A sanctuary for weary writers, inky wretches, and aspiring professional novelists. |
I'd probably end up doing the same thing, writing flash just to write something. The thing is, I'm constantly thinking about writing, or daydreaming, or reading. So, I tend to write every day anyway because I have so many stories on the backburner, but with no set limit. If you set a limit, you'll head into a rut just like you did. I write lines, quips, dialogue, notes of description, anything that'll help any one of my stories along, or just anything that seems creative enough to keep. From five words to three paragraphs, summaries of plotlines, or even character sketches that I know I need to work on. Sometimes I've spent hours just finding the right name, and that's more than enough work to count if any thought goes behind it. If I worry about a story for too long, even over a week straight, I'll lose ideas and feel strained. If, however, I keep everything on the backburner, I can add to each whenever I want, for however long I want. And when those ideas die, usually another story pops up again that I can work on, and on it goes. I say... take a break. Keep your stories in the back of your mind, and keep your senses open for any information or description you can add. You might not be pumping out chapter after chapter, or short stories gallore, or even tons of poems. But at least you're working on something worthwhile, and the quality will be good instead of rushed. |