A total loss of interest in my stories

[HisDivineShadow]

When should I start worrying? Should a loss of interest in my stories lasting a week or more concern me? Right now, I even forget about my characters and my book. The very thought that I should at least open the file, reread it, and write something makes me feel resistance and even aversion. Seventy percent of the story is written. How do you deal with this?

 

[Siegburn]

I feel the same way you do. I don't know what it's called, but there's a name for it. It happens when your body feels unmotivated, due to external concerns such as money. Everyone goes through this phase of wanting to “throw everything away, close their eyes, and stop thinking about anything.” It's a stage like adolescence when you were either emo or stupid. It heals with time, but you don't know when that will be. I'm just saying that you should have your fandom and talk to them about the work to see if you can motivate yourself to change aspects of it and see if that motivates you to write.

Good luck, bro.

 

[SirContro]

TL;DR

Eh, guess the joke was in poor taste.

 

[Ani_nerowriter]

Usually for me when I try to write on a regular schedule, I end up sometimes leaving my story behind, especially during holidays.

I feel like for me the main case is procrastination for motivation. But for you, it could be burnt-out or a case of exhaustion when writing the story. It's a guess of mine but it can result in a loss of interest towards certain things.

 

[HisDivineShadow]

I’ve been writing every day since the end of March, and it always felt exciting, I was always curious about my story. But now… I just feel nothing. No spark, no interest, no energy to engage with it. I think I really burned out.

 

[Kara_dija]

I dropped my story for half a year or so because just the thought of it filled my bones with irritation. Heck I'd be pissed when someone would even bring up the topic in front of me.
But safe to say that I completed it last week. As long as you aren't backing away from any commitments, chill out. It's not a matter of life or death ?

I think I really burned out

That's highly plausible. I worked on mine without taking any break, even during class I'd be busy with my notebook and writing a scene, or drafting smth. Not a day passed by when I didn't do something to actively contribute to the progress of it. Until i just... couldn't.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

I feel the same way you do. I don't know what it's called, but there's a name for it. It happens when your body feels unmotivated, due to external concerns such as money. Everyone goes through this phase of wanting to “throw everything away, close their eyes, and stop thinking about anything.” It's a stage like adolescence when you were either emo or stupid. It heals with time, but you don't know when that will be. I'm just saying that you should have your fandom and talk to them about the work to see if you can motivate yourself to change aspects of it and see if that motivates you to write.

Good luck, bro.

I call it matrescence, and I'm still trying to figure out when it will heal.

 

[lambenttyto]

When should I start worrying? Should a loss of interest in my stories lasting a week or more concern me? Right now, I even forget about my characters and my book. The very thought that I should at least open the file, reread it, and write something makes me feel resistance and even aversion. Seventy percent of the story is written. How do you deal with this?

I tend to lose interest if I take a break. It's hard for me to get going on writing, but once I'm going I'm an unstoppable train. But stopping and getting started again on a project is even harder.

 

[DireBadger]

write a new story.

Maybe you will be more interested when you get back.
I know I had a stroke and forgot ALL my stories. Now I am so excited that I can't figure out which one to work on!

 

[Eldoria]

You might be experiencing burnout, physical and mental exhaustion. My advice: take a vacation. Enjoy your free time and don't think about your novel or work. Getting some fresh air might help restore your mental health. Everyone experiences this; it's part of life, right?

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Take a break. Sounds like stress and burnout.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

write a new story.

Maybe you will be more interested when you get back.
I know I had a stroke and forgot ALL my stories. Now I am so excited that I can't figure out which one to work on!

Note that having a stroke is a bit extreme, especially for beginners, and is not recommended... The rest of this is but not that part!

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Take a break. Sounds like stress and burnout.

Yeah, you’re right. I haven’t opened the chapter files for two weeks now. I don’t even feel like rereading them.

write a new story.

Maybe you will be more interested when you get back.
I know I had a stroke and forgot ALL my stories. Now I am so excited that I can't figure out which one to work on!

There’s just one arc left, about 30–40k words. I don’t want to abandon it, because I’m not sure I’d ever return.
It feels like I’m in a trap

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Yeah, you’re right. I haven’t opened the chapter files for two weeks now. I don’t even feel like rereading them.

There’s just one arc left, about 30–40k words. I don’t want to abandon it, because I’m not sure I’d ever return.
It feels like I’m in a trap

Maybe try taking a break to work on editing the first arc. Maybe try to publish it before going back to writing the rest of the story?

 

[DireBadger]

I take it your work isn't here? because I have only seen a couple of (currently) short stories.

 

[HisDivineShadow]

Maybe try taking a break to work on editing the first arc. Maybe try to publish it before going back to writing the rest of the story?

I like the idea. Actually I’ve already tried it, but it didn’t really work. Today I want to force myself and get into the flow.

I take it your work isn't here? because I have only seen a couple of (currently) short stories.

Yes, I have two crafts. They’re in progress. I just stopped publishing for now. I wanna finish them first

 

[Alfir]

It happens. Getting excited about your own story is important because it is what essentially motivates you half of the time if not the readers. When it happened to me, it felt like hell, I committed more fumbles, I felt like I was clocking in for a job I didn't want. If you are writing to earn money, I suggest having a secondary or tertiary project where you have the least commitment and feel comfortable abandoning when you feel like you have that spark of excitement again for your main project. I don't recommend taking a break in the middle of the story, because it could suffer the quality of the story or your readership in general. Do it after the end of an arc or the end of a book. Of course, if you really can't take it anymore and see your writing is suffering that badly, inform the readers and tell them you'd be back. I don't suggest leaving them with a bad chapter though, where they literall have to tell you how it sucked and doesn't make sense. This happened to me, and its bad.
Edit: Even if you are not writing and profiting, I still suggest taking a secondary or tertiary project, because that usually takes the edge off. That was the case for me. Heck, I wrote a worldhopping novel when I was on my burnt out phase and got tiered of my main project. I eventually got back in the groove after finishing the Book 1.

 

[OniKaniki]

i think your taste was just change. Read your book again from the beginning, or found other book that you found interesting that you couldn't resist to write again

 

[Cookiez_N_Potionz]

Relatable

 

[AnEmberOfSundown]

Sometimes I'll take a break by writing a slice-of-life scene with the characters. Something non-canon or just doesn't fit into the plot but most importantly fun and easy, hopefully funny too.

It helps sometimes. At worst it usually gives me new plot ideas or minor gags to add in later.