That awkward moment in fanfiction when you don't know what comes next (part2)

That awkward moment in fanfiction when...you don’t know what comes next pt 2

So you’ve got writer’s block

I took awhile to decide whether or not I wanted to write anything new after I completed my first story. 

Completing a new story, as discussed before, was emotionally exhausting. But I wanted to do it again. The problem was finding a way to do it.

I just got out of a relationship with a thirty chapter story; I wasn’t ready to jump into another.

I wanted excitement, something brief with no commitment whatsoever. I wanted a story fling.

So I wrote a one-shot for a different fandom, read stories that were completely different to my own and that dealt with completely different things, and finally, started writing on this blog again.

Anyone whose suffered through writer’s block knows the only way to conquer it is to get busy.

Write. Edit. Read. Review. Repeat.

Here’s a few tips to beat any form of writer’s block with a stick, whether caused by a completed story or a prolonged hiatus:

1.       Get in touch with why you loved your fandom/OTP in the first place: rewatch/reread the series/movie/book; read stories from the fandom; watch videos made for the fandom; look at art depicting your fandom; whatever you want to get the inspirational juices flowing.

2.       Accept challenges/prompts/requests.

3.       Write things out of your comfort zone: a different genre, write from the perspective of a different character, write something you haven’t yet.

4.       Read. Fanfiction, original fiction, an old favorite, something on your To-Read list, an article from a magazine; as long as you’re reading, you aren’t doing nothing.

5.       Get some fresh air.

6.       Do your chores: believe it or not getting your mind off of writing can be just what you need. Doing mundane tasks keeps you focused on one thing and lets your mind wander like it should whenever it’s been stuck in one place for too long.

7.       Get out: you know what that is right? The thing you did before you had to meet self-made deadlines, before the write-write-write mindset?

8.       Don’t write anything. Maybe you need a well deserved break from it all. Whenever something enjoyable feels like work, it’s a sign that you’ve forgotten what it is you enjoyed about it, and that’s okay.

9.       Have a conversation: your cat, pet rock, the mailman, your sister, you husband; whoever. Being in touch with people on any level is important as a writer.

10.   Explore: haven’t been to that famous church a town away? Why not make a plan to go? Always wanted to try that café down the street? Now’s your chance!

11.   Eat.

12.   Listen to a debate: from the news, on the internet, between friends or family; you’ll either drone it out and discover an idea or you might take the argument in and have some new perspective on an old topic.

13.   Jam to some music: you don’t have to dance in your pajamas at an ungodly hour, but just taking a few minutes to let yourself go, and stop worrying about life so much

14.   Relax: do something that calms you that doesn’t involve writing – maybe play a videogame, cook, fix up your car, take a nap, internet search cat videos, work out.

15.   Watch a movie.

16.   Splurge a little: buy that new book you've wanted, that pair of shoes, maybe go on a road trip or eat at that fancy place that have those amazing pies you've been day dreaming about. Go on. I won't tell.

17.   Take pictures: mental pictures or actual pictures, try and find something interesting about the world and maybe it’ll inspire you.

.

18.   Go people watching: just watch and observe, make up tales out of your head based on the lives of random people and the story you’ve wanted to write might just hit you

19.   Exercise: a walk in the park, a cycle down the street, sit-ups in front of the tv, whatever floats your boat. The increased oxygen to the brain is a good thing.

20.   Share: talk about your writing or your ideas with just about anybody; having the chance to verbally bounce off any insecurities or thoughts you have as a writer can be greatly comforting when you realize you aren’t alone.

21.   Review: you’ve got a few stories on favorites that deserve a shout out, how about writing them in in-depth review of why you enjoyed their work? They’ll appreciate it.

22.   Do a good deed: Karma is a wonderful thing when it’s on your side

23.   Watch some comedians on Youtube (Michael McIntyere for example): whether you roll your eyes at the cheesiness or find yourself actually laughing, you’ll hear how they manage to craft a story to people and how they get the audience into their inside jokes.

24.   Edit: maybe you have a few uncompleted stories on your computer like I do, find the time to edit it and it’ll be completed and published before you know it.

25.   Learn something new: be it about your fandom, your stories, yourself or something completely unrelated. There’s a lesson in every experience

 

Here’s other lists that may help too:

5 tips to punch writer’s block in theface
27 wacky ways to beat writer’s block
Practical ways to beat writer’s block
 10 ways to beat writer’s block

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Got any tips of your own to beat writer’s block that wasn’t mentioned here? Share it below J

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That awkward moment in fanfiction when...you don’t know what comes next

That awkward moment in fanfiction when...you don’t know what comes next

So you finished your first story…

First off, congratulations!

Readers who don’t write have no idea how difficult completing a piece of work is, it can be a one-shot, (insert-number-here) prompts, requests, collections and full on chaptered stories.

It takes a lot of motivation to swallow down the excitement, anxiety, pride and fluctuating feeling of self-loathing (“Dear Fanfic Gods on High, why did I make it more complicated than it has to be?”/ “Why aren’t the plot bunnies cooperating?!”). Question is: Are you ready to do it all over again?  

My answer was this, “Tap out.”

Maybe I just have commitment issues. But the work required to get the story started, to keep it going and then end it was emotionally exhausting.

We’ve all come across amazing stories that sit on the first five chapters, and they never finish. Why?

It’s hard. So hard. Very hard. Frustratingly hard. It’s creative constipation really.

But you know what?

I’d do it again.

I haven’t really written anything for a few weeks (months?) since I changed the status of my story from “Incomplete” to “Complete”, and I’ve never felt so fulfilled in my entire life. Yes, the story wasn’t perfect, but it was finished and very few people can actually say that when you take into consideration the number of aspiring writers all over the world and those with completed works under their belt.

I’d do it again to feel like I have something to show for it. It was the evidence of my abilities as a writer and proof that I can push through the muddle and slug of writer’s block and lack of support and be less of the “spur of the moment” writer I was years before.

I would do it again.

But how? I didn’t want to do a sequel (which is happening anyway because plotbunnies). And I didn’t want to be a one trick pony by only writing one type of story.

But how would I be able to create another story without the influence of the one preceding it?

Writer problems.

Have you recently completed a piece of work you didn't think would ever be complete?  Were you proud? Exhausted? Excited? Filled with regret that it didn't end the way you originally envisioned it months/years before? Share your thoughts below :)

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That awkward moment in fanfiction when...the hiatus bites back

That awkward moment in fanfiction when...the hiatus bites back

3 December 2013

Sibling Intervention, Chapter 24

When it comes to chaptered stories, going on a major hiatus is the worst possible thing you can do. Seriously.

You actually forget certain aspects of your own story, how far you are in the plot, how you’ve characterized everyone and what your end game was when you started it i.e: this character ends up like this; the story ends here because; have to bring up and resolve this issue, etc.

There’s no real cure that I know of other than to reread your own story and hope the inspiration that came from writing it in the first place comes back.

And that can be a huge pain in the ass when the story is long…

Mine wasn’t so bad, but the word count from chapters 1 to 23 was about 101K so that was a lot of reading to do, and since it was something I wrote I tended to jump over things I shouldn’t have.

Fortunately it gave me a chance to do edits and re-familiarize myself with the story I had left behind.
Unfortunately it made me forget how much time had passed since the readers had seen the story.

I mentioned a conflict that happened two chapters before the recent update.

Not so bad.

The lapse between updates was almost a year.

Now it’s bad.

I knew that with chaptered stories, updates could be irregular, so I always added a “recap” section at the beginning of each chapter.

Sadly I forgot that my “recap” always involved what occurred in the previous chapter and not before, and frankly it wasn’t very descriptive.

Word to the wise: When writing chaptered stories, keep reminders up where necessary. Not enough to be repetitive, just enough to give readers (and yourself) an understanding that the information you’ll mention isn’t new.

Any tips of your own from bouncing back from hiatus and carrying on a story? How does it feel as a reader to carry on a story that hasn’t been updated in awhile?  

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