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Not OP, but as someone who also sometimes get stuck in my writing as well I thought I'd reply. Personally I use Scrivener for drafting and Vellum for formattin

Not OP, but as someone who also sometimes get stuck in my writing as well I thought I'd reply. Personally I use Scrivener for drafting and Vellum for formatting, but the tools usually don't matter that much for what you are describing. They won't really help with overthinking and getting tied up in phrasing. What helps me a lot when I sense myself getting into that getting-stuck phase where I just overthink everything is doing sprints. They're common in writing communities on Discord, but you can do them on your own as well. Just set a 15 minute timer (or whatever time works best) and write random flow-of-consciousness crap. I was surprised to find that usually the output isn't even as bad as I expect and is very usable (with some heavy editing). Also, remember that the first words you put down aren't really meant to be the final version of the thing you publish: they're just a rough sketch to be shaped later.

atchoo 4y ago
Thanks! I'll try a sprint. I actualy did Morning Pages (flow of conscious execise for writers) for many years just for the psychological benefits. I got blocked on those because I think I just got sick of talking to myself and a novel is a way to get some self expression and joy of writing back without it being so self-reflective. Can you recommend a writing discord?
- drakonka 4y ago
  I'm afraid the couple of writing servers I'm mostly active in are pretty niche and not public, but there are bigger ones that should be good as well. For example, I have heard good things about one called "Bookdun"[0], which is actually focused on writers helping each other to finish their books. They have sprint channels where a sprint bot helps run the sprints, but also other challenges encouraging people to get words written. I have never tried any "writing challenges" aside from sprints though; the other stuff sometimes feels a bit too distracting and gamified for my tastes, so can't speak to those. [0] https://www.bookdun.com/ https://www.bookdun.com/

atchoo 4y ago

Thanks! I'll try a sprint. I actualy did Morning Pages (flow of conscious execise for writers) for many years just for the psychological benefits. I got blocked on those because I think I just got sick of talking to myself and a novel is a way to get some self expression and joy of writing back without it being so self-reflective. Can you recommend a writing discord?

drakonka 4y ago
I'm afraid the couple of writing servers I'm mostly active in are pretty niche and not public, but there are bigger ones that should be good as well. For example, I have heard good things about one called "Bookdun"[0], which is actually focused on writers helping each other to finish their books. They have sprint channels where a sprint bot helps run the sprints, but also other challenges encouraging people to get words written. I have never tried any "writing challenges" aside from sprints though; the other stuff sometimes feels a bit too distracting and gamified for my tastes, so can't speak to those. [0] https://www.bookdun.com/ https://www.bookdun.com/