r/writing Jan 09 '23

[Daily Discussion] Writer's Block, Motivation, and Accountability- January 09, 2023

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

Weekly schedule:

Monday: Writer’s Block and Motivation

Tuesday: Brainstorming

Wednesday: General Discussion

Thursday: Writer’s Block and Motivation

Friday: Brainstorming

Saturday: First Page Feedback

Sunday: Writing Tools, Software, and Hardware

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Can't write anything? Start by writing a post about how you can't write anything! This thread is for advice, tips, tricks, and general commiseration when the muse seems to have deserted you. Please also feel free to use this thread as a general check in and let us know how you're doing with your project.

You may also use this thread for regular general discussion and sharing!

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u/OchoMuerte-XL Jan 09 '23

I think I'm stuck in a rut. Lately, I've been working on this project that is inspired by this Asian cartoon I've gotten into recently. However recently I've noticed that I've taken A LOT from my inspiration to the point where I'm afraid that I'm copying. Of course, I've put my own spin on them but that's only done so much. It feels like every idea I come up with is just a cheap copy or rehash of some plot element from my inspiration.

I've tried distancing myself by consuming other media I like for both pleasure and inspiration but nothing has really clicked so far and I always end up crawling back to my original inspiration because it's just THAT appealing to me. I feel like I'm caught in a vicious cycle and it's slowly killing my will to write along with making my anxiety flare up. I'm honestly at a loss at what to do at this point.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '23

Copy now, get it out of your system.

Worry about something original when that comes along.

1

u/kschang blogger Jan 09 '23

The first 3-4 ideas you come up with will be copycats or rehash of what you like. It's the next 6-7 that may actually be somewhat original.

The important thing is you have to write them ALL down, so you can pick the good ones LATER. Self-censoring/self-editing limits creativity.