I'm unable to write this book even though I want to write it so bad. Any suggestions on what I should do?

Question

I write all the time and love doing it. Its my main passion and I want to become an author eventually. I come up with ideas for novels all the time, and one has struck me as my favorite. Its revolves around a young woman and the vast changes and experiences in her life, and how they affect her physically and psychologically. Moving to and living in another country, making new friends, unable to keep jobs, financial issues, having to deal with depression and anger issues, and not knowing why she enjoys the pains of unrequited love - all ideas I've come up with over the past two years for this novel. I want to write everything I imagine and see it in front of my eyes, but whenever I start to put pen to paper, nothing comes to mind. I've tried writing this book before, but then I scrapped that and started re-writing it, but now I haven't written anything since July, and I don't know where to go from where I left off. I have given up on continuing to write the novel before, but then I come up with something good to write, and then I go to the novel and I give up again. Its a cycle that I don't know how to get out of. Are there suggestions or tips on what I should do to help me overcome this intense writer's block? I love this book so much, even though it's nowhere near finished.

Thank you in advance :)

Answer 1

Hello Mad,

Welcome to the world of soon-to-be published writing! As an author myself of three books (going on four), I definitely can relate to the frustration and confusion behind developing writer's block and the ideas just not flowing the way you want them to in your mind and on paper.

In addition to the excellent suggestions outlined by Aaron, I would also highly recommend the technique of writing down any and all random ideas that come to mind when they do--on paper, in an email or text message to yourself; any resource that will help you retain the ideas for later when the rest of your aspiring novel comes together one piece at a time to create the complete written work the way you want to.

With so many distractions around us in the world every day, and when having to tend to our families, our paid jobs, and whatnot, finding solid time to write can be a challenge. Yet the brainwaves keep moving forward, along with the ideas for great writing. So anytime even the tiniest idea for what you want to write in your forthcoming novel pops into your head, keep it safely tucked away in the back of your head for later, or write it down anytime anywhere you can so that you can return to it in further detail at a near-future opportunity therefor.

Good luck with your writing! I hope your first novel turns out the way you anticipate! Cheers, and happy holidays to you!

Answer 2

Hi Mad! Sometimes I find that the hardest things to write convincingly are the things I most want to express. I get so critical of myself when a first draft doesn’t live up to the emotions and vision in my imagination, so I empathize with your frustration. I find in these sorts of situations, it can be helpful to take a step back and attack from another angle rather than trying to chase after the ideal I have in my mind.

It sounds like this might be a story at least partially coming from personal experience, either your own or that of someone you know. If that’s the case, have you tried to gather materials in a way that is not novel-writing per se (journaling, interviewing people or writing down conversations as you remember them, documenting briefly what you know of the person’s life) in order to build up some materials that can be adapted or used as notes? Even if the novel isn’t inspired by personal experience, it might be helpful to try exercises like imaginary diary entries or interviews, from the perspective of the protagonist or the people that know the protagonist (romantic partners, family, friends, therapists, coworkers, enemies, acquaintances). This may feel less daunting than trying to sit down and start writing the novel straight off.

You probably have done this, but it could help to take a step or two back and answer some macro questions about what you want the novel to be. For instance, will it be told in a first person or third person perspective? Will it primarily be told by or follow the protagonist, or someone close to them, or a mix of narrators/characters? Will it be fairly linear, or will it jump around in time, place, and perspective? Keep in mind that you can always change your approach, so if you have a really clear idea in your mind about how the novel will be structured, think about exploring different structures or styles or points of view to see if it is easier to get the words down on the page.

I would also recommend developing some character sketches, answer questions like: what kind of person is the protagonist (or this or that character)? What was their upbringing like? Who are the people in their life? What inspires them, what are they afraid of? What is there relationship with their family? What are their habits, tics, compulsions, needs, etc.? Writing this out in a list or freeform fashion can help to organize your thoughts and might lead to small sections or ideas that you later can develop more fully.

Once you have some ideas of the characters’ personalities and plot points/scenarios you want to include in your novel, try writing vignettes for various scenarios, e.g. putting a character in a specific situation and writing out how they react to and feel in that situation. I would recommend the scenarios be rather specific so that you have both constraints and a fair amount of detail to work with. If it feels difficult to write from the protagonist’s perspective, try writing from the perspective of another person observing them in that situation.

Always keep in mind that anything you develop now can be changed, so don’t be afraid to try things out and edit or discard them later. Hope some of that is helpful for you, and best of luck! :)