Uncooperative Muses

[Iron Dog]

I have an origional fic (Answered Prayers; shameless plug) that I want to continue but my Muses are being very stubborn and not letting me do it. They've got me writing something else entirely (not that its a bad thing). I've tried to start the next part of the fic three times now and it just isn't working. This is frustrating the hell out of me.

The other fic is coming along startlingly well (and quickly) when I had only intended it as a smutty PWP sogfic. Now I'm finding that it has taken on a life of it's own and is running away with me. I'm already close to finishing the 3 part of it and I've only been writting the story for a little over a week. I even been working out the details for the next part, which I typically only do when I'm writing a novel (or a similiar multi-chapter story). Argh! Why are the Muses doing this to me? Am I that much fun for the Gods to torment? Yes the story is very good and takes the characters in a very new direction, but damn it, I want to write the other story!

Why am I bitchin'? I want to write the other story. Has anyone else had this problem before? Do you know how to fix it? I also have an idea for another fic, but can't get to it 'cause the Muses just make me open the other one first "just to change one thing" and before I know it, I'm writting that one and not the one I had sat down to write.

[Mellie]

Heh, I have two unfinished fics rotting around here and more in the works. But, just for a tip on how to get going on the other fic, find someone to discuss it with. Discuss the crap out of it if you wish. Once you talk and find out where you want to go and have another's opinion it becomes much easier. At least that is what I have found.

[Iron Dog]

Unfortunately for me, I can't discuss anything I'm trying to write with anyone else. I've tried to talk things out with my husband, who's a good critic (he tells me if stuff sucks or is fantastic), but he can't grasp the random bits and pieces of my ideas until everything is put together. I've tried explaining to him how I think/want things to go, but we both end up getting frustrated.

I've never been able to say, coheriently, the thoughts/ideas floating around in my brain. I come off sounding like I'm on bad drugs and deliousional at the same time (eep!). I usually know what I want to happen and it makes perfect sense to me, just not everybody else. I have tried forcing myself to write the other stuff, but it is always a jumble of unfinished thoughts and plot ideas that looks like a 3-year old wrote it. Seriously, nothing makes sense and you could drive a truck through some of the plot holes. I usually end up deleting everything I wrote when I try and force it.

[Mellie]

That is a problem. Not sure exactly what to do to help. I try to write my ideas down and then try to have them make sense. Otherwise I'll have bits and pieces floating around until I go nuts. So I usually have to wait for some sort of the right inspiration. I take that chance and think of where I want to go, making random notes. At the end I read over my notes and decide which is most where I want to be. And then I go and find some of my writing buddies online and discuss with them on their views of what would work and what wouldn't. But I usually don't try forcing it, I just let it rot...which is very bad.

[AnShino]

I tried identifying the time of the day (rather, night) where my brain is most active and the ideas flow freely. After pinpointing that to about...past 1 AM, closer to 2 AM I started to keep a little journal where I jotted down random thoughts. They didn't really have to be anything, and them might turn out to nothing, but I decided the best way to get rid of them was to write them down.

Then I find an unsuspecting friend and start to babble to them online . If it helps, I don't think they get me either, lol.

Try jotting down the random thoughts so that you can go back to them later. It helps me to write them down because I can remember them. And more importantly, I can go back to them later on when I'm a tad (just a tad, not drastically) more organized. ^_^

[Lady Casper]

Then I find an unsuspecting friend and start to babble to them online . If it helps, I don't think they get me either, lol.

Yes, actually babbling does help. When your discussing it as An put that unsuspecting friend you try making sense which makes your brain work with it and go over it until new things pop out.

The thoughts being written down is a good habit to take up. When your not sure what you were thinking with a fic or idea you can go and look back at what you did there.

Make sense?

[perfectpeach]

Come to my muse store! come to my muse store! come to my muse store!

[blackrose]

The trick to unblocking is acknowledging what it is you're anxious about. Is it that it won't be any good? Is it that you have such and such going on at work tomorrow? Most of the time, it's fear that we're going to write something and it's not going to be any good for x, y, or z reason. If you just tell yourself, I'm going to write this and it may be hard, but I'm going to write whatever it is that pops into my head - even if while I'm writing it, I think it's bad - and it's going to be ok; because writing something is better than writing nothing.

Just remember: Nothing good is written. It's re-written.

[Beer-monster]

something and it's not going to be any good for x, y, or z reason.

Careful Rosey, that almost sounds like mathematics


From a recent experience (since I get writers block every five pages or so), the only way to unblock is the same way you quite alcohol (though why anyone would do that is a mystery to me )

Basically the thing is to write, often my blocks occur when something doesn't come at me right away and then I give up too soon. The trick is too write something, ANYTHING, just a sentence.

Once you have a sentence, no matter how it sucks just tell yourself you can rework it and write the next one, and the next one. Soon your fingers should fly across the keyboard and you too will be writing works that are worthy of being flogged/electicuted by Rose

[blackrose]

asically the thing is to write, often my blocks occur when something doesn't come at me right away and then I give up too soon. The trick is too write something, ANYTHING, just a sentence.

Yes, but that's step 2. Step 1 is getting a grip on your mind and yourself so that you can actually get your butt in a chair and a keyboard under your fingers. I'm suggesting that the way you do that is to admit that what's blocking you is fear/anxiety of some sort - PROBABLY (in most cases) about your writing turning out to be bad, people hating it, whatever. That is what prevents us from even trying to typey typey more of the ficcy ficcy.

But you're right. Then, get your fingers on that keyboard and write something, anything...