All writers have obstacles that threaten to keep them from writing: Busy lives, laziness, hobbies, illness, fear... What are your worst writing obstacles? How do you overcome them? Or are you still struggling to overcome them?

Ah... is Holy Worlds an option?

Seriously now though, it's pretty much busy life and laziness. When I get time off from the busy life, I like to hang out here and there on the web, which zaps my time for writing.

Another hindrance, is that I don't like writing outlines, but I'm writing one for my next novel in response to a very good author's advice to me. He blatantly told me that "Writing without an outline is a lazy way to work", so I guiltily ducked my head and decided to write one. However, I work better off the snowflake method, so this is kind of hard (and boring) for me, thus the laziness.

So I'm still in the 'should-overcome-the-laziness-when-not-busy' basket.

Mostly laziness/hobbies for me, I think. It can be a lot easier to just go and play a computer game instead of bringing up a document and writing for a while. That's one I'm still dealing with...

HOMEWORK! Just kidding. I usually get generic writer's block where I can sit down and know what I need to say but cannot find the right way to say it. World development takes its time too though.

-Hobbies (Homeschool group, to be more specific)
-Laziness coupled with writers' block (Not a good thing, I tell ya!)

I'd say it's a combination of being busy and being lazy. I either don't have time, or don't feel like writing.

Frustration, fear of frustration, and depression. ("it's no use, I can't write anything good, etc")

Yup. Really should ignore it and write more because I know I can... I just am afraid to.

*quietly bumps Melody off the forums and tells her to go write* Don't get me started on this one. May I remind you that your story hook was phenomenal?

Slothfulness and ill-prioritizing are usually the biggest factors that keep me from writing as much as I ought. Occasionally writer's block (or just a general "I don't want to work on this project even though it's coming due") will also make me uninspired.

Holy Worlds. And no, I'm not kidding.

Well, that's understandable, Airi. You kinda have a big job here. (And you do a good job of it, might I add... )

You're sweet.

I'm also right. Ask anybody.

She is!

See?

Cute, Aussie

You recruited her in chat.

Airi dear, you don't recruit fans, they're drawn to you. But I better not derail the topic.

<smile> Sometimes I need a swift kick in the pants to get me to stop moping and just write. Like today...

You can remind me but I will remind you that it needs rewritten and lengthened and put a story behind it. XD

Sometimes having siblings as critics can be a little depressing...

Mine aren't like it all the time, but when you think you've written something you think is really cool, and you show your brother and the best response you get is a very tame, "Nice," it can make you want to go into the next room, tear it apart and burn it.

Did that happen with your winning story?

... How can you always read through my posts, Jonathan?

Actually, he said, "Nup. Too much like Frank Peretti," and I nearly did consider not entering it.

I'm glad you did, and I'm sure you're glad as well. So in that instance, you overcame the obstacle, and succeeded. Who's to say it won't be the same in the future?

I am glad I entered it now. Even if it did mirror Frank Peretti slightly...

Hrm, well... if it happens again in the future but I'm showing a publisher instead, I'm not sure it would reap the same results!

Anyway, it would be much easier to overcome laziness for writing, but it's much harder to overcome laziness for study... Especially boring study... the kind that your mind wanders off, and you end up back at Holy Worlds editing your last comments...

For me the greatest obstacle is other hobbies. Usually, when I have free time, I tend to prioritize web design or reading. Couple that with school that actually gives me little free time in the first place. Plus the "depression" that Melody and a few others mentioned.

Wow...writing all that makes me want to write more.

(Glad you entered it anyways, Bush--it was a great story! )

eruheran

You did amazing, Bush. We're all proud of you. :huggles:

*gives Bush a big hug* I'm glad you entered your story, because if you hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to read it!

I'll go with everyone who says HW takes a lot of their free time. I'm usually really busy, so when I have free time, I tend to use it all up here. *looks sheepish* But y'all have really helped my writing, so it's worth the time.

Aww, you flatterers!

But free time is right... I'm usually here. But it's free time well spent, in my opinion! Although it -still- doesn't get my novel written...

My biggest obstacle is chronic illness. I write best on a rigid schedule, but am often unable to due to days when I am too sick to write. When I am not too sick to write I am often still weak, and I have to force myself to write anyway. Eventually I get things written and start the same cycle again with editing. Through it all, I am thankful to be able to write.

Praying that won't always be the case, Jonathan.

Thank you, BushMaid.

Do. Not. Get me. Started.

I feel like quoting Mittens from BOLT: "Do not, do not, I beg of you, make me unleash these bad boys! It gets ugly!"

"So I'll talk to the claws... but in exchange, next week, all your food comes to me." Or, in the context of this thread, "You go write and stop griping."

Hahahahaha..... you wouldn't dare unleash Henry on me. I have a Bolt of my own.

Tonight I'm trying a word sprint to help get around writing obstacles. (Thanks, Kat!)

Henry, like Mittens, is declawed, so he's staying right where he is, lazing about the floor.

It's Leah you have to worry about.

Ahem.

But yay on the word sprint! Tell me how it goes tomorrow, okay?

Eh heh.

Whatever. I can be good and write. It's just hard. Hence the title of this thread.

(They wouldn't be called obstacles if they were easy to escape!)

One of these days I'll round up a posse and nail down all those obstacles... *cradles ready hammer*

All writers need to be in that posse.

I'll be sure to send out the word when I go on that quest.

Oh, okay! I'll be ready.

I'd say the biggest thing for me is tiredness. A lot of the time in the evening I may have free time but I've been outside working all day and my mind just sorta shuts down.

Has anyone made progress on overcoming writing obstacles or encountered new obstacles lately?

An obstacle for me is wanting to write but knowing it is not perfect, feeling afraid that it isn't very good, and then feeling that I am not destined to be a good author.

But I recently found a way to get around that obstacle: Just remember that IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT, OR EVEN GOOD, ON THE FIRST DRAFT. It doesn't! It can be dry, meandering, or even weird, but at least it will be there. Words on a page can be critiqued, edited, re-thought, and improved. A concept in your head cannot.

So, if you are getting negative feelings about your writing ability, just go to the nearest computer (or notebook ), open up your story, and WRITE SOMETHING. Right now. No matter what comes out. It is a whole lot better than getting stuck.

An obstacle at the moment is getting started. I have a very basic outline about how I could start the final book in my trilogy, but I'm still chewing over the different ways I could take things.

Good point, Aemi.

Yes, it can be hard to decide sometimes, Airianna.

Right now my biggest obstacle is laziness. But I'm working against it.

I'm also foreseeing an obstacle that will be rearing its ugly head soon -- plot holes (barring sudden, very unexpected revelations). Sometime soon I hope to wrangle a few awesomes who will let me ramble in a brainstorming chat.

My current obstacle is a lack of time, (which hopefully I shall be able to rectify in the coming year) and also trying to get out of editing mode. I've noticed for some time that I struggle to write more than two sentences without getting critical of them and dissecting them until I'm satisfied they are perfect. It must be the pedantic grammar freak in me coming out.

So that's why your writing is so good. However, you need to focus on quantity as well as quality, it seems.

I struggle with this, too. But, after I wrote that comment above, ^ I took my own advice, and now I'm having fun writing the Mahlia story again.

*chuckles ruefully* I wouldn't go that far. But yes, quality is something that will be getting some practise next year.

For one thing, I think I have a habit of getting excited about doing something and getting ready to do it, and then not doing it.
Another thing is, I'm not very good at it (in probably every way other than spelling and possibly grammar), which is partly due to me not practicing (see above).
I am the master procrastinator.
I also have the depression issue everyone else seems to subscribe to.
I feel like I can't make good characters, the fractalling thing Sir Emeth posted scares me.
There are sooo many reasons I could list, but I can't think of them all right now (I have to be about to try to write something in order for them to come to mind ).
And I'd say I haven't really figured out how to overcome any (or at least not many) of these things yet.

Running Wolf, reading books on creating good characters(Characters make your Story by Maren Elwood is a good book.) is very helpful(to me at least). I'm sure you'll be able to overcome your obstacles soon!

For me, my obstacles are many because on the computer...
1. It takes a while to get started or I get sidetracked editing what I've already written or trying to instead of trying to finish the first draft of my project.
2. When I do get to working on my draft, I don't get a lot of writing done at a time unless I'm inspired and I know where I'm going with the plot.
3. I take a long time looking for the right music that sets the right mood and once the song is over I have to pause writing for a moment to look for another good song or repeat the same song till my brain is numb. That's why sometimes I don't put on music. I just write.
4. I don't want to spend a lot of time on the computer because when I do I get a headache. And I like the idea of writing the old-fashioned way, with a quill pen and ink.
5. I heard that Jeffrey Overstreet writes by pencil/pen on paper and not on the computer, and then he copies what he writes onto the computer and edits it there. I'd like to do that too, but I don't know where to start.
I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. I've got into the habit of writing at least one page in a journal every day(and I've nearly gone through two whole journals in one year - finishing the second one in less time than I did the first!) so maybe that habit will help me to get more writing done in my book. The journals I write in are part life journal, part inspiration journal, part prayer journal, part notes from church services, and part ideas for my books all in one journal.
I hope that helps(in some way.... lol)!

*loves it when Jonathan digs up awesome old threads from before she joined*

I have lots and lots of obstacles. Some are simple laziness -- not too lazy to write, per se, but too lazy to take the effort to think through plot holes and problems. And when that takes more effort, such as when I'm feeling sick, it's harder still. The main way to overcome something like that though is just to plain force yourself. There's no such thing as writer's block, only bad stories and laziness. Hard work will overcome both.

Then I also have the depression that Jenni mentioned. I get in moods -- sometimes after getting criticized, but sometimes just randomly -- where I see every flaw in my writing and am convinced it's horrible and will never amount to anything. Sometimes this is also directed towards a specific work rather than just generally. The general antidote to this is to pray, remembering that God called you to write this story, and He will equip you to do it. And awesomes in chat raving about your writing doesn't hurt, either. *pokeAndrewandMarkpoke*

There's one I haven't managed to overcome yet, though, and that is fear. I read once a question, "What is your biggest fear in your writing?" and I was able to answer after very little thought -- fear that my mom won't like it. See, my mom and I are very different, we disagree on some minor things and have very different tastes in stories. But I love her so much, and care about what she thinks, so I want her to like it -- and no matter what I write, I always find myself thinking about her reading it and wondering if she would like it. I haven't yet figured out how to get over this, but it's something I need to get past, since I think it does inhibit me.

There's your answer, longer than you wanted, Jonathan.