𝑹𝑬𝑩𝑬𝑳 ▷ fanfic help

𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞

[ BATTLING WRITING BLOCK ]

Writing block is universal. Whether you are writing the biggest scene in your story, or the first sentence, you must fend off the demon that is writer's block. You know that, once you get stuck into it, the demon stalks off to find another victim, but sometimes the demon gets too close to your mind, and, bam! good luck writing for the rest of the week, maybe even the MONTH.

I once got writing block because I looked at other wattpaders' books and realized "this writing sucks compared to them", and, as a result, there went a week of writing my book. I think a lot of people can relate to this, so here are some tips to avoid the demon:

[ 1 Stop comparing yourself ]

This is cliché. I know. But just stop. If your work, the exact same plot and writing, was published under their name, you would love it. You see only the good parts of their writing, and only the bad parts of yours. Nobody else is going to compare the two books, people will either enjoy your book or not read it. This is not being sent to a publisher; you aren't going to find any joy while writing if you compare yourself.

No story is truly ugly. Or bad. Or trash.

Your writing should speak for you, not for someone else. Tell the story you want to tell, and don't tell a begging for publicity or to become this other person.

(If you truly must compare yourself, do it this way: look for both the positives and negatives. You can learn something from another's work, what to do and what not to do. You can learn something from your work, what needs changing and what you did amazingly.)

Reads do not define you. Votes do not define you. Comments do not define you.

They may be nice but they are not indicators of your worth.

[ 2 Write a paragraph at a time ]

This is particularly good if you are stuck on a new chapter or trying to write a time skip. Don't delete everything if you wrote six words, or two, or one. One sentence will not tell you when to delete. Write a sentence, no matter how bad you think it is, and then write the paragraph. Don't delete. Only afterwards, once you have done a paragraph, may you delete it or edit it.

The idea is to explore the possibilities here, to allow your brain time to think of ideas: if you are stuck, describe the scene or what happens next. Write one paragraph; then you've started, and you can continue.

Or alternatively, set times for yourself. set a timer for five minutes and just write as much as you can. Don't reread or delete, just keep going until the time is up. You may find this helps because it's much easier to edit 'bad' writing than it is to edit a blank page.

Additionally, you can try background music (movie soundtracks and orchestra usually work very well! nothing with words, generally, cause they'll distract you). try and pick background music that suits the scene your working on; action, romance, suspense, fluff etc.

[ 3 Save your current work, start a new document, and write about not being able to write ]

I've done this before, and it has worked for me. Look at the blank white page and talk about exactly why you can't write. Is it because you can't think of anything? Write that sentence. Talk about whatever you want! This isn't a long-standing journal or a published work, it's a place to describe and improve, not to criticize.

Describe a planet, describe your hallway in a horror style, write about a colour or a woman in grief. Write something else, just for 30 minutes. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes.

[ 4 In saying that, never force yourself to write ]

This is a very conflicting concept. Google and multi-bestselling authors say to write 1,000 words or to write for 30 minutes; I said earlier to write a paragraph! But that isn't as easy as it sounds. Unless you are already in that rhythm, stop forcing yourself to write.

Some days I write nothing. Other days I write 2,000. But I never force myself to write. I put my hands in front of my keyboard, keep my draft open, and work on it, little by little. I procrastinate, however bad it is, but most importantly, I put no pressure on myself.

And you should do the same.

Don't turn off the internet or log out of social media; instead, talk to other writers or to other friends. If your story is good enough, you will naturally be coming back to it. (Even while writing this guide, I've been talking to others and reading fics!)

I've gone months without writing a draft, only to look back on it and write 1,500 words in a day; in a week I went from 1,000 to 10,000. Does this mean you should have the same expectations? No! Of course not. But if you truly can't finish your fic, if Anakin Skywalker's fall doesn't want to be written, then accept that, and come back to it later.