Have been writing since I was ~10

Just imagine something?
Or is it your prose itself that's shit?

Huh. Thank you, that's very helpful.
I do have a lot of stress lately. But my biggest issue isn't immediately solvable.

Style, definitely. I have so many ideas I don't know where to start. My anxiety is being compounded on especially because I have so many things I want to write.

My biggest problem is that suddenly I've stopped writing prose text, and switched to almost entirely dialog-driven storytelling. I can't figure out why, or how to switch back.

>Write something.
>Go over it.
>Identify what you don't like (and why, if you can).
>Rewrite those parts or scrap them and replace them with something else.
>Repeat this process until you have a level of quality you like.

The hardest part of writing is that sometimes you have to admit that a part you wrote is complete shit or has backed you into a corner you can't get out of. If that's the case you'll just have to start over however far back as is necessary.

Also, try to read works by authors that have prose you like and study that. Try to replicate the style of writing of a wide variaty of authors for a while and it will maybe unclog some of the bad writing you are experiencing right now.

This
Physical degradation (including brain).

Thank you, I'll try this as well. I've got a few ideas from you and some other posts.

reversible, right?

Try writing the entire scene without using any dialogue at all first as an excercise.

Take a break. Can't believe no one has suggested this.

will do.

Oh, that's going to be hard. I just got off a foot surgery, and I've been sitting at home for like, 3 months. I feel like trash already. If I take a break, I'd just stress about how I haven't done anything to warrant a break.

rosemary...

Well, hey, that's probably the problem. You've been recovering from a surgery and feel like trash. No wonder your writing is suffering.

You are probably physically resting while mentally stressing yourself out. I'd advice you to do some mindless task like cleaning, doing the dishes or folding shirts for a while, whatever you can do. Something to take your mind of the stress.

Try writing as relaxation after that.

are you on any meds?

that might kill writing

Yes, thank you. I'll try. That's sound advice too.

That's a good point. I do, and I just dropped a med a couple days ago, because I was having a BAD reaction to it. I've been supplementing the little focus they took away from me with anti-adhd medication-

fuck. I'm doing just about everything wrong.

Maybe I should just wait a week and see.

Don't worry about it, you can't expect to function like things are normal when they are not.

Recover and then write again.

Yes, thank you. I guess that's what I'll do first.

Thank you everyone for replying. It really did help a lot. I really appreciate it.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Sometimes you just need some time to heal, nothing wrong with that.

I write a lot too and feel like I'm getting worse all the time as I'm writing and often scrap entire chapters. But often when I look back a few weeks later I can see that it wasn't half as bad as I imagined it was. I assume this is a pretty universal thing for writers.

Also, the first thing you always see is some spelling error you made, but that's just the way things are.

Thank you. Yeah, I guess that's true too.
It just suddenly hit me all at once, and I guess I kind of panicked.

But this helped, and I feel a lot better.

ROSEMARY

Exercise and vitamin/mineral pills.
Maybe even get some "magic" seeds/roots.
Like hemp (tastes like shit) and dark chocolate, or even legal "nootropics" like Spirulina, Ashwaganda, Resveratrol and Salvia officinalis.
Would also recommend to supplement amino-acids. Not bcaa or necessarily normal protein, but shit like Taurine or D-Aspartic Acid.
Get fatty acids; eat salmon, salmon is great.

Strawberries.
Strawberries are fucking great.

heaven restores you in life

:(

Why can't we just play the other game?

It's interesting how everyone except just accepted the fact that OP actually did become worse at writing and it's not just a matter of perception.

Post an excerpt from a few years ago that you think is decent, and an excerpt you wrote in the last 2 months that you think is "completely retarded."

Your standarda have improved, your ability will follow, just chill and follow the flow

Isolate yourself from the internet and Veeky Forums. Stop masturbating or looking at porn, if you do so. Start keeping a journal, if you don't.
Do a little trip. Either in your car or on public transport, bring a notebook with you, and pen, and go somewhere that you are forced to do nothing but write for a little while. Immerse yourself in the outside world for a little while. Contemplate. Read books instead of Veeky Forums threads.

Definitely eat better, exercise or meditate. Do something luxurious, but not a 'guilty pleasure' thing like overeating or eating junk.

Just stuff that help me when I get in a rut.

I like this pic. Context? Source? Interpretation? Discussion?

You can write through someone else but like here it will be a world-creating spell.

>write something
>decent enough
>continue writing
>get carried away in the story
>planned plot does not occur
>finish
>overarching theme does not exist
>entire purpose of the book is gone
>destroy it
every time.