Writers Block?

Question

When I was younger I was hugely fat but I wrote like I was posessed. I was writing novels, poems and short stories. Now Im older, Im totally fit and I work out everyday, but the words just wont come any more! My life is fuller, Im more active, but when I sit down to write I find I cant finish my novel, my baby, my most prized possesion. I dont want to turn into a slob again, can anyone help me solve this problem? I already set aside quiet time to write everyday, its just not EASY like it used to be. Any comments will be appreciated.

If anyone out there is Ian Garrett who taught at Elizabeth Macarthur High in 1999, please message me.

Thankyou to all so far, youve been very caring and helpful. You all deserve a best answer! You are all right! The reason I asked about Garrett was because he was my high school english teacher, and he could always talk me out of writers block! I suppose most of you arent even in my country!

Answer 1

Writing comes with emotion.

It sounds like when you were heavy, your bouts of
depression, embarassment, etc. enabled you to release
your soul on paper.

Now you are expressing yourself in other ways with your
physical activities. Try expressing about your life now,
or write about your life then and how it enabled you to write
easier.

I know exactly what you are talking about though.

Whenever I would have a broken heart throughout my
life.....the words would just flow out of my heart and soul
and I couldn't write fast enough.

Now, that I've been in a 7 year relationship and my life
is so occupied with different thinks, whenever I sit down
to write my book that I've been trying to write....my thoughts
go instead to current problems or situations that are going
on in my life.

Fortunately, it sounds like your life isn't miserable enough
at this point in your life for the words to flow easily.

Answer 2

When I am having writers block, I like to do one of the following things:

1. Write something totally different than my novel (even just a five page rant on how much I suck because I can't write)
2. Give myself a break from writing, or even thinking about writing, for at least a week.
3. Take the time to look over what I have written and spend time making charts and character bios and deciding what I will write about next.
4. Make myself a deadline of 100 words for the day. That's not very much, so it's easy to achieve!
5. Tell myself IT'S OKAY TO WRITE CRAP! Because I can just change it later, and it's more important to get something down - ANYTHING down - rather than do nothing.

And without Number Five, I'd have Writer's Block every day

Good luck!

Answer 3

About the book, my theory: some people write out of a great need. In your case, I am guessing that need was self-esteem. Getting fit fulfilled that need, making the need to write less urgent.

I wouldn't recommend returning to a state of emotional neediness or physical neglect in order to improve your writing, even if that would work. You have what counts: your health. You gained something very precious when you reclaimed your life and health. Treasure that, no matter what happens.

I think many people regard creativity as a fragile, vaporous element, a willow the wisp that is governed by whim and fleeting inspiration. They think you have to wait for it, or seize it like a leprauchan when it decides to show. To the extent creativity is poetic and purely emotional, this might be true. But I think, if you are going to write a lot, you must cultivate a business-like and practical attitude toward writing. You have to think in terms of honing your craft, not sitting around and waiting for just the right vibration to hit you. Faulkner made the distinction between authors and writers. An author, he said, may have one or two books in them; a writer sits down every day and practices his craft because he must.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I wish I could be more help to you but I've had writers block for the last few years! I think it's all based on fear. Well for me anyway.

Is there any reason why you would subconsciously fear finishing your novel? Maybe you're worried it will be badly received?

Or maybe your writing formerly came from a source of pain. It was an emotional release for you. But now you are no longer in pain (ie no longer a fat slob) you don't have that same motivation to express yourself.

You need to rediscover your motivation for expression. And if it is no longer what it used to be, then you need to come up with a new motivation.

Good luck :-)

Answer 5

Before I write I usually have the basis of the whole story all plotted out in my head. I think about it while doing other things. You could try keeping a notebook handy and when you get an idea, jot it down to review later when you are ready to write. Using a computer is so much easier than the way things were written before computers...you can sketch out the basics and then go back and fill in details later.

Answer 6

It appears that your mind has as much activity as your body does. You don't need to gain more weight to be able to write a book, but have you considered an exercise that would help clear your mind and focus? Try looking into meditation, or breathing exercises, or even moods music helps the mind to release.

Best of luck on your project!

Answer 7

sometimes being overweight makes a person more humble. A person who's big, seems to have more feelings of insecurity, sadness, hurt, anger, etc...then someone who's thinner. Why don't you write about your happiness, and success with having lost so much weight. Or you can think back to those days, when you were overweight, and use the feelings that overcome you to help you write.

Answer 8

The best answer i can give you is to write an hour or two every day no matter what its about, eventually you will find your way back to your "baby" but writing is like any other muscle, without exercise it atrophies. It begins to feel akward and strange rather than familiar.

Answer 9

i don't think going back to setting camp in the kitchen will help you to write again like you used to. the writing part earlier came when you got inspiration from the things surrounding you then.

now that you're older (and fitter), your inspiration comes from some other things and you have responded to that by doing other things than writing.

if you want to go back to writing, my best advice is to read, read, read. then slowly go back to writing--maybe start with a diary/journal. if you're still interested in writing seriously, then it will flow naturally. you don't have to pack in the pounds so you can get back that writing "magic" you had like in the past.

good luck!

Answer 10

Take a breather, Wrting get harder when you become older because you write about mature things. Just think of some topics and find something interesting.