I’m in a similar position. Though it’s trying to continue current projects.

One thing I’m trying is ‘media saturation’ where I’m trying to read as much as I can, watch movies, listen to music in order to induce ideas and almost a sensory overload that makes me have to write before I burst.

It’s worked quite well before.

I got over my insanely crippling nine month writetrs block by setting out a time each week where I’d write for half an hour, and not judge whatever I wrote. When the writing time finished, I left it and wasn’t allowed to write fiction at all until the allocated time.

I am in no way near tackling a large extended piece, as that experiment proved (over 3 months I wrote 21,000 words of pure shite). But now I work on any number of fiction pieces at least once a week, and I have it as an established creative practice.

but that’s just me. Sometimes you’re not in writing mode, you’re absorbing/observing and perhaps you’re doing that. A lot of witing is done while processing things and not physically writing at all.

I’ve got almost the same thing happening to me at the moment. I’ve left my job recently, and haven’t yet started the study I left it for, so I’ve got all this time. And all these ideas and half-started projects. I can’t decide what to start first, so I’m just doing nothing. Stupid.

I think I’m going to write everything on little bits of paper and pull one out of a hat, and just go with that, at least to start with. Maybe you could try that? If whatever you pick isn’t quite right, I’m sure that will become obvious with a little time.

I’m in a similar place as you are, and I don’t have any easy answers :/ I have an almost finished draft of a novel sitting there, a brilliant workshopping group, and a good idea of what I need to do to finish it.

But can I actually just sit down and write the words…?

Blah!

I’m still trying to work out what the process is going to be to get over that. I’ve been doing morning pages for the past few weeks, which has only helped me resolve some personal stuff and done nothing for my fiction :/ I suspect the next step, is to institute some sort of structured writing goals. Currenty, I’m thinking 1000 words / day, every day, but with enough flexibility that I can achieve that goal however I want. Might work, might not, but no harm in trying.

when i’m stuck, i sit back and think about why i want to write, rather than something else.

if i have a good enough answer (i’ve never not), i write.

failing that, i find a G&T sometimes gets the (rubbish) words out.

If your confidence needs the boost first, maybe start on one of the essays. just choose randomly shich, or perhaps the one that most appeals at the actual moment you’ve set aside to start work.

AS for the large project, same again. Decide on a starting point and just start. So what if it turns out to be a bad place to start, you’ll work that out soon enough and find the right direction.

Mostly though, have fun

get the thoughts down so you can organise them later and let yourself do nothing until those temporal pieces decide to rain down. i find that when i’m juggling things that require attention from different parts of my brain, there’s a courtesy period i need to give so that things can right themselves next to each other and then i feel like i can commit to them fully. like standing on a rowboat that lists suddenly and you take a moment to find your feet. if you’re settled into your new job, then it can’t be too far off.

I agree with Paul. A goal on word quantity at least gets you writing until a certain point. The shaping can come later…time goals work for me, but not everyone. Pick your best time (morning? Late night?)and stick with it. Good luck. P.S You are definitely smart enough; show that inner critic who’s boss!

I agree with Candace’s suggestion: It may be a matter of setting aside a little bit of mandatory time each day to either start writing, or at least begin mapping out your ideas.

I try and do that, and it usually kicks off with me downloading one of them groovy time management apps on my laptop (like Klok) so I can plan out my day.

When it feels like multiple projects are getting too much to bear, seeing it all laid out in a somewhat organised format can sometimes help.

You’ve said you don’t know whether you’re even a good enough writer, but before that, you’ve said that this idea has been niggling at you for some time…maybe because you know, on some deeper level, that you can do it, and do it well?

Now, being in a similar position (except that I’m lacking significantly in talent), I’m going to take some of the advice of the good comment-makers above me. ^_^

Hi Lisa — I think the key word is ‘circling’ — it’s as if the thoughts are looking for a place to land. When they do, or the ones that you favour do, then you’ll be ready.

This sounds exactly like me two years ago (only I’m not a writer).

The shop started off as an idea that was never going to happen then after a while the idea continued to circle around my mind, grew too big to ignore and then started taunting me.

In my current state of I’m-so-stressed-out-all-the-time-my-head-might-explode, I’m probably not the kind of person that should be giving out any kind of advice. However, I think we owe it to great ideas to at least try them on.

I think you should talk about your idea’s and how you think you could bring them to life with anyone who will listen.
You’ll soon know if your idea needs you.

It’s good to have a few projects so you can shift between the ‘stuckness’. Starting on the most urgent means you’ll move it along and then when you hit a deadend – back up and do something else. Right now my sore back is killing my time at the machine so I’m going out taking some photos for an iPhone app I’m working on or listening to an interview.
Stuckness is the worst, but sometimes it’s just about finding what you want to be doing. If you’re REALLY stuck on something then maybe you don’t want to be doing it.

baby steps – words on a page, write one sentence, then another, have a cup of tea, gaze out the window, write a few more words and feel a sense of achievement when you see the page isn’t blank any more – start again tomorrow with some words under your belt

sometimes you have to look at the trees rather than the forest

Bum on seat, hands on keyboard! Write girl write!

PS: have you read Stella Duffy’s blog? You might like this post http://stelladuffy.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/writing-and-discipline-kill-the-muse/

Just pick one bit that you can do now – and do it! And then pick the next bit. And the next bit. One day you’ll have all the bits done, and you’ll have done it! Respect!

BTW, it’s pretty normal to be quite still when you’re in the eye of the whirlwind of a new, big and shiny job.

Be kind to yourself, girly!

A bit of stillness never hurt anyone.

Think your way through the problems if you don’t have time to write. And when the whirlwind has passed your problems will be solved and you can WRITE, WRITE, WRITE.

I’ve just found your blog and love it.

One thing I’ve found is when writer’s block hits, I’ll start writing something I’m not really invested in – something silly just for me. Once I start writing other ideas interrupt. This also happens when I write more seriously which can get annoying as the new shiny story is always more attractive when I hit a snag in the current work.

To combat this, I keep a separate journal for these idea flashes. When i find myself in a position of “What to write next?” I refer back, and anything that isn’t outright insane or dumb, gets its turn.

Blogging helps too, so as your recent posts mention uncertainty as to whether to keep blogging, I’d recommend keeping it. Writing is writing after all, even if it a moan, a recipe or sharing a snippet of conversation on the tram in a blog.