Writer's Pre-Block
 

I have these aspirations to pursue a career as a writer of fiction, and to that end I have decided to take the next year off basically, work a bullshit job, and work on my chosen craft. I find that these days, I do the bullshit job thing just fine, but I just can't seem to get inspired enough to write a story, let alone plot one out. Any creative writer types in the house? What do you guys do when that elusive story just doesn't fall out of the sky for you?

I have this problem a lot. I find that I write best when I am under some kind of emotional stress.

Maybe find something that really perplexes you. Go for a long drive....do a lot of thinking.

depending on what I'm writing I need inspiration. I don't write anything important. I write my journal. I write threads and responses. I write technical documentation. I write training documentations.

Either way I still need inspiration to write these things. I need the muse to come sit by my side. And sometimes, the muse doesn't want to be here. So I go do something else until the muse is ready.

Sometimes the muse puts ideas in my head, so I jot those notes down. I try to flesh them out later on.

Sometimes I can force it. I get given a deadline and I have to follow it. I have to meet it. I have to write something, from there it's a starting point. It's more than a blank piece of paper which is the hardest place to start.

good luck.

Shouldn't this belong in Titled Literature? Anyway, I posted a thread about Inspiration there too...
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...threadid=19849
Personally, an alcohol buzz and pure boredom do it for me a lot of times, although I don't actively search out either. :D

there is no need for inspiration, ever. it's a myth. actually, what it is is an excuse.

one simply writes things. then one edits what one has written. why make such a big deal out of the process?

I too want to write for a living someday when I have money saved up...what I found in college is that I can only write when I want to write and only for a few hours at a time, any longer and I sit and stare at the screen.

as a writer, my advice is in a couple of parts

1) write anything. A livejournal, poems, anything you can to keep the creative juices flowing
2) talk to other writers, talk about ideas that could work, bounce ideas off people and let them bounce ideas off you. Sooner or later something will click and you'll think 'that's IT!'
3) Don't be scared if nothing happens. It might be that it takes a while for the ideas to start flowing, but they will start flowing, and once you start really really writing it will flow.

Any suggestions on how to start that process? That's what stinking things up.

Write.

Why do you want to take a year off to write if you are not already overflowing with ideas? You should write if you are unable NOT to write.

If you have nothing to say, maybe writing is not what you should be doing.

You think I'm being a dick? Prove me wrong. Start writing.

Write.

Stuff seems to just pop into my head. Try taking a walk, I always think of crap when I'm walking alone (do not wear uncomfortable pants!)

CrotchrocketSlm
sure.
keep a journal.
write whatever is in your head whenever you sit down to write.
do it every day.
the idea is to not worry at all about subject matter or content until you are over the initial hurdle - the bad habit of thinking you have to have a subject that's worthy of the effort before you start the process.

get this book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...907997-1140751