This is a bit off topic, but what do you do when you can’t bring yourself to write or finish a fic? Or if you write something you think is bad, how do you convince yourself it’s okay?
That’s a good question! I’ll do my best to answer it!
I have in the past written a decent amount words for a prompt and just…decided I didn’t like the way it was going. It wasn’t that the writing is bad but the plot just wasn’t what I wanted to write at that time. Either it was going a direction I couldn’t see myself continuing on or my current emotions (usually anger or sadness) were coming out too strongly in the work and I wasn’t happy doing that to my characters. Depending on how much there was I either keep it in a separate document to maybe come back to or just deleted it and started over.
Sometimes you have writer’s block and it’s a struggle, especially if you have wip’s that you WANT to write but just…can’t. Times like that I have just opened a blank sheet and word vomited short drabbles. No editing, no re-reading just putting words on a page to get the creative juices flowing again. Sometimes I will go back to those random pages a few days later, fix them up and post it as a drabble, other times they just get scrapped.
Your work is always good, that’s really important to tell yourself. When you read a lot of other writers material you can sometimes feel like what you’ve written isn’t up to standard, but remember that the only standard you have to work against is your own! If you’re reading over your writing and aren’t happy, ask yourself why? Is it the plot that isn’t making sense, are your characters not interacting the way they should, is the pacing or setting affecting what you wanted the story to be like? Your writing isn’t bad, it might just be out of place for the story you’re working on at that moment.
I’m not the best example for good writing techniques. I crank out 12k words in a day and then don’t write for two weeks because my head isn’t in it. Everyone is different, and it’s important to find the method of writing that is right for you. If you think it would help, ask someone to read the section you’re not happy with or where you’ve gotten stuck! Sometimes having an outside opinion is great to help you redirect the story, or just a compliment can brighten your mindset and make you want to write again!
I’m always here to help any way I can! I love interacting with other fantastic writers in the community! Hopefully this helped you somewhat, or at least showed you that everyone goes through the same struggles! Your writing is good, don’t let a momentary block convince you otherwise!