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  Lost the will to write?

  There have been times that I feel discouraged to write what I thought was a good idea. At times,, I would be in a state of depression,, just by looking at what I wrote. It may be because it looked very bad, or was very boring and meaningless. It may be because the way it was written was overdone,, or maybe even the story was not fitting or was pretty much crappy.
  The problem is mainly that you feel downgraded on what you are or what you have written - say,, a story idea that had been stuck in your head for at least 3 minutes and 29 seconds.
  
  Wait a minute. What happened to the Happiness of Writing?
  
  I don't know if you people out there have felt the same,, but probably you have. Probably.
  So,, feel free to comment (while pessimistically looking at what you wrote) and share your thoughts with me... I mean, us.
  Oh, and if you have more experience,, maybe you can hand out some advise to handle the problem of "I wrote this and it looks like codswallop. ARGH!".
  For all of us!
  Thanks!
  
  Final Thought: Post a joke just in case I'm about to rant over my overuse of commas.

  Khalil H (is writing away) started this discussion 1 month ago. ( reply )

• 

  Stacy-Deanne (edited)

  Hi Khalil,

  Sounds to me that you need a break from your current project. I think you need to take a little time, a couple of days at least to chill out about it. I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself (which we all do at times) and trying to force your story. It might not be crap like you think, you might just need to sit it down, don't think about it for a while and let your brain regroup.

  I definitely think it's a case of you stressing yourself out and that's cutting into your writing vibe. And like I said, it's normal but you'd be surprised how one little break can change things. You will get a zap for a fresh idea. You might even start something new and come back to this.

  As for your commas being obsessive, this is something you correct during editing. You can't try to write the book and edit at the same time. That's way too much pressure and it's impossible. First drafts consist of you writing the story, nuts, bolts, mistakes and all. Then when you get to the revising stage, that's when you pick apart and handle the issues. Also, are you using Word or some kind of word processing program? If so then you should be able to keep track of obessive comma usage. Word tells you when you are using a comma in the wrong spot and usually keeps you from usiing them obsessively.

  Don't rush the project and give yourself time to rest and regroup.

  JOKE:

  Knock! Knock!

  Who's There?

  Nachos!

  Nachos Who?

  Not 'cho cheese! LOL!

  Get it? (Not YO' cheese?) LOL!

  Hey it's an old joke but maybe it got you to laughing.

  Best Wishes,

  http://www.stacy-deanne.net

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

• No longer on Shelfari 

  It happens with me all the time, Khalil, so you're not the only one. Ideas that seem wonderful, while they are still in my mind, lose their charm once translated into words. My advice to you, would be that no matter how pathetic you may find what you have written, NEVER delete it or throw it away. Jot down even the crappiest of your ideas and keep them safe, as they can be a big help in future writings. At the least, you'll be able to keep a track of your improvement as a writer. Most of the times, I think people underestimate themselves and so I'm sure if you put away what you've written for a while and then get back to it after a break, you'll realise that it wasn't all that bad.

  Joke : ---------------------------

  Hmm...I'd rather not post one here because people never find my jokes funny.

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

• 

  Khalil H (is writing away) 

  Thanks, guys! I'm pretty sure the advise would sure help newbies like me. I'll try to remember to take a break (without the coffee) and sit back and watch the story flow, as my fingers would spasmodically hit the QWERTY keys as if I'm actually scoring in a video game of a first-person shooter - with the occasional typo or two. Also, this project may be heavy on my shoulders, but I'll try to get a steady mantra and keep my extreme optimism.

  Again, Thanks!

  Joke I've heard :
  Nobody is perfect.
  I am nobody.
  Therefore, I'm perfect. (Not sure if this is new or old. Ah well.)

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

• 

  Nee (edited)

  Um...you may need to read more. This sounds at first a little lame but you may just have an empty word reservoir: no really...read things you wouldn’t normally read. Things you thought might be interesting but put off until you were done reading whatever it is you normally read. Get some books on CD so that when you are doing the dishes or yard-work (not driving) you can hear well-constructed words, sentences, and paragraphs. Turn off the TV for 5 days. That damn thing just sucks the living spirit right out of everything. Eat well…that is, things that are good for you. Like dark green veggies are good for thinking. Broccoli and Spinach are nearly always around and I like to put kale, or mustard greens on my burgers instead of lettuce. An apple is a good snack while you are sitting in front of you computer. Junk food is a bad idea while trying to write. But happily chocolate is not considered junk food by most writers. :D

  You may want to try a little Gingko in your tea every now and then. And try writing at a different times than you have been. The best writing time for me is between 12 and 3 in the morning. Although the best time for editing is between 3:30 and 5 in the afternoon. Go out and randomly talk to people: just see what happens.

  But, do not suppress your emotions: you need those.

  
  

  *edit--HA...!
  I wrote "I like to put kale, or mustard greens on my buggers..."
  Well that's an entirely different thing all together isn’t it? Ha ha ha…
  (wipes tear from eye)

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  show 16 replies

  • 

    Khalil H (is writing away) 

    Most of what you wrote seemed more like some lifestyle tutorial. Haha. But seriously, I totally agree with you. TV sucking the sane life out of you? Pretty much true. Get a "get well, get smart" diet is sure to go. And I hate junk food. Why do people make them anyway? As for that apple, I think I'll replace it with a more tropical rose apple (is it even tropical?) or any other fruit I can find in this Southeastern Peninsular. Sadly, my mom's home-made chocolate chip cookies kind of ran out, but I'll try to find some sweet healthy alternative... maybe dates (the fruit variety, I mean).

    As for the time, I honestly don't have a schedule, so my computer sessions are quite haphazard, let's try to fix that, shall we? About the social thing... well, I'll do what I can. Heh.

    About that edit: Well, yeah! Imagine yourself putting the green stuff on another kind of green stuff. Sure, those vegetables might need some alternative salt. Ha ha ha.

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    5 days??? I'll die the very first day!!!
    Dates - the fruit variety LOL

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Nee 

    But then you'd be reborn anew, without that damn TV monkey on your back.

    I haven't had a date in months.
    ...but I have a box of raisins. :]

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    I love television!!!
    I had dates only yesterday after almost a year.
    Nee, somehow I can't post on your profile.

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Nee 

    wha...?

    I've been having trouble with this place.

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    oh, i love dates! to eat, not to go out on. though those are okay, too, when we can find a babysitter!

    i never turn on the TV, but this damn internet socialization can eat up hours of my day....

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Khalil H (is writing away) 

    So true!
    The Internet can help
    ...and may also hinder.
    For your information, I also game a lot. I might download stuffy games to clog up the computer. Let's not get carried away by these wasteful time-killers and get on writing... NOW!

    Wow. I really started a discussion on dates. Maybe I'll start on rose apples!

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    there is a produce market near where i work, and when i am not dieting, one of my favorite treats is to go buy about a half pound of fresh dates and eat them like candy!

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    Dieting's really difficult!
    Dates covered in dark chocolate are simply divine!!! Sadly, we don't get those here where I live. :(

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    chocolate covered dates do sound good, but dates are naturally about 80% sugar to start with!

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    The dark chocolate's quite bitter so it doesn't make the date taste any sweeter, though it may worsen the harmful effects on one's health, still.....they're irresistible.

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Nee (edited)

    My bro-in-law grows flowers and sells them at a few famer's markets around So. Cal. he trades with the neighboring booths for the left-over fruit and veggies: he just handed me a huge bag of dried blue berries.

    Mmmm…

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari (edited)

    Wow! Lucky you!!! Ah...now I feel like having a blue berry slush. Don't you just love looking at your tongue after drinking that? LOL

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Nee 

    He he...Krishna tongue.

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    Lol...I never thought about it like that.

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Stacy-Deanne (edited)

    Khalil wrote:

    "And I hate junk food. Why do people make them anyway?"

    Mmmm, I'll give it a guess. Maybe because it's good! Hey I eat healthy myself but I am still not immuned to the fact that junk food is GOOD! That's just the facts. The stuff is completely unhealthy but tastes amazing. It's not good for people but neither is alcohol, smoking, etc. Looks like everything that tastes or feels good...isn't when you look at it, LOL!

    And for those mentioning dieting, the key word is NOT DIET. You don't want to diet if you want to keep the weight off. You need a lifestyle change and this requires learning how to eat. It takes more than a few months to be successful, more like a couple of years if you want to keep the weight on. Diets are not the answer and are only short fixes.

    Best Wishes!

    http://www.stacy-deanne.net

    posted 4 weeks ago. ( reply )

• 

  Ann Graham 

  Remind yourself that it is cyclical. I think we all feel like our work is worthless at times. I hate it when it happens to me, which is on a regular basis. I try to remember that it'll pass and sometimes it passes more quickly when I read other people's work because it re-energizes me.

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

• 

  Nee 

  I'd like to invite y'all to participate in our little embarrassing show us what ya got thread over at:

  http://www.shelfari.com/groups/10012/discussions/146467/Post-a-Chapter-(3000-words-or-less)#unread

  :D

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

• 

  Tina F 

  This is a great thread to get some feed back on whatever your working on. It's kind of like a critique session.

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

• 

  Lynn M 

  I did lose the will write when I only sold 2 of my last books. I am depressed and I hate to think that the feeling I got when I finished my first book is gone. No one is buying books anymore. Maybe its a lost art. Very sad about it.

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  show 2 replies

  • 

    Nee 

    : (

    You only sold two books you wrote to publishers or, you only sold 2 books...?

    posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Stacy-Deanne (edited)

    Hi Lynn,

    I have to really disagree. Many people are buying books these days. Don't let the economy talk scare you. It's a hard time right now, of course but people are buying books all the time. If not then agents and pubs wouldn't be accepting books and there wouldn't be best sellers flying off the shelves. You can look at the millions of book review sites and social networking sites on the web and you'll see people buying books by the truckload all the time.

    It's definitely not a lost art and I am sorry you're depressed but "no one buys books anymore" is definitely not the truth. In fact if you think the book business is bad look at the music business. Now those folks have reason to be worried.

    Don't give up and you gotta look at the bright side and remain positive. Once negativity steps in, it brings more damage than what's truly there.

    Best Wishes!

    http://www.stacy-deanne.net

    posted 4 weeks ago. ( reply )

• 

  Cora (edited)

  That happens to me a lot, too, Khalil. I need to push away my project for a while and focus on something new. Sometimes, when I feel writer's block coming, I browse through my files to try to find something that I haven't looked at in a while. I need to push away my project for a while and focus on something new. If I find a random story or poem- anything that I discarded years ago, hidden in an old Composition Book or buried deep inside a Manilla folder, where I thought I'd never find it ever again- I find a great way to use it in my current work in some way or another, or I find a way to turn it into something more unique than it was before.

  Good luck!
  -Cora

  posted 1 month ago. ( reply )

• 

  bubba :)) 

  haha I understand you perfectly but I really just wanna post this joke..it's kinda long but it's hilarious!!
  Okay so a Zebra died and went to heaven. When he arrived at St. Peter's gate St. Peter told him that he had one question he could ask.
  So the Zebra asked "Am I a white zebra with black stripes or a black zebra with white stripes?"
  St. Peter replied "I'm not sure how to answer that. Go ask God."
  So the Zebra went to God and asked his question again.
  God replied, in his usual mystic manner, "You are what you are." Confused, the Zebra wen back to St. Peter.
  After St. Peter ushered in an ox he reconnected with the Zebra. "So how did it go?"
  The Zebra answered "Not sure, I didn't get it."
  "Well what'd he say?"
  "You are what you are?"
  "Dude that's easy! You're a white zebra with black stripes."
  "How d'you know?
  "Because if you were a black zebra with white stripes he would've said you IS what you IS."
  haha get it? lol I'm not a racist I just thought it was a funny joke..it's like the only good one I have lol

  posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  show 1 reply

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    sorry, i do find it racist, but i believe you don't.

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

• No longer on Shelfari 

  I changed my mind about the joke thing because I received this one in my mail yesterday and found it rather cute. Also, nobody will be able to call me a racist because I'm an Indian myself, so here it goes:

  
  

  A recently arrived Indian in the US, wanting to earn some money, decides to become a 'handy-man' and starts looking for some work nearby. He goes to the front door of the nearest house and asks the owner if he had any odd jobs for him to do.

  "Well, you can paint my porch," the owner says.
  

  The Indian responds, "How about $50?" The owner says "Fine - there's a can of brown paint and brushes are in the garage."
  The owner's wife, inside the house, overhearing the conversation says to her husband, "Does he realise that the porch goes all around the house? That's a whole day's job"
  

  The man replies, "He should; he was standing on it. Do you think he's dumb?"
  "No, I don't think so. I guess I'm just influenced by those stupid Indian email jokes we keep receiving."
  

  After some time, the Indian comes to the door and asks for the $ 50.
  "You've finished already?" the husband asks.
  "Yes," he replies, "and there was paint left over, so I gave it two coats."
  Impressed, the man reaches into his pocket for the money and hands it to him.
  

  And by the way," the Indian adds, "it's not a Porch, it's a BMW !"

  posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  show 12 replies

  • 

    steeleweed 

    I first heard that joke 60 years or so ago. The ethnicity of the handyman varies - always whoever the society is ridiculing at the time - black, Irish, Italians, hillbillies, Indians (native), Pakistanis, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.
    Sorry Chinmayi, but it is a racist joke, regardless of who tells it. Why? Because the humor does not depends the ethnicity of the painter, so why make a point of that?
    It's just as funny if you say "A man wanted to earn some money" instead of " A recently arrived Indian....".

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    Umm....I heard it for the first time and obviously had no idea about it being THAT old.
    I agree with you that it would've been just as funny without assigning the man an ethnicity but it simply didn't strike me to edit the joke until you mentioned it. My bad.
    However, I think that its okay to make fun of one's own race, religion, gender etc.

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    chm, it may be okay, but if a black person tells black jokes, or an indian, indian jokes, or whatever, and it is not an 'inside event,' that is to say the audience is not all of the monority in the joke, it not only reinforces stereotype, but it gives the bigot cover, saying well if they say this about themselves, all i have to do is agree with them. sometimes ethnic humor can be useful, if you wat to reach 'your people' with humor to help make them think about a culturally accepted behavior that the humorist would like to see changed, but to just trash your own group, to get a laugh is never ok!

    at least, that is my take on it (you won't hear me telling redneck jokes in mixed company)

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Nee 

    I re-worded a racist joke by replacing the ethnicity of the person to “this stupid guy,” But was then attacked for making fun of retarded people. After all retarded people “have feelings too ya know”, and they thought I should be more sensitive in regard to retarded people.

    Umm…I didn’t say the guy was retarded. I said he was STUPID. Eye roll.

    I do think however, we should try and help people understand that some things, although they are presented as humor, are in their totality not funny at all. And it is easy to see those types of utterances once you learn how to recognize them. We all have many prejudices imbedded in our subconscious from our upbringing and it takes a good bit of self examination to see them all—if it is even possible to see them all. But, there is no doubt that we all can live more fulfilling lives if we at least try to diminish the affect our innate prejudices have on, not only our own lives, but those of others as well.

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    actually, i thought the painter was pretty smart! it reminded me of the joke: whats the difference between a porcupine and a BMW?

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    Let me guess...hmmm.....one pricks you physically and the other pricks you financially?
    Oh-kay...probably not. I give up!

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    OMG...I HATE my server!!! I'd written a really long note and it didn't get posted...I should've saved it, stupid me but I do have something to say in my defense UP, its just that right now I don't have the energy to write it all over again. The discussion's still on...LOL

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • 

    Nee 

    Oh Great...! And here was I in just the right mood for a long-winded rant on….er...um, whatever it was that Chinmayi's rant was about.

    Actually, this place has eaten a few of my posts. I've even seen that they posted then went to another group, then came back, and it wasn't there. :\

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    Hehe...you're funny!

    Oh, really? That's awful! Maybe the admins of this group don't like you? :P

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    chm, on the porcupine, the pricks are on the outside:)

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • No longer on Shelfari 

    Ah, I was close...sort of, it had something to do with pricks.

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( reply )

  • 

    uplandpoet 

    :)

    posted 2 weeks ago. ( reply )

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