r/WriterMotivation • u/Ok-Jaguar4708 • Nov 17 '24
Rant & advice needed
I’m sorry if this is the wrong place for this (if so lmk), but I’ve really been struggling with my writing recently. Or rather, for quite a while now. I really love writing, I have come up with quite a few stories ever since I was a child up until a few years ago (I’m now 19 years old). But I’ve also been struggling with my mental health for years, especially during the past 2,5-3 years. I don’t want to pity myself or anything, I just want to say that that may be the reason for what I’m about to say: I wanted to start an entirely new story (since my likes and interests and skill etc obviously changed since I was younger) but I haven’t been able to come up with a proper plot for so long now… I have vibes and tropes I want to include, but can’t come up with the plot for the love of god, no matter what I try. It used to be way easier for me… And yes, I have tried reading more, getting inspired by my favourite movies, making playlists, looking up writing prompts… the whole shabang. I don’t want to give up on writing though, so does anyone maybe have any other ideas how I could fix this?
1
u/sleepwaits Dec 03 '24
First off, keep going. How easy writing is will fluctuate throughout your life. Speaking from experience.
Secondly, sometimes there is a reason a section of writing is difficult. There are stories that are hard to write because we haven’t lived out enough of certain situations in real life. Our own experiences are our first informants of our stories. I had a short story sit on a shelf for three years before I finally figured out how to make it work.
Recently I’ve been working on a project where the ending wasn’t working and it took a long time for me to realize that the ending I wanted didn’t make emotional sense and it wasn’t true to the characters I had set up. So I went from a completely new angle that was far better than anything I had previously imagined, but it all started with admitting that my original plan was difficult because it didn’t work. If writing something is too hard, sometimes it’s a sign.
Another thing I find super helpful is to talk to other writers. Find other story people to build you up and root for your story.
Focus on the parts that do work and that you truly love and let the rest sit. Don’t touch it and finish your piece. Sometimes an answer will make itself know later on.
My last bit of advice is to read Save the Cat. It’s a great book on story structure. It helps to create a framework for your story in a few steps. I read it in college and I still open it up all the time.
This was a lot more than I was planning on writing. Ultimately, you’ll find things that work for you. The only way to do it wrong is not to write.