finally call that fic "finished", so I wrote out the scene, and was able to see it as "good".

And the other things people have said have frustrated me as well. I know how it feels.

[Goodnight Seadra]

Oh yeah, that's true... It's easy to be overly critical of your own writing and if you're looking for outside opinions and get no reviews, you might become more unsure of your work.

Yeah, that's why I'm unsure what people here think of my chaptered fic. No one reviewed it yet. ^^; At other forums other people like it, but I tend to think maybe other people in a different forum will think of it differently and would like to see their input. Eh, not troubling me too much, though.

And Gavin, I know a few more people like that. They always try to write perfect the first time. Me, I do drafts and would fix it up later. That's how I managed to finish the first draft of NE in summer of '07, actually. The bad thing though is sometimes you might keep rewriting and rewriting and still unsure if it's good. ^^; And yes, the keep rewriting the whole chapter/story part frustrates me. ^^;

[Shadow Wolf]

I get frustrated when I have an idea about a plot and then, I don't know how to picture it.

Also, when writing poetry, it frustrates me that I have to rely on a Rhyme dictionary to find some appropiate words (synonyms) to decribe emotions, events, and most rhymes.

[PancaKe]

I picture all these scenes, shots, lines, etc in my head and then can't think of a plausable story to fit it into.

I can't think of anything without reading over it and going "wow, corny"

I have trouble with the dialogue of characters now, because I read it and go "Yeah right, who would even say that?" (even as I'm re-reading old old fics like LVH)

gay.

[mistysakura]

Welcome to TPM, Astinus! Enjoy your stay! Posting your fic here?

I don't have writing frustrations. Why? Becuase I don't write enough to get them. Instead, I have not-writing frustrations.

[Crazy Elf Boy]

I have writing blocks all the time, like right now I am trying to start a new fanfiction. I have the characters and everything I just cant seem to think of something to get it started.

[Drago]

For me at this present time, it's agonising over how to make chapters from five or six years ago presentable for a revised version. I'm kinda over all that old stuff, I wanna just jump into some new stuff!

Also, reading over something that you had at one point seen as glorious and then realising that it wasn't everything you had thought it was. Happens often with me.

And I too hate the painful moment when you go to pick up a plot point, and you've forgotten where you were going with it. Or worse still, when you start writing again after a while and realise you had completely forgotten about that plot point, and it's hanging ominously over your head as something you COMPLETELY MISSED.

[PancaKe]

And I too hate the painful moment when you go to pick up a plot point, and you've forgotten where you were going with it. Or worse still, when you start writing again after a while and realise you had completely forgotten about that plot point, and it's hanging ominously over your head as something you COMPLETELY MISSED.

Augh I know how THAT one feels

[mistysakura]

So. I've gotten over my not-writing frustrations. (Thank you, deadlines.) And I've gained a new frustration, which is summarised by "nothing but crap is flowing out onto the paper". (Thank you, deadlines.)