Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [writers-block]

This tag should be used for questions about writer's block, a condition where you can't produce anything new anymore or it takes you significantly more effort to produce something of lower quality than you could previously produce.

This tag should be used for questions about writer's block, a condition where you can't produce anything new anymore or it takes you significantly more effort to produce something of lower quality than you could previously produce.

You should use this tag when asking questions that deal for example with overcoming or identifying writer's block, or finding s or es to work around this issue.

130 questions
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25 answers

Help! I've got Writer's Block

I really want to write, but as soon as I sit down and set pen to paper, my mind goes blank. I can't think of anything to write. Sometimes I stare at my screen for hours; doesn't help. If I do think of something, it feels stupid, it won't work, it's…
newyellowshoes
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7 answers

Writing first programming book

I was recently asked if I was interested in writing a book for a pretty reputable publisher, which of course I accepted. I am not a writer by trade, I am a software developer with some technical writing training. The longest thing I have ever…
Nodey The Node Guy
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12 answers

How can I answer high-school writing prompts without sounding weird and fake?

Being given a prompt makes me freeze up immediately. Let me clarify. I'm talking about high school writing prompts. You know. Those. The ones that ask you to write an essay about what you would change about something. Or the ones that ask you to…
Carlos Cienfuegos
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15 answers

The psychology of starting a piece of writing

I have a problem when it comes to writing (blog posts, stories and novels). It might just be me, but maybe other people have experienced it too? When I come to start writing, my ideas before I sit down seem wonderful. But just recently, as soon as…
robertcday
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27
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7 answers

Outlining the climax made me lose interest in writing the actual story

I am a discovery writer. I wrote more than 50% of my first novel's first draft. I got really confuse about some aspects of writing, so I took a break and analysed my plot. I've started developing my world much better and made an outline for the…
Sangeetha
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6 answers

What keeps most authors writing after receiving multiple rejections?

Last year, I completed a heavily researched 95,000-word novel about an emerging pandemic that targets primarily children. I am a former scientist and current nurse and wanted to do teaching about what to expect if a serious pandemic emerges. My…
Richard Stanzak
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10 answers

Not wanting to "spoil" a story due to lack of skill

I have a story that is dear to me and that I would very much want to write about. However, I don't have lots of experience in writing so I'm afraid if I do try to write it, it won't be as good "as it deserves to be" (at best) or I will botch it (at…
Totofofo
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10 answers

How do I overcome a lack of motivation to write at home?

Late October I decided to take the plunge and attempt NaNoWriMo. I haven't done much writing in some time and thought it would be a fun attempt to jump back into things. So far it's been pretty fun getting back into writing about something I hashed…
Tim
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I feel suddenly disconnected from my writing. Time for a break?

I’ve been working on a first draft of a project since January and have been steadily working on it for hours a day every day since then. Basically spending all of my free time on the project. Now for the past week I’ve felt a sudden disconnect from…
JennyDee
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9 answers

As a discovery writer, how do I complete an unfinished novel (which has highly diverged from the original plot ) after a time-gap?

I am a reader more than a writer, and fantasy is my favorite genre. I used to write short stories and poems. Some of them are published in magazines and get good reviews. In 2018 January, I read the complete collection of Rick Riordan's Percy…
Sangeetha
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Where is a good place to find writing prompts?

I love using writing prompts to come up with story ideas. I'm looking for good sites that have a lot of good writing prompts. One that updates fairly often would be best. :)
user563
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16
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7 answers

I can't write without an inspiration

I've been writing a book for almost a year now. But it takes so long because I have to wait for "inspiration". Sometimes I will get an idea that makes me excited and want to write. Mostly it's a piece of scene or dialogue. I don't know if this is an…
Neon462
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4 answers

Overcoming "Possibility Paralysis"?

I don't often experience writer's block these days. Instead I struggle with a different sort of impediment in my writing: I call it Possibility Paralysis. I have to quickly acknowledge that this is not strictly a writing issue but more of a…
Brian Lacy
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5 answers

My views on the central theme of my book have changed - how do I bring in that nuance?

I've been working on a fantasy story that explores the creation and evolution of religion. But I'm struggling with what I'm fundamentally trying to say regarding religion. When I first began, I was much more militantly atheist than I am now, and my…
ani ben
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10 answers

Dealing with inability to sustain interest in an idea

I frequently have the problem of starting a story with an idea—either one recently conceived or one held in mind for months, even years—only to find it bland or boring after a day or so and abandoning it. I have developed two partially effective…
user289661
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