Fic Talk > General Discussion
Writing & Thread (aka The Writing Thread 4)
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: mare on July 18, 2021, 05:58:39 AM ---That’s quite a streak you’ve got going there. Even though it’s slow, at least it’s going.
Writer’s block is the worst. I don’t think that’s what I have. I think I’m beyond a block. Back in the day, I would just try moving to something else to get unblocked. Usually in the form of a short story.
I’m not writing anything, sadly. Every time I want to, I just can’t bring myself to do it. If and when I do get going, it’s probably going to be a short story. I think that’s how I need get myself going again. Like above.
--- End quote ---
This was me for 10 years. I get it. When I first left I ended up starting a blog; I was feeling lost and I think I wanted to write something. This was also my heavy pinterest cultivation phase, so much so that I tracked it. Honestly this is probably what made me dislike social media so much, because it feels less like a community and more like metrics, but this is a discussion for another day. What helped me stay into it this time around was NaNo, I think. I didn't think I would hit 50,000 words, I just said "I'm going to write something every day." And then at the end I celebrated whether it was a high day or a slump day. I don't know if this worked because inspiration struck beforehand or not, but it kept me going through the slumpy days.
I was scrolling the internet a couple days ago (I should really have spent my non-writing time reading or something, but eh) and found this little short story prompt thing that could be fun if anyone wants some vague prompts for something short [these asides are my attempts to Backstreet-ify them.]:
1. A conversation you wish had happened in canon [real life?].
2. An expression of love (romantic, platonic, familial - you choose)
3. Character meta [BSB being self-referential about... something?]
4. Episode meta [Album? Song? I'm not sure how to Backstreet-ify this...]
5. That emotional moment that you can’t find a plot for.
6. A scene fully without context.
7. The meeting part of a meet cute AU.
8. A shocking announcement (or the reaction to it)
9. A missing moment from canon [real life?].
10. An alternate ending to an episode or scene. [Could be an alternate ending to something you'd written already?]
11. Someone just having the worst luck. [Every Nick fanfic ever.]
12. An exchange of gifts or mementos.
13. That great line that you can’t find a plot for.
14. The aftermath of a scene you’ll never actually write.
15. The scene that will give you, personally, the most joy.
And some definitions for short fiction if anyone wants to try something a little different:
6 word stories: exactly 6 words long
twitterature: 280 characters or less
7x7: exactly 49 words long (Blake’s 7 fandom)
dribble: exactly 55 words long (LoTR fandom, The Faculty fandom). The same word count was popular in both Harry Potter and Farscape, but without a specific name. Dribble is sometimes seen as a half-drabble that is therefore 50 words long.
drabble: exactly 100 words long
155 words: exactly 155 words long (X-Files fandom)
double drabble: exactly 200 words long
221B: 221 words long with the last word starting in B (Sherlock fandom)
trabble / tribble / trouble: exactly 300 words long
flash fiction: no exact word count, but generally less than 500 words (pro fiction)
pentadrabble:exactly 500 words long
short short: between 500 and 1000 words
ficlet, snippet: no exact word count needed, but generally 1K or shorter
Here's a six word story: Nick fell in a manhole. "Ouch." <--- lol
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 01:07:55 PM ---Told you it would be slow, lol. Everyone's on a post-Backstreet induced anxiety attack recovery.
--- End quote ---
LOL That probably is part of it! I do seem to write best when nothing is happening in BSB world. Concerts, album releases, etc. usually distract me or make me feel guilty for writing whatever horrors I'm writing about them. Those are the best kind of distractions though!
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 01:07:55 PM ---First, celebrate day 127! :party: :bsb: (Or 128! Not sure what you're calling it if you finished writing at 6am, lol.)
I think there's something to be said for burnout; maybe your brain wants you to relax a little? I think part of it could be the feeling that the world is opening up again, so there's things to do besides writing that we couldn't do this time last year. I know that I'm at this stage where I'm feeling guilty telling people I don't want to do things since we haven't been able to do things and can now. Which is also probably bad... I need to remember that hanging out at home or writing are plans, they're just plans with myself. And possibly you all if we all decide to pop on here for a break at the same time, lol. And that 99% of people wouldn't ask for an explanation beyond "I already have plans." Sorry you've been feeling slumpy, especially at a part you were looking forward to.
--- End quote ---
LOL I know, it gets confusing keeping track when I go to bed and wake up on the same date, but I do go by date to be consistent, since my sleep schedule is not. So what I wrote before midnight yesterday counted as Day 127, and what I wrote after counted as Day 128. So it's Day 128 now, yay!
I don't think that is necessarily my problem, since I'm usually just watching TV or playing on my phone or other time-wasters when I could be writing but am not LOL. I do go out and do things with my friends and family a few times a week, but not every day. I still have plenty of time to myself to relax, which is super important for me. I'm such an introvert, I was well-suited to quarantine, which really wasn't all that different from my normal lifestyle LOL. It was nice to have an excuse just to stay home. I definitely get feeling pressured to say yes when people want to make plans now that we can go out again though. This is why I prefer to have a small circle of friends in real life, because I would get overwhelmed with too many offers of "Wanna go out and so such-and-such?" in a week. I'm sure the pandemic has been much harder on extroverts and/or people who are used to having busy social lives, but that is a great reminder that it's okay to say "Sorry, I already have plans" when you just want to stay home and have some me time. That still counts as plans and is important, too!
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 01:07:55 PM ---You know, I have an answer for this because I have been meticulously tracking my word counts since November!
So let's see... When I was first starting NaNo, I had a very low slump in the beginning of the month, but I think this was related to election anxiety. This is really when I told myself "writing something is better than nothing." And, like you, had a low of 5 words on election night. I remember having a meeting then too that crazy people did not want to reschedule, so it was half not being focused on writing and half not physically being able to write. My next dip was right before I started chapter 14 of PNecklace, which would have been a heavy lore chapter, so I think I spent some time in a research rabbit hole, coupled with not knowing how to start the chapter, because I knew the scene requiring the research wasn't going to take up a whole chapter. So I think I did some editing on some PBox chapters that felt related, but needed some work, to get into the right headspace, rather than actually writing PNecklace. My "productive slumps" in November (ones where I still wrote a fair amount of words, they just made valleys) were football Saturdays. My highest peak (5,000ish words, followed by a 4000 word day) happened to fall on a Saturday football was canceled because the other team was wracked with COVID. It also fell after my research stint for chapter 14, so I wrote four chapters in two days. I don't know if I would have written nearly as much if that football game hadn't been canceled, lol.
My December slumps were all Wednesdays, since I was very devoted to our favorite pink crocodile's Masked Singer run. Plus I skipped writing on hubs' birthday, for obvious reasons. My jumps in December were mostly Mondays or Tuesdays, which makes sense because those are typically the days I edit for weekly updates and I would have been editing PNecklace and PBox at this time.
January was about the same. I skipped two days because I was recertifying for a certification at the same time as coaching in a classroom with a myriad of behavior incidents, so I know the first day I skipped was the day I spent recertifying and I was honestly probably just exhausted that next day, which would have been Friday and the end of a long week. This would have been around the time I finished editing the end of PBox as well, so I was probably just all around tired.
The first week of February was another week in that behavior incident classroom, so I was probably just tired. Otherwise, most of my slumps are Wednesdays. This could be a tired mid-week thing or it could be because Wednesdays are update days and it does take some time to update. There was no discernible slump for my first dose of the COVID vaccine.
I had a slump at the beginning of March/end of February and I did have a meeting that week, so that could be part of it. I was working on chapter 28 at the time, apparently, and I did struggle with that one a bit. My next slump was definitely COVID vaccine dose 2 related. And then otherwise my slumps were around Wednesdays.
All my April slumps fall in line with Wednesdays and a PD I was taking on Thursdays as well as a health thing I had at the end of the month. May same thing Wednesdays and Thursdays, plus the end of the month, but that would have been the end of the school year, so I think I was just exhausted in general.
June was more spikey, but that was also when I wrote the last five chapters of PNecklace, so it was huge spikes for the last few chapters and then kind of slumpy the rest of the time. The end of the month with my new story was very slumpy. Kind of the doldrums of a new story, I suppose.
This has been a very scientific look at my writing, lol.
--- End quote ---
I'm sure election week was not a productive one for any of us, in terms of writing, unless we were using writing as a distraction. I don't think I got much, if anything, written that week either. It was also parent-teacher conference week for me, which is the most stressful week of the school year, so writing was definitely not a priority.
It sounds like most of your slumps are because of real life getting in the way, whether it was because of TV/football, job stress, not feeling well, or special events like hubby's birthday. That totally makes sense. During the school year, my writing probably follows a similar pattern of being most productive on the weekends and less productive as the work week goes on, dropping off the most on days when I have TV shows I want to watch live or plans with people.
It also makes sense that you'd have the most spikes when nearing the end of a story and then slump when starting a new one. That always happens to me, too.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 01:07:55 PM ---I realized I didn't address this part of the question. I think what helped me get over them in the past was letting my mind wander where it wanted. I've been pretty stringent this month that my July streak goal must have some words from my new story. But before, I would count any old thing. I think one day of May or June was about 175 words of my current story even though I wasn't working on it at the time.
Or, honestly, and it sucks to say it for the streak, but taking a break. I think I've had more slump days since the streak has been going. And the mid-week slumps have been a lot smaller of a word count. Now that could be because I'd been working on the story for about six months at that point. I think if it gets to a point where it all gets slumpy, then a break isn't the worst thing. :shrug:
--- End quote ---
All that makes sense, too. Writing is writing, no matter what you're working on. I thought about taking a break from MBK and trying to write something else for a bit to see if that sparked some creativity, but I don't feel inspired to write anything else and am reluctant to stray from a novel that has been going well because I know sometimes it can be hard to go back. Guilty Roads is a good example of that.
If this was happening during the school year, I would be more willing to say "Screw it" and break the streak, but since it's summer, I'm not gonna do that. I would be mad at myself for not at least trying while I had time when school starts up again and I have a lot less time.
My biggest problem lately is probably focus. I've been using YouTube for both writing music and research, but every time I go on there, I get distracted watching recommended videos that have nothing to do with what I'm writing. Last night it was SNL videos. I need to either have some more willpower or try some of my focus tricks, like turning off Wi-fi or hiding my bookmarks bar so it's not as easy to randomly click on other websites and go down a rabbit hole.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 01:07:55 PM ---It is going? I saw your "writing during depression" thing down the line and that's been me this week (not the depression part, just the writing a little to keep in the habit part). I write for five minutes no matter what, then either keep going or stop. Like you, I've also hit a bit of a slump this week. I have a headache I can't shake that gets better when I eat, but then comes back later. I'm not sure what is it, because outside of feeling a bit hot, I feel fine. I'm staying very hydrated though, so that's a plus, lol. I woke up today feeling good, but now it's back, so... This is probably a sign to visit the doctor this next week.
I don't know if my slump is new story related or what, but I think there's certain parts I'm enjoying writing and certain parts I'm not, so it's all a mixed bag.
--- End quote ---
Sorry to hear you're going through it, too! It's hard to stare at a screen for long periods of time when you have a headache. And who knows, maybe that's what is causing the headaches in the first place? This past year, I started taking my contacts out as soon as I get home from work because I spent so much more time staring at the computer screen, it would dry my eyes out and give me a headache. I should probably invest in a pair of those blue light glasses.
I'm glad you're staying hydrated; that was my other thought, because I get headaches when I don't drink enough water. I also get them when I don't drink enough caffeine LOL. Could also be low blood sugar or something if eating helps. Who knows. I hope you find some solutions!
Your slump could definitely also be new story related. It's hard to go from a story world you've been so immersed in for so long to a brand new one you're just beginning to create. It took me two-and-a-half years after finishing BMS to get anywhere with a new novel on my own. Thank goodness I had collabs to keep me going in between. Other than 00Carter and Undead, all I wrote during that period were one-shots and beginnings of stories that usually didn't progress any further. I was also stuck on Chapter 4 of my current story for 3 years before I came back to it this year. Just be patient with yourself, and give yourself permission to write whatever you want until you settle into something.
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 04:19:51 PM ---What helped me stay into it this time around was NaNo, I think. I didn't think I would hit 50,000 words, I just said "I'm going to write something every day." And then at the end I celebrated whether it was a high day or a slump day. I don't know if this worked because inspiration struck beforehand or not, but it kept me going through the slumpy days.
--- End quote ---
I don't have as much experience with NaNo as you do, but I do think it helps to have a story already started (or at least a solid idea for one) going into it. I think opening a new Doc and staring at a blank page on the first of the month would intimidate me. It's easier to get a daily writing streak going when you already have some momentum going into it. But just setting a goal to write something every day, without worrying about hitting a specific word count, has been really helpful to me. Hopefully that routine I've established will carry over when I go back to work so I don't slump as badly as I usually do when school starts.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 04:19:51 PM ---I was scrolling the internet a couple days ago (I should really have spent my non-writing time reading or something, but eh) and found this little short story prompt thing that could be fun if anyone wants some vague prompts for something short [these asides are my attempts to Backstreet-ify them.]:
1. A conversation you wish had happened in canon [real life?].
2. An expression of love (romantic, platonic, familial - you choose)
3. Character meta [BSB being self-referential about... something?]
4. Episode meta [Album? Song? I'm not sure how to Backstreet-ify this...]
5. That emotional moment that you can’t find a plot for.
6. A scene fully without context.
7. The meeting part of a meet cute AU.
8. A shocking announcement (or the reaction to it)
9. A missing moment from canon [real life?].
10. An alternate ending to an episode or scene. [Could be an alternate ending to something you'd written already?]
11. Someone just having the worst luck. [Every Nick fanfic ever.]
12. An exchange of gifts or mementos.
13. That great line that you can’t find a plot for.
14. The aftermath of a scene you’ll never actually write.
15. The scene that will give you, personally, the most joy.
--- End quote ---
These are great! Cracking up at the one I bolded. LOL
--- Quote from: nicksgal on July 18, 2021, 04:19:51 PM ---Here's a six word story: Nick fell in a manhole. "Ouch." <--- lol
--- End quote ---
Poor Nick LOL. I'm glad he's not as accident-prone and unlucky in real life as he is in our fanfics, or I would worry about him getting that vaccine today.
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:28:35 PM ---LOL That probably is part of it! I do seem to write best when nothing is happening in BSB world. Concerts, album releases, etc. usually distract me or make me feel guilty for writing whatever horrors I'm writing about them. Those are the best kind of distractions though!
--- End quote ---
Don't let them make you feel guilty with their punny ad. It's 157 days, 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 8 seconds away. That's plenty of time to stab one in fiction-land.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:28:35 PM ---LOL I know, it gets confusing keeping track when I go to bed and wake up on the same date, but I do go by date to be consistent, since my sleep schedule is not. So what I wrote before midnight yesterday counted as Day 127, and what I wrote after counted as Day 128. So it's Day 128 now, yay!
--- End quote ---
Yay! :party: :bsb: :broccoli: :bananapower: :wave:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:28:35 PM ---I don't think that is necessarily my problem, since I'm usually just watching TV or playing on my phone or other time-wasters when I could be writing but am not LOL. I do go out and do things with my friends and family a few times a week, but not every day. I still have plenty of time to myself to relax, which is super important for me. I'm such an introvert, I was well-suited to quarantine, which really wasn't all that different from my normal lifestyle LOL. It was nice to have an excuse just to stay home. I definitely get feeling pressured to say yes when people want to make plans now that we can go out again though. This is why I prefer to have a small circle of friends in real life, because I would get overwhelmed with too many offers of "Wanna go out and so such-and-such?" in a week. I'm sure the pandemic has been much harder on extroverts and/or people who are used to having busy social lives, but that is a great reminder that it's okay to say "Sorry, I already have plans" when you just want to stay home and have some me time. That still counts as plans and is important, too!
--- End quote ---
I took most of yesterday to just watch TV and play "Little Alchemy" on my phone, so I get it, lol. I think it's good to take time for yourself and I'm trying to be better about that, that's why I watched TV yesterday and moved my writing spot to the couch today. I've gotten a few more here recently and it's been a while since I've seen some of them in person, so I am trying to say yes if I can. But you're right, I should probably space it out a bit. I think it'd be easier if I didn't have work too, lol. So far, my bids to be a stay-at-home wife haven't panned out, lol. I'm mostly kidding, I think I would get bored after a month or two without a job to go to.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:28:35 PM ---I'm sure election week was not a productive one for any of us, in terms of writing, unless we were using writing as a distraction. I don't think I got much, if anything, written that week either. It was also parent-teacher conference week for me, which is the most stressful week of the school year, so writing was definitely not a priority.
It sounds like most of your slumps are because of real life getting in the way, whether it was because of TV/football, job stress, not feeling well, or special events like hubby's birthday. That totally makes sense. During the school year, my writing probably follows a similar pattern of being most productive on the weekends and less productive as the work week goes on, dropping off the most on days when I have TV shows I want to watch live or plans with people.
It also makes sense that you'd have the most spikes when nearing the end of a story and then slump when starting a new one. That always happens to me, too.
--- End quote ---
I doubt it was for anyone, there was just too much going on in the world. I think the pandemic was the same, it either provided a good distraction or a shut down. And yes, parent-teacher conferences are stressful!
Darn real life. It makes it so hard to find time for writing, lol. If I can shake this, hubs is out of town, so I'm hoping to get really productive.
I'm glad it's a semi-universal thing. It probably has something to do with being out of the groove.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:28:35 PM ---All that makes sense, too. Writing is writing, no matter what you're working on. I thought about taking a break from MBK and trying to write something else for a bit to see if that sparked some creativity, but I don't feel inspired to write anything else and am reluctant to stray from a novel that has been going well because I know sometimes it can be hard to go back. Guilty Roads is a good example of that.
If this was happening during the school year, I would be more willing to say "Screw it" and break the streak, but since it's summer, I'm not gonna do that. I would be mad at myself for not at least trying while I had time when school starts up again and I have a lot less time.
My biggest problem lately is probably focus. I've been using YouTube for both writing music and research, but every time I go on there, I get distracted watching recommended videos that have nothing to do with what I'm writing. Last night it was SNL videos. I need to either have some more willpower or try some of my focus tricks, like turning off Wi-fi or hiding my bookmarks bar so it's not as easy to randomly click on other websites and go down a rabbit hole.
--- End quote ---
That makes sense to me too. I think if overall it's going well, then it's good to stick to a project. Unless nothing comes out, then a break might be the best option. And I get not wanting to end the streak when you have time to keep it going. I'm glad that you got a good day in after venting. Sometimes a good vent is all you need! It's a good way to talk out your frustrations and get them out of your head.
I wonder if there's another place with music similar to what you like on youtube that won't give recommended music for a while, then you'd only go to youtube if you needed to do research.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:28:35 PM ---Sorry to hear you're going through it, too! It's hard to stare at a screen for long periods of time when you have a headache. And who knows, maybe that's what is causing the headaches in the first place? This past year, I started taking my contacts out as soon as I get home from work because I spent so much more time staring at the computer screen, it would dry my eyes out and give me a headache. I should probably invest in a pair of those blue light glasses.
I'm glad you're staying hydrated; that was my other thought, because I get headaches when I don't drink enough water. I also get them when I don't drink enough caffeine LOL. Could also be low blood sugar or something if eating helps. Who knows. I hope you find some solutions!
Your slump could definitely also be new story related. It's hard to go from a story world you've been so immersed in for so long to a brand new one you're just beginning to create. It took me two-and-a-half years after finishing BMS to get anywhere with a new novel on my own. Thank goodness I had collabs to keep me going in between. Other than 00Carter and Undead, all I wrote during that period were one-shots and beginnings of stories that usually didn't progress any further. I was also stuck on Chapter 4 of my current story for 3 years before I came back to it this year. Just be patient with yourself, and give yourself permission to write whatever you want until you settle into something.
--- End quote ---
Yeah, I think that was a lot of it. Should have gotten the blue light filter on my glasses after all, lol. I ate some food and finally got some ibuprofin around 11, so I mostly just feel sunburned now, lol. I've actually been writing and doing laundry (something else I hadn't felt like doing) for the last couple of hours, so I may finally be on the mend. Yay! I should probably eat something soon though. I am horrifically hydrated, which is probably how normal people feel and not me in my barely hydrated world. I'm one of those lobster girls Rose was talking about. I've also been drinking lattes again the past couple of days, so maybe the extra milk was making me feel bad. Who knows! But thanks, me too.
I think that's what I'll have to keep doing. It's not what I felt like writing today, so I haven't even looked at it yet. But the streak is alive, so that's good.
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:41:25 PM ---I don't have as much experience with NaNo as you do, but I do think it helps to have a story already started (or at least a solid idea for one) going into it. I think opening a new Doc and staring at a blank page on the first of the month would intimidate me. It's easier to get a daily writing streak going when you already have some momentum going into it. But just setting a goal to write something every day, without worrying about hitting a specific word count, has been really helpful to me. Hopefully that routine I've established will carry over when I go back to work so I don't slump as badly as I usually do when school starts.
--- End quote ---
See, I'd say that too, but the whole idea is that anyone participating starts with something fresh in November. They've changed the degree of outlining they accept in recent years, but the idea is one month, one novel. I do make sure to write something each day, even if it's just a little because it's just such a part of my daily routine now. I hope that making it part of your routine helps the transition to the school year go smoother as well. :)
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on July 18, 2021, 07:41:25 PM ---These are great! Cracking up at the one I bolded. LOL
Poor Nick LOL. I'm glad he's not as accident-prone and unlucky in real life as he is in our fanfics, or I would worry about him getting that vaccine today.
--- End quote ---
That one was my favorite too. It's fun when you just know you can fill in a name right away instead of "someone," lol.
I'd argue he's the opposite in real life, lucky ducky. Don't worry about the first dose, worry about the second one.
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