Ever want to stop the presses?

[heather_hangs_it]

Have you ever gotten so frustrated with your wip - for whatever reason (failed save, writer's block, plot seems iffy, having a bad hairday, etc) - that you just want to scrap it all and give up?

Because I'm there right now. 72,000+ words, over halfway through my plot, and I'm ready to throw in the towel. I don't really want to, so... help?

~heather

[heyimkt]

YES. Don't you hate that? You think it's a great idea and then you start doubting yourself like crazy. Yeah, happens all the time for me. Usually, I'll just take a break or get someone else to read a bit and give me some encouragement :) But yes. I completely agree. I just try and remember that I love/d the idea and the characters from the beginning. Sometimes, we just need breaks.

[notw]

I get that all the time. I agree with heyimkt taking time to get a friends input can be very encouraging! I have also found if I take a break with something I enjoy (whether it be for a day or even a week) it helps me get creative again.

[Sommer Leigh]

Of course we've all felt that way! The good news is that some part of you doesn't want to give up, and that's all you need.

What I do if this happens is sort of a 3 part process.

1. I get some space. LOTS of space. I read. I read a couple of books both in and out of my genre. Good, good books.
2. I start editing. I start at the beginning and I just start reading and doing mostly minor edits, though sometimes I get really into a major edit. I do this because I need a reminder that my writing is good. I need to get excited about it again and sometimes I need to reread my book as if I were a reader and not a frustrated writer.
3. Then I figure out why I got frustrated in the first place and fix it. I'm not much of a write the first draft then fix things kind of writer. I tend to write a few chapters, go back and edit those chapters, then write a few chapters, then go back and edit all the chapters previous etc...and I don't move forward when I'm so frustrated or unhappy or irritated that I want to give up. I figure out the problem and fix it and then go back to writing new stuff.

It's not everyone's method, but it's mine.

[J. T. SHEA]

I know the feeling. I commented a few weeks ago about how Ian Fleming had his secretary hide each new page he wrote to stop himself destroying it immediately. Imagine his doubts back in the early Fifties. Who's going to believe in a secret agent named James Bond, for heaven's sake?

[Nathan Bransford]

Oh yes - you'll feel that way sometimes even after you know it's going to be published, and, I've been told, even sometimes after that!

It's totally normal to feel that way. Just clear the head before you reassess. If you have to give up on a project you have to give up. But if you're feeling better after a little break get back to it!

[heather_hangs_it]

Thanks everyone. You've all given me great advice and a lot to think about. I shall overcome... *raises fist triumphantly.

~heather

[wildheart]

Wanted to say that I have JUST gotten over that feeling. And what helped me was telling myself that it was okay to write crap as long as I kept writing! Also, I find that keeping a journal about your WIP can help. If you have a supportive friend, partner, ect...maybe have them keep you on track. Seriously, don't stop writing. Find ways to get through it. So many people start novels and never finish them. Be one of the people that finishes!