Writing. Depressing things.

[rhienelleth]

I almost started crying at work just now and had to step away from reading my f-list. Let me explain

Comments

[queenoftheskies]

You never lose it, but the getting past yourself is a difficult thing.

What about a few words/day and work your way back?

What about a writing partner to talk writing with and share work with?

We're all rooting for you, you know. We all know you can do it. We all know you WILL.

::HUGS::

[rhienelleth]

Thank you. Getting out of my own way is definitely the problem that I am struggling with.

Good suggestions. And thanks for the vote of confidence. :)

[kayjayuu]

Something fun.

Writing used to be fun, right?

Find something to do that makes you happy to do it. Not fearful because you might not.

What would your main character say about this?

[rhienelleth]

Writing used to be fun, right?

Exactly. I'm putting all of this pressure on myself, instead of just doing what I love.

My main character would shake her head and tell me to get to it. Fear isn't overcome with avoidance.

[kayjayuu]

So let's hear her.

[quiet_rebel]

I totally understand. After I finished grad school and moved out to California, my writing stalled. I was writing and submitting, but that passion, that fire, it was gone. I was lucky enough to find a great writing group and we meet monthly to critique and just encourage each other. Another big difference is I've come to acknowledge the fact that I am a writer. When people ask me what I do, I say, "I'm a writer," not "I want to be a writer." For some reason, that gives me a lot of that confidence

[rhienelleth]

Thank you so much for this reply, Nu. Just reading about someone else who has been there and gotten past it is huge. I think I just need to write something and send it a few people to read, get feedback, write more, etc. Small goals are a good suggestion.

Wow, that blog write up was great. *bookmarked*

If you ever want me to read something, let me know! You're talented and creative and I totally remember the space pirates, so go for it!

Thanks, this totally made me smile. :) I just may take you up on that at some point. I think interaction with other writers might be key to me moving past this.

You Have This!

[kistha]

Seriously it's not like your talent went off somewhere because it didn't like college. It isn't a teenage brat. You're muse might be, but that's between you two. :) You can do it, you just need to let yourself do it.

Dream a dream again. I am, you can too.

One title:

Agents of SHEILD.

Just do it, for yourself. And share with me, because obviously.

Re: You Have This!

[rhienelleth]

Seriously it's not like your talent went off somewhere because it didn't like college.

I can always count on my BFF to say the best stuff! Or maybe just the "I really need to hear that" stuff. :)

You know where I think some of this is coming from? Training. Because when I quit martial arts and tried to go back after three years, it was godawful, like I'd never flipping trained before, after twelve years of doing it. But that was a totally different situation, and training itself and how we trained had changed hugely in the three years I was gone.

Still. In the back of my head somewhere, some part of me remembers that and thinks "what if writing is the same?" It's not like I haven't written at all during this time. I wrote a LOT, just all academia, with a few aborted attempts at getting some fiction writing scattered in.

You're right. I should try my hand at some fic, and see what happens.

Re: You Have This!

[kistha]

Training *really* changed, and ask my husband continues from session to session for him. If you wanted it back and had the time, you could get back into it. And you'd change as it changes. I see a lot of older dancers coming back, and it's hard for them, but then they just do something naturally and they keep coming back. In some ways learning the same skill only different after a break is harder than learning it with no previous exposure.

Writing doesn't change the way training does. The English language hasn't changed dramatically in the couple of years you've been gone. Publishing might have altered, but writing well, and crafting good stories? Totally the same. And all that academia writing totally kept you're writing chops in action. Now it's just time to let loose.

Can't wait to see you!

[frenchroast]

I understand how you're feeling--once I started my teaching internship, I didn't write another thing until I quit teaching a few years later. It was months after that before I could try writing anything, and even then, it took ages just to write my first drabble after that. I still write nowhere near as much or as often as I used to, even though I'm not overwhelmed like I used to be. It's really only in the last couple of months that I've finally started to crawl out of the Writer's Block Valley, and it's very slow going. I lost all the habits I'd acquired, my surroundings are completely different, and all of those things make it harder.

The one thing I've found that has helped me is fic exchanges, because they give me an extra incentive to write--if I don't, it means I let someone besides myself down, and I don't want to do that. So far, that's the only writing I've managed to finish outside of a drabble here or there. Maybe that would help you get back into it?

[rhienelleth]

Oh, fic exchanges are a good idea! If only I knew how to find them anymore. It used to be, those would pop up all over my f-list, but that isn't the case anymore. :( Hmm. I'll do some searching. Thanks!

[celli]

Here's some places to start:

http://fandomcalendar.dreamwidth.org/

http://bigbangindex.dreamwidth.org/

<3