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So I write and I can get through the first chapter, but after breaking for the night or something, I can't get back into the story. Any tips on how to overcome this? It feels almost as if I have lost motivation for writing the story but still have a passion for it.
I will gently place my hands on the sides of your face, lean really close, and say, quite loudly, "OUTLINE."
Okay, seriously, apologies to all you pantsers out there, but outlining will save your life when it comes to making story progress and pushing past the initial flare of inspiration. Also all pantsers should be held with the highest suspicion and may be liars. Or wizards. They are probably wizards.
Anyway, it is very normal to start strong and then hit a wall regardless of how much you want to do something, especially just starting out. Finding other ways to keep going regardless is how to keep feeding that urge. Some general tips:
Outline! Know how the next chapter goes? Get it down any way possible, as detailed or as minimal as you want. Whatever keeps the story going.
Worldbuild/Character Built. If you can't go straight, go sideways, filling out the details you'll use later.
Inspiration Hunt. Make that playlist, create that image board. You want to recapture that spark, and it's going to be in the stuff you surround yourself with.
Figure out what works for you. This might take a little bit more time, but when do you write best? Where? How can you replicate the situations that make you write best?
Sometimes you begin a project too soon, and it sputters right out of the gate. This is also very common, and it doesn't mean you're a bad writer, it means you need to shove that idea back to that dark corner of your brain where it can grow like a fungus. My current work in progress is based on a novel concept I had TWENTY YEARS AGO, so trust me - your ideas won't die, they just might take some time to get where they're going.
This is also hard, because you want to be working on something, and not writing is frustrating. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take those old first chapters and go through them, and see which ones have roots and which need more time to grow. Some people work great picking at several projects at once. Some people have to pick one project and stick to it, and you have to figure out whatever works for you.
So, in sum:
Sometimes the best way to write a story is to do everything but writing the actual story
Sometimes ideas need to percolate a bit longer and it's okay to give them time to grow
All pantsers are evil wizards that are not to be trusted