Beyourself13 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hi there, I consider myself someone who is capable of writing really wonderful plays for the theatre. The problem is that I have become so disillusioned with the world (I'm female in my early 40s) that I feel like nothing I write will ever make a difference and change things for the better. So right now while I have tons of time to write, I just find it impossible. It's making me feel very, very depressed. Is there anyone else who can relate to this, or who can give me some suggestions? The reason I write is to reach people, but if what I have to say is not something people care about then why bother? (is what my irrational brain keeps telling me). I keep thinking that 99.9% of people want to see rubbish, mindless stuff that does not make them think about making this world a better place. I see so much toxic garbage out there that people find entertaining and it breaks my heart that they do. I also think there is some amazingly beautiful, transformational films and theatre that is seen by many as well. But I find this is pretty rare. How does a writer who wants to make a real difference motivate themselves to keep writing even if their work will never be understood, loved or accepted by others? It's my calling...I have to keep writing, but right now I'm very blocked. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks. Link to comment
LKDag Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I've been going through this myself. I write sports articles on a somewhat widely visited area sports blog. It's the off-season now, meaning I don't have to do daily reports and have free reign to write about anything that interests me, so long as I can tie it to the team. Around the end of the season, my ex broke up with me, so I went into a depression. Had plenty of time, but no will to actually do research and write. Don't really have tips on getting through it, but I know exactly how it feels. Link to comment
pippy longstocking Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I can also relate....I upcycle stuff ...and at times as I say " I have lost my craft" I can't motivate myself , or I can't actually get an idea in my head , if I do and try to implement my ideas it all goes wrong ...or on really bad days , I will see someone elses work and just think , my god I am crap at this , will I ever get to that level .. so my thought process is different ..but I understand the block . looking out on this world can be disheartening on many levels but you must pursue your dream of reaching out to people , for all those that would rather sit and watch mindless stuff , there are those that are desperate for a writer like you to give them some substance ..What you write now could pass through the generations ...look at the replays .. look at the theatre , performing classics over and over .... try not to look at the picture with a grimace and a sense of why bother ... remember that one person , or ten people , or a theatre full who are sat crying out for what you have ..it is criminal to keep your amazing mind and writing away from everyone ... for all the bad there is , there is also good and good people whose tastes do stretch beyond a quick sit com . Link to comment
pippy longstocking Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I've been going through this myself. I write sports articles on a somewhat widely visited area sports blog. It's the off-season now, meaning I don't have to do daily reports and have free reign to write about anything that interests me, so long as I can tie it to the team. Around the end of the season, my ex broke up with me, so I went into a depression. Had plenty of time, but no will to actually do research and write. Don't really have tips on getting through it, but I know exactly how it feels. yeah that's really hard to stretch your head that much when you are wearing a broken heart .... I can deffinately concur . Link to comment
Beyourself13 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks Shooting Star. You've really said some things that I needed to hear, so ta! Link to comment
Beyourself13 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 And re your self doubts. I get them too, it's totally natural...just keep plugging away at that inner critic (as I do myself every single day) lol! Link to comment
pippy longstocking Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 And re your self doubts. I get them too, it's totally natural...just keep plugging away at that inner critic (as I do myself every single day) lol! yes ...you are sooooooooooooo right ..plug away we will . Link to comment
numbnut Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hi, I write too. I'm currently writing my first novel, about 60K words in, but I have the opposite problem. My brian is jammed full and I can't get the stuff down. I also belong to a Writers' Guild. Each month we have a separate theme to write about and I find this helps to widen the versitility of my writing. I have some stuff published on writing sites on the net. But ext month I will have my first short story published in a national magazine (Yay! I'm a writer now). I write an minimum of 300 words per day. I just sit and write. Sometimes I have a plan what to write about, or something has inspired a piece. If I have no set plan then i just write what comes into my head. No one ever sees most of it, but then it does help when I sit and continue my book or short story. As far as peolpe bothering about what you write is really moot. You bother so write it and put it out there you may be surprised at the reaction. If you inspire someone to respond or even think about your writing then you have suceeded. Not everyone is going to be a J K Rowing, Oscar Wilde or Steophen Hawking. Be happy with being you and be happy with what you write about, what else matters. May you life be filled with good books Link to comment
relevart Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The problem is that I have become so disillusioned with the world (I'm female in my early 40s) that I feel like nothing I write will ever make a difference and change things for the better. So right now while I have tons of time to write, I just find it impossible. It's making me feel very, very depressed. What exactly do you want to change and how do you think writing a play (or a book, a movie or a song) ill do that? The reason I write is to reach people, but if what I have to say is not something people care about then why bother? Write for yourself. Have fun with it. If it's real, it will reach people. If it's forced, no one will care about it. It's my calling...I have to keep writing, but right now I'm very blocked. You're setting yourself up to fail with all this pressure on yourself. It's your "calling." You need to "reach people." You want to "change things for the better." If I put that kind of pressure on myself, I'd probably start drinking. Or take a hammer to my computer. Relax a little. Just write for fun. Link to comment
mhowe Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Writing is a discipline. I interviewed several published authors in my earlier days...and all said that they write daily. Most at a set time...for a certain amount of time, or for a certain amount of words. No distractions. When the hit a block...they would pick 2 characters and begin a dialogue a and see where it lead. Link to comment
saluk Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 "There is an art to flying, or rather a knack. Its knack lies in learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Hitchiker's Guide I think you have fallen into a trap a lot of creative people fall into. They start to care much more about the outcome of their creation than in the creative process. It is all well and good to aim for greatness, but there is a fallacy in placing too much emphasis on the product. The fallacy is that you cannot predict what will work or whether something will be relevant if you are doing something new. There is an inherent uncertainty there. You can feel your way through that uncertainty as you build, as you see it come together, in order to course correct, but you can never know if there is actually a coherent puzzle that will be formed from the pieces. This line of thinking, about what the product will be, is one of the reasons there is so much bland entertainment that you rail against. It is a lot easier to build well if you know exactly what you are building, and the best way to know what you are building is to build something that you have built before. Just take that formula, that says X happens at 10 minutes into the script, and Y happens at 22 minutes, and plug in your nouns. It may be bland, but you know it will work! Good luck, I struggle with this as well. Link to comment
Recommended Posts