fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2366 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2366 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 059 secrets from Secret Submission Post #337.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If it's possible, seek the help of a therapist or a psychologist.

In the meantime, try to establish boundaries. If you get ideas but can't write them right then and there, write them down and promise not think more about them once they're written. Establish hours or activities when it's not allowed to let your mind wander to fic at all (when watching movies, at work, etc.). Cut that thought down as it starts. Don't listen to the "but I will forget about this idea!" nagging feeling. If it's a really cool idea, it'll come back to you at an appropriate time. Your mind will learn.

It'll be difficult, but it's you in charge, not the fic.

Honest question: why do you think this calls for therapy?

DA but, I'm guessing they mean "if it's interfering with your life and going beyond a hobby and into obsessive thinking patterns." That is, I was guessing the previous commentor has dealt with OCD-type thinking before.

Whether the OP is at that level of "I can't stop writing!" or just being cute about it, we don't really know. (I see this a lot in the knitting forums, people being all "Tee hee! I can't stop buying yarn! My husband is going to kill me!" And then people post domestic violence hotline numbers, because if your husband is going to kill you over some yarn, you should probably get out. And then comes the snipping about hyperbolic language.)

I'm to the point of losing sleep over it because I stay up until 3 or 4 am writing, so I don't know where that falls on the lines of being obsessed or not but it IS interfering with my daily life.

DA

Yeah, that sounds pretty obsessive and...well. Yeah. Therapy might not be a bad option if you want help. Otherwise, the rest of the OC's suggestions are also pretty good - particularly setting boundaries for when and how long you'll write.

Coming from a bipolar (and I know not everyone's bipolar disorder manifests like mine), honestly at that point it sounds a lot like mania, especially the losing sleep part. Do you feel like you don't really miss the lost sleep? Increased energy and whatnot?

And sorry for the sort of inappropriate icon, it just defaults to that when I log in with a post.

Oh and I forgot to add -- if so, that might not necessarily be a totally bad thing if you can sort of reign it in a bit (get more sleep, for starters). I think about creative ideas all the time at work (worse, I can't stop the ideas from dominating my thoughts) and I find keeping a pad of paper or post-its or something on my desk where I can jot stuff down between calls or whatever helps me get that stuff out of my head so I don't have to think about it anymore. If you are able to do something like that it would help a lot.

Mania/obsessive thoughts/whatever it is you're experiencing can be a good thing as long as you can keep it somewhat under control to where you're not losing total control of your life in the process.

hmm I hadn't considered mania, but that might be it, actually. I'm a moody person (I tend to go through periods of depression a couple times a year), so it's possible this is just an upswing. I have been GIDDILY energetic recently at certain points of the day, too. HMMMM thank you for bringing this up, the writing might be a symptom and not the problem at all!

Seconding the "I'm bipolar and this sounds like that" thing. When I'm really into a fandom and have a manic swing it's fic over here, gifs over there, and a dashboard full of feels.

I hope if it does turn out that you have some sort of mental health problem, you're able to get help but still keep some of your enthusiasm for the right time to use it. :)

Having read this after my initial reaction: I can definitely see how that would be an issue. I'm not sure that you're at the level of needing therapy; however, some of the above anon's suggestions are very good.

You will probably have to set limits and force yourself to adhere to them. I won't pretend that this is easy; it's not. But the act of codifying said limits can itself be a big help. Identify distractions, and cling to them. Spend your time before bed purposefully clearing your mind of thoughts/ideas, as much as it might hurt. And remind yourself that there'll always be sufficient time...later.

You've tapped into an amazing wellspring of inspiration and it can truly be a boon. You might do your best work in this state. And if you can find that balance between the act of creation and the act of living life, then you'll be in a truly beautiful place, indeed. But, either way, know this: you're probably meant to do this. You've got a passion, and that's awesome and wonderful, because not everyone does.

Meh, I wouldn't let an internet-stranger diagnose you with mania. Staying up until three or four because something excites you doesn't necessarily mean anything. Bipolar disorder is drastically different than sometimes being moody and sometimes being giddy. But what is true is a lot of people get creative impulses at different times during the day, a lot of the time, folks doing something creative that requires focus(writing, drawing, building a website, etc) get into the habit of staying up late because nighttime is quiet. At two or three or four in the morning, you're less likely to be interrupted by parents or housemates, you probably don't have to be at work or at class, etc.

And thinking about what you're writing all the time? Not really a symptom. Stephen King talks about that in his book On Writing. He refers to it as his "guys in the basement." As in, he writes every day, and when he gets into the habit of working on his story every day, even while he's not writing, his "guys in the basement" are still piecing things together and coming up with new ideas for the project.

Writing a story is a little like solving a puzzle--you have to figure out the beginning, the end, where all the pieces fit and what the best way to fit them together is. And the human mind loves solving puzzles.

(reply from suspended user)

DA

Well, the OP's word choice makes it seem like an obsessive behavior which can be bad enough to need help to get over, particularly since it doesn't seem like the OP is exactly overjoyed by it - but that's just my take on it, and I do think suggesting therapy was a little much.

Like the other anon correctly guessed, I have struggled with the obsessive thoughts variant of OCD in the past, and the secret sounded a lot like what I went through.

I would have liked talking to a therapist or a psychologist instead of figuring out how to deal with in on my own, but didn't because of fear, money, etc.

^This.
I've gone through a few manic/obsessive writing phases. They usually pass before any damage is done, and the writing practice is AWESOME, but yeah. Limits are very important if you're going to get constructive use out of such phases, especially if you're already prone to OCD behavior.

And as someone who has at least five major writing projects going, inspiration for different projects comes and goes. Don't fight it, you'll just aggravate yourself. I've had one story on the back burner for over ten years now, and honestly I am so grateful for that because I've matured enough in that time that I can turn the story into something way more awesome than my teenage self came up with.

[ SECRET POST #2366 ]

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