by Mayy Feras

Created on: January 09, 2009

Writing is a tricky, long process. The most important mistake that many writers make when their pens (or keyboards) decide to stop writing is to abandon the project.

Losing motivation is one thing, but giving up is another. Giving up means surrendering to the inner temptation to leave off what you should continue.

No matter how hard every writer tries to make a piece seem as good to others as it seems to themselves, you can always find at least one person who will dislike it, and find the harshest way to critique it. However, a harsh critic may not always be bad news. Sometimes the best help comes in the harshest of forms.

Patricia T. O'Connor once said: "All writing begins as a first draft, and first drafts are never any good. They're not supposed to be."

When your inner writing gears decide to stop turning, there are various places you can look to for inspiration. For instance, browsing through various types of photography can trigger something in the back of your brain and create a whole new tale. Looking deeper into things, such as the way the dog runs or the sunset behind the trees can instantly become the perfect foundation for a new chapter in a story.

Some people say that when all inspiration is lost, you should read some thing inspiring by someone else. I strongly disagree with this, because you might find yourself copying their ideas, not only putting yourself besides plagiarism, but lessing your works chances of being unique.

For some, all it takes is a breath of fresh air or a light snack to refresh the story-telling parts of the brains.

Some say to read over all that you have written so far and mentally create a sequence of events to follow after it. Others strongly disagree with this, saying that it kills all of the potential creativity that could have existed.

If you're writing a piece of fiction that relates to realistic events, you can always take the time to do a bit of research until the gears begin to turn again. If your fiction is completely unrealistic, you can continue to plan more "supernatural" events and add twists to the stoyline. Very few authors stick to the plotted storyline as they write.

Sometimes it helps to start a completely different story, with an entirely different plot than then one that's got you stuck. If you get stuck on the new one, it's time to return to the old. Chances are, you'll have something good to write.

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