Thread: Feeling unproductive....

I dont know if its Christmas lingering or because of school holidays, but im feeling so unmotivated with my writing and study and being incredible unproductive with it. Its so frustrating.

I know in my head what I want to be doing and it all looks so wonderful in there.....but I cant seem to get it to happen in reality.....I cant seem to sit down to write and when I do ive got nothing. I can sit and write to empty my thoughts, etc but when I actually want to write something ..... there are no words. I've got some topics in my note book and I tried to write about something the other night, but it just wasnt flowing and then my computer crashed from nowhere and I lost it - guess I wasnt meant to keep that one! Nothing sounds any good, makes any sense or seems as though anyone would want to even read it. Did I mention frustration....

I feel like I should be able to just pour it all onto the page, but the bung is stuck - metaphorically speaking lol. I live in a nice area near the beach and the bush where Its not overly busy, so its relatively peaceful - but it doesnt seem to make alot of difference. I'm new to the writing world - maybe I just dont know where my pen lays yet, I dont know. I have enough experience in Single Parenting to write a book...if only it would come out.

What I would like to do is write articles and sell them and one day write a book. I'm also doing my diploma in freelance writing & editing. But sitting to actually do it is another story.

Help..........im feeling so unproductive. Tips please!

Hello,

I used to say, never force words, because they normally make you regret them later....then I did the nano this year and its all about firing off letters.

I had a friend who was in your boat, in the end they just wrote whatever, it didn't have to be a story, didn't need shining characters or a stirring plot. I think they wrote about their garden, how it looked, how they enjoyed working in it, i could see those same glimmering words in you as you brought up your beach(lucky )

never think you 'have to write' or 'you should be writing' its not a competition and at this time of year, heck, its hard to let the mind explore even when we are sitting still.

I said this to a few people, 'open a blank doc, turn off the monitor, or cover it up, that darn blinking cursor doesn't look so expectant then. And just type whatever, wherever, ramble away. its just to break the words free, doesn't have to be seen by anyone, I used to just delete the whole thing without even looking at it. But some times i took a peek.

Don't be so hard on yourself and tell that inner editor to take a walk

Happy Holidays to you.

Sync

Hi Krafty

My sympathies. I understand how you feel. I have ideas in my head but somehow they never quite travel from my brain onto the page or never in the way I first imagined or that darned inner editor gets in the way. I guess one needs to capture the thought as it happens but that isn't always possible, especially when you have children. They have a bad habit of always interrupting or needing something.

One suggestion I had from a writing class is to not think but write whatever is in your head without stopping to pause. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not - no one else but you is going to look at it. Do it for ten minutes, similar to what Sync says - ramble away.

Good luck and I hope the kids don't run you ragged over the holidays.

I, too, often encounter similar problems...it's much easier to develop a wonderful concept in your head than to transcribe it into being on paper (or similar medium). So far I've only been able to find two tricks to help; they are imperfect but better than nothing. First: try to find a person or group of people who are all having the same trouble putting ideas to paper. As a group, set deadlines for when you will "expect" each other to have concluded a certain specified amount of writing -- a paragraph, a page, a chapter. Then, stay in contact about the deadlines. I've found that having the internal pressure applied constantly from an outside source can cause you to be more motivated than the best intentions from your own mind.
Another thing you might try is explore. Write, but don't make yourself write about anything in particular. Find a large chunk of time, and use that to only write. It doesn't matter how much you produce, or what. Just get your body and mind used to writing at your command.

Again, neither of these are perfect, they're just what I've found can help sometimes. Good luck!

I know in my head what I want to be doing and it all looks so wonderful in there.....but I cant seem to get it to happen in reality.....I cant seem to sit down to write and when I do ive got nothing. I can sit and write to empty my thoughts, etc but when I actually want to write something ..... there are no words.

One word: outline. You seem to be one of those people who needs to have all their thoughts organised before they sit down to write anything. Having a notebook is good for brainstorming, but organising it into an outline is even more helpful.

Did I mention frustration....

Yeah, that never helps. Try listening to some relaxing music while you're writing. Any kind of easy listening, classical, or blues will do the trick. It should help you clear your head of those negative emotions. Also, never forget the power of chocolate. =)

It's already been mentioned, but deadlines are a great way of getting around this, in my opinion. If I set a point by which a chapter/short story must be done, I'll get it done, if only by sheer force of will and nervous energy. And even if the material does suck, well, that is what editing is for, isn't it?

As far as music goes, I think that if you're stuck at some point, that trying to relax yourself is the wrong thing to do. Instead, try something a bit more jarring like rock and see if it doesn't kick some ideas up in the back of your head.

I guess everyone is different, but one of the things I find useful is to go for a walk or do something boring and repetitive like mowing the lawn or ironing. I find the moment I start doing a task like that (which can be done virtually on autopilot), I seem to get lots of creative ideas.

I recently took a six hour ferry trip and had virtually the entire ship to myself (normally 1,200 passengers but on this occasion only 42), so I spent most of the time just walking along the ship's corridors mostly undisturbed with my notebook in hand. Some of the crew thought I was a bit eccentric, but it was one of the most productive writing sessions I've ever had.

I appreciate this might not work for everyone (and it's not every day you get a ferry almost to yourself), but it certainly was very productive for me.