Why am I broken?!

I have no idea what is going on with me. I'm 20 years old and I want to be a writer, however I can barely get myself to do anything anymore. I'm going to college (economics alike) and although it is very boring i never find myself working hardly on it.

I can't seem to get motivated. I get motivated when I see works of others and think, hey i can be an artist too. Perhaps try to create music or finish a story but I really feel... like I'm all over the place. No organization, no order whatsoever. Has anyone felt this way? I just...feel useless basically. What can I do to PUSH MYSELF, i feel extremely lazy every day.

I mean I do what I'm asked to do and I'll help anyone but when it comes to my own goals i sort of want to reach them really badly but i cant seem to get on the path. I have started writing once or twice and when I really get into it I can write write write, my creativity is powerful but I have a really big problem of STARTING to use it. Can anyone help me?

I have a problem finishing things, I think I get easily distrcated, liek for instance....

* Wanders off to eat a biscuit *

Ooops, sorry - see what I mean!

But seriously I do have a bunch of half complete stories myself.

How about working with someone else on a project? I know I don't like letting others down so I'm more likely to finish something up if thats the case.

PM me if you want to chat some more.

Good luck!

Edward W said:

I have a problem finishing things, I think I get easily distrcated, liek for instance....

* Wanders off to eat a biscuit *

Ooops, sorry - see what I mean!

But seriously I do have a bunch of half complete stories myself.

How about working with someone else on a project? I know I don't like letting others down so I'm more likely to finish something up if thats the case.

PM me if you want to chat some more.

Good luck!

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That's quite a good method actually. my problem is i hardly have a fixed point of writing. I just write random stories and intend on putting them in one big piece but it definitely is an idea..hmm... hope that biscuit was tasty XD

Revanchist said:

That's quite a good method actually. my problem is i hardly have a fixed point of writing. I just write random stories and intend on putting them in one big piece but it definitely is an idea..hmm... hope that biscuit was tasty XD

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Yes it was thank you!

Well why not consider creating a book of short stories then?

I have. A couple in fact. One was loosely based on a series of sci-fi stories and included a couple of stories from other people. I was very pleased when I realised that with a couple of very minor tweaks I could actually link some of them together, but that was totoally random and unplanned.

A writer, how cool

What sort of things do you write? I don't know where you live but in some cities hey have writing groups where a bunch of people meet up in a cafe or whatever and write for a few hours - they work on their own things in silence, but I think the idea is it helps of concentrate on your stuff, and you get to socialise with fellow writers afterwards. Maybe something like that would give useful?

Edward W said:

Yes it was thank you!

Well why not consider creating a book of short stories then?

I have. A couple in fact. One was loosely based on a series of sci-fi stories and included a couple of stories from other people. I was very pleased when I realised that with a couple of very minor tweaks I could actually link some of them together, but that was totoally random and unplanned.

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Hmm i suppose in my case it will be somewhat planned. I have to motivate myself first. I really need to stop playing games etc. They kill most of my time while i think they're good for me to relax they just piss me off XD mainly cause of idiot online people.

I also like the sci-fi genre I don't really talk to many other writers, mainly due to my random schedule and cause ....well i don't know exactly why , i never really met any friendly people who happen to be writers XD up until now at least.

Writing is work.

There's your answer. Treat it like a 9-5 daily office job, and you'll be in the right frame of mind to get some things accomplished.

I have always wanted to be a writer. I almost got into the course for it. Well then 9 years passed and I don't think I have it in me anymore. I hope you don't give up - it's a wonderful thing to be able to write, and well too. Good luck.

ladyforsaken said:

I have always wanted to be a writer. I almost got into the course for it. Well then 9 years passed and I don't think I have it in me anymore. I hope you don't give up - it's a wonderful thing to be able to write, and well too. Good luck.

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Well I mean if you still want it somewhat i'm sure you can accomplish it. I will do my best to do so Thank you. Also interesting name Banshee queen

Revanchist said:

I have no idea what is going on with me. I'm 20 years old and I want to be a writer, however I can barely get myself to do anything anymore. I'm going to college (economics alike) and although it is very boring i never find myself working hardly on it.

I can't seem to get motivated. I get motivated when I see works of others and think, hey i can be an artist too. Perhaps try to create music or finish a story but I really feel... like I'm all over the place. No organization, no order whatsoever. Has anyone felt this way? I just...feel useless basically. What can I do to PUSH MYSELF, i feel extremely lazy every day.

I mean I do what I'm asked to do and I'll help anyone but when it comes to my own goals i sort of want to reach them really badly but i cant seem to get on the path. I have started writing once or twice and when I really get into it I can write write write, my creativity is powerful but I have a really big problem of STARTING to use it. Can anyone help me?

Click to expand...

Your problem sounds almost identical to mine. I have this big idea that I've been wanting to do for years and years now....I want to make my own sci fi universe. Heroes, villains, aliens, creatures, ships, technology, planets, cultures, magic powers, history....but I can never seem to put the pen to the paper. Or the fingers to the keyboard. But you get what I mean. One of my reasons is I feel I need to read more, I need to get more influences. Creativity is a remix of past influences mixed together in a new way, so sometimes I feel I need more influences before I can begin. Idk if I will though, because that's going to take more time and I'm tired of waiting.

I've heard that one thing that helps people get in a state of clear mind and ready to work is to clean their workspace - organize your desk, your materials, even your Favorites on your computer. Also, clean your mind - maybe try meditating for about 15 minutes or so, just sit there and breathe, let your mind go empty - then when you're done, you'll be ready to get to work. Meditation also helps you focus so that you will be more resistant to distractions, and when the temptation comes up, just remember that you really do want to be a writer, more than you want to play that game or watch that YouTube video. Gotta remember that desire that inspired you to begin with.

Bad Jedi Dude is also right, any artist who wants to really get good does have to treat their craft like a job and just put in the time. I prefer to say treat it like a sport - you have to practice, you have to learn good form, and even though the practice might not be all that much fun, it'll pay off when it's game time.

Btw Revanchist, I like your name. Are you by chance a follower of Darth Revan? haha. Happy writing.

Depends on how badly you want it. If this is definitely your CAREER and what you want to do in life then it should not be difficult to treat it like an actual job.

But I think treating it like a 9-5 is easier said than done. Because the fact is that it's not an actual 9-5 and there are no consequences to not writing. Not monetary or professionally at least. Unless you're already an established author.

I have the same problem. I don't try to force it because the forced stuff is like crap anyway. I just let it happen. When the motivation comes, I get what I can out of it. A lot of stories have simply come together over time. No rush, no stress, no forcing it. Heck, let those ideas stew. Let em flesh themselves out in your head and then the time you spend transferring it to paper will be more productive and valuable.

That reminds me - don't worry about writing crap. You will, I will, we all will. We'll write a lot of it, we have to write it out of our system before the good stuff happens. My friend, who has been writing poetry and stories for a long time, told me that the amount of stuff he'd written that he considered junk could fill an entire file cabinet. Don't let the crap you write get you to think that you aren't really a writer. The good stuff will come if you stay with it, it just takes time.

TheSkaFish said:

That reminds me - don't worry about writing crap. You will, I will, we all will. We'll write a lot of it, we have to write it out of our system before the good stuff happens. My friend, who has been writing poetry and stories for a long time, told me that the amount of stuff he'd written that he considered junk could fill an entire file cabinet. Don't let the crap you write get you to think that you aren't really a writer. The good stuff will come if you stay with it, it just takes time.

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I think this applies to everything. people stop trying because they think they can't do it. Like many artists i noticed write half a song and repeat it because they think they're unable to write complex lyrics. But in fact you don't have to be a famous pop star to create a long song etc.

Same with writing, I think everyone has the potential to do it if they're interested in it however people stop themselves because they think " I'm not nearly as famous as the writers of great works so I can't do it" .

You seem to be a creative person who's studying boring ass economics. That may be your problem. Don't get me wrong, having knowledge of economics is great if you study the right kind (the Austrian school, not that Keynesian economics crap), but if it doesn't get you motivated, find something that does motivate you. Continue to read and write a lot, and there's a good chance you'll become a successful author.

I believe you always need a reason as to why you want to do what you want to do, which is writing, in your case.

If, for example, i'd want to be a writer, and the reason for me to be a writer was that i wanted to be loved by other people, chances are that i will fail. The moment i'd start writing, all sorts of epic scenarios of superior apocalypse of my person will appear. In other words, i'd get extremely insecure, and stop doing it.

If, on the other hand, my goal was to write in order to help poor children in a random country learn to read, because i was genuinely passionate about that, then i'm much more likely to succeed.

Of course there are alot of other factors, how driven you are in the first place, how passionate you are towards your goal, for example.

As an example, you say you get motivated when you see works of others. What is it that motivates you when you see others' works specifically?