The Writers' Group 9,300 members · 56,488 stories
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It's been about a year and a half since my last update. I just can't write more than a page and when I do write it I'm unhappy with it. What do I do? Are there any tricks to get back into writing fanfiction?

Ah, I'm familiar with that feel.
The best you can do is distance yourself from your fic for a while, and try to focus on other things, once you feel like your head is clear try giving it a shot.
One thing I do is re-read everything I've written up to the point which I have to continue, and that usually helps.

3854670 If you have an idea you wanna write, but having doubts about it. Write it out and see how it works. You never know if that idea could work for you if you don't write it.

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Find a new story. It has to be something you feel enthusiastic about; a story you really need to tell. Passion is essential. Find something you truly love and write it.

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Then you're probably not writing the right thing. Find a story you want to tell. I mean, really want to.

You know the feeling when something happened to you and you just can't wait to tell someone about it? I need to get home and tell my mama, I need to call my friend ASAP, my girlfriend needs to see this, that guy from work is going to love this, that guy I met at the library will be crazy over this,...

That's what you're looking for in your writing. Something that makes you go, "damn, I HAVE to write this down."

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I had the hardest time starting on something new after writing my first story. I had put myself on a time schedule to update it aat a certain frequency, but then remembered that I love to procrastinate and can only write well when motivated. What I ended up with was a rushed story with far too long hiatuses for the tiny 1k word chapters it was made up of. So I said you know what I'm not posting another story until I have one fully completes start to finish and I myself approve of the final product. This lead to a number of months of working and playing video games and not writing a single word. What I did do during that time was listen to a reading of a very long, very popular fanfiction during other tasks. Personally once I was done, it helped inspire me to write again, and also taught me lots of new writing techniques and quirks. I still couldn't quite get a story idea though. So instead, i just started writing down my own natural thoughts in a journal as if I were a character. Describing my own daily thoughts in the most entertaining ways I could fathom. Then looked up other personality types from my own, and attempted to describe those same thoughts in a different personality and perspective. What ended up happening is when I finally did get an idea for a new story, all the characters and situations that I felt would add to the concept just fell into place because of all the little excercises I had been doing.

Tl;dr? If you don't feel like writing more than a page at a time, then don't! Forcing yourself to put out a product is what can end up making it turn out badly. (Im looking at you my melodramatic cliched first story). Make little games to help inspire your creative process, and dont force yourself to do it any longer than you feel comfortable with. When true inspiration hits, it will hit like a truck and you wont be able to stop writing.

Wow I didnt know I had that in me.

Just sit down and write. Not liking it? Drink some coffee, listen to emotionally appealing music, and do your best to edit what you already have, and keep writing. Drinking something alcoholic might help as well, so long as you're at least 21. Use Thesaurus.com if you get stuck on an overused word, and always re-edit everything you've just written while sober. If you still don't like what you've written, then get drunk again, and then reread what you've got. If that doesn't work, then you're helpless.

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I'm going to update one of my blog posts in a bit, the one about writer's block. I know you didn't mention writer's block, but I feel that there's something important about your situation that should go there.

edit: Link.

3854670 Get down to the roots of why you write. Find a reason.
I feel you, as I am kind of going through this as well.

3854670 Write something else, the inspiration might return.

3854670 Know that you truly do want to write. Then you're half way there. Basically, just get words down even if you aren't happy with how they come out. I find that the longer I write in a session, the more involved and motivated I become. Then you can rewrite bad parts if you need.

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Booze, usually. But hey if you don't drink or can't just start writing. It's worked for me a couple of times and I surprise myself at times what I'm able to put on paper.

I'm having the same problem as well, but thanks for all the advice.

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Don't ever force yourself to write creatively if you can't think of anything creative to write. If you struggle with the feeling of not wanting to write, believe me; I feel you. Often I have no desire to write when I A) don't have the inspiration; B) don't care much for my story; or C) I'm stressed out or not feeling well.

Do you watch the show? I've always found that once I've watched a few episodes, I have the inspiration to write again. I always feel more inclined to write about something while the subject matter is still fresh on my mind.

Just some tips :) Don't give up, buddy.

PS: take a gander at this image. It helped me, so maybe it might help you? :D

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