I don't want to write.
Yes, you do. You just don't know what or how. You wouldn't be here if you didn't want to write, and you wouldn't have to think about saying the sentence: "I don't want to write" if you weren't considering it. You do want to write. Don't make excuses.
I'm not making excuses.
Well, I think you are. But, let's say you're not. If you're not making excuses then you're talking to yourself with the wrong language. Regardless of knowing where to go from here, what do do or how to start... do you FEEL like writing? Do you wish you were writing? Do you want to be good at writing? Does a writer's career appeal to you? Don't answer beyond that thought. It's not about whether or not you think you're good or could sustain the attention it takes to write something or whether or not other people will think it's coo.... the question is: "Do you want to write?"
Yes.
Then don't ever use the sentence: "I don't want to write." That puts the wrong thing in your head and ends any further exploration. I hate to hear it, but say: "I suck at writing" if you have to. At least then you can give yourself somewhere to go. If you suck, you can practice. If your craft is lacking, you can be creative about it. If you spend some time with it, you can create your own writing voice. But all of those options have nothing to do with your want, and you WANT to write.
... i'm listening...
Thank god! Now, what are you worried about? Be honest. Use direct language. Think beyond the point you usually think to that makes you give up. What's the trouble, here?
Well, ok. At this point, i'm worried that I've created a story with potential. See, I'm loving the Richard and Dalia story. And for completely different reasons I'm loving the Adam story. And I'm worried about whether or not they work together. I described the story so far to a friend of mine by starting with Richard and Dalia. I explained their love, how they met and why it's important they connect. Then I said "As well, the universe might be destroyed." and the response I got was: "You just HAD to throw that in there, didn't you?" So, I'm worried that I'm taking away from the potential of the story of Richard and Dalia by interjecting a second interest, which is the love I have for villains and the idea of the entire universe being destroyed.
Who are you writing for?
If I'm writing a book it's for an audience.
Asshole, you're writing a blog and it's for practice.
Let's not lie to ourselves here. If I am writing something for people to read, there's no way that the writing isn't about the reader. Obviously, I want someone to read it and like it. That's being brutally honest.
No, being brutally honest would be to say that you hope you can make a career out of your interests, you're just not sure if enough people will find it interesting enough to make a career out of. Stop talking to yourself in easy ways. Be clear. You're being vague so that you have an excuse to cut out early. Talk honestly so that when a problem comes up you can work to fix it. Right now it's like you're thinking if there's a problem you're a failure. You're only a failure if you identify a problem and do nothing about it. Don't be scared of evolving. Admit you're not perfect and fix what you can. Now, you say you want SOMEONE to read it. SOMEONE, or EVERYONE?
Well, someone. You know, I don't even know what I'm talking about. That's a problem, right? I'm worried and I'm trying to find word to justify it. I'm just worried. This is a big fat undertaking. I have no idea what I'm saying right now. Am I writing for other people? I don't know.
Not with this blog, you're not. Look, you're practicing to be a writer and so you should be working to inspire yourself. You're inspiring yourself to spend more time with your idea by interjecting things you find to be interesting. You're throwing things in there that you like to talk about and, to be honest, everything you've talked about so far does relate to the story you say you love. There's love and then there's science. There's conflict. Scientists, in real life, are opening black holes...that's not far off from "potentially destroying the universe. And, in your story, we have brilliant scientists. All you're doing is saying that they are so brilliant that the universe might be at risk, and one of them has something to lose from that and the other doesn't. That's interesting! Besides, you're working to be a better writer so, when the time comes to write the thing, you'll be pretty damn good at conveying what you find interesting in perfect harmony with the theme you're conveying. You'll be better at writing by then and, by then, you'll have spent so much time with your story you'll know how to do what and where. You're just not there yet!
But...
Shut the fuck up! You wrote it, YOU know that's interesting. That's why you wrote it. You put it down on e-paper because you though it was cool and you see potential in it. This is all a test. This is all practice. And you should be encouraging yourself, not coming up with things to say that'll knock you out of your mood. You're working to try to find a way to write more because writing more makes you a better writer. So, how dare you open an entry with: "I don't want to write." How dare you say to yourself that what you know you find interesting might not be interesting. Why don't you just keep writing, see where it goes and decide later whether or not it works? I mean, you're judging the infancy of an idea and saying "Is this a good idea or not?" You don't know, you haven't worked it yet. Who's to say you can't portray your idea in a way that is interesting to more people than you? You're an amateur writer working on an amateur idea. What you're working on is your ability to write. I don't wanna hear anymore about "i can't do this" and "i suck" and "i don't know what to do" Just write. You're practicing. You're an amateur. And if you're an amateur at the art, you don't have the experience required to be a critic of it. Don't be criticizing yourself until you know what you're talking about.
So, what now?
Now, you take a breath, come to understand that you are most certainly writing for yourself and take some pleasure in writing about the things you like. And pat yourself on the back for including things you find interesting because those things have motivated you to write. And don't worry, you don't see how all of this connects yet because you're not there yet. Write. And get there. And you'll see then. But not now. Just write. Cool?
Cool.
Ok, cool. And, by the way, I do not accept this an an entry. You're not finished until you write another one. You should be writing about your story. Nothing is worth anything unless it's moving forward. If you want your idea to be great, constantly contribute MORE than is necessary to it. Don't just keep it from drowning, swim it somewhere. Write one single solitary sentence about it if you have to, but go do it.
You're right.
You, write!
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