Why you can't stick with a single novel (and keep starting new ones)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Sticking with a novel idea and finishing your story can be really difficult. Let's talk about how to avoid jumping to new ideas or projects.
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I think the frustration that leads to abandoning projects comes from our own expectation and a fear of being judged by others as a writer, and having the writing itself judged. If writers can step away from this fear and accept that making art, and being judged are separate concepts, it's much easier to push through. I've heard it said that making art of any kind is about struggling against our own limitations of expression.
I don't have this issue. It's just that I got plenty of interesting ideas that I can't focus on one. If I force myself, then the outcome will be bad.
I don't have this issue. It's just that I got plenty of interesting ideas that I can't focus on one. If I force myself, then the outcome will be bad.
@@kytinia1728 Well, everyone is different. Maybe your process is to switch back and forth between them. I'm not saying people should force themselves to work in a way against their process, or make themselves frustrated or stuck. I'm just saying that sometimes we need to be disciplined and committed to keep going and not just give in. For me, my dream of what writing should always feel like isn't realistic. Sometimes it's just hard work. I agree that we can only work at our own pace, and some days are better than others. I wasn't trying to dictate how others work, I was just trying to offer encouragement.
“Polish a couple of scenes to get confidence “ If I hadn’t done that I don’t think I would be motivated enough to go on. It’s such a booster to see you can turn first draft into something you like.
This.
I quickly lose confidence in my draft if I think that it's not as good as I can write. The method I've found that works for me is that I write several new scenes, then go back and polish several earlier scenes (so that I'm more likely to see where it needs improving after a few days away). Rinse and repeat. That gives me the confidence to keep on going. I know that editing as you go doesn't work for everyone and isn't recommended, and I know that I will need to do a proper edit once the draft is finished (there's still places where a full scene rewrite will be needed), but if the alternative is getting too dejected with it and abandoning it entirely, I'd rather have a slower process that gets me there in the end (and the end is now in sight!).
I just did this for my first chapter and it helps so much.
That’s the “clean your room” of authors! 😁 And given that most creatives are high in openness, low in conscientiousness, this is exactly the type of “counter-measure” that our natural chaos usually needs (even if it’s the thing a lot of creatives struggle with the most).
This is also why writers should at least experiment with short stories before trying to swallow the elephant that is a novel.
This was my experience specifically. Just the first two opening pages. I hated it. I thought I had no skill after so many years of not being able to write. But I sat with it and spent a lot of time rewriting and editing. I refused to continue the story without knowing it was as perfect as I could get it. It did wonders for my confidence and its allowed me to write consistently every day 🙏🏾
Constantly starting new projects is like writers block but instead of walking into a wall you are in one of those circular doors that us just going around and around
perfect wag of explaining!
Yes
Basically
I don’t understand people like this. For me I started writing to tell my story, not to show off my writing skills. I want people to hear about this fantasy world I’ve been builing in my head for years, even before I had ever thought of writing. I couldn’t even think about writing a different novel right now. It would take years to come up with a concept as intricate that I’m this passionate about.
For me, I didn't finish my first book until I realized I was a plotter trying pantser methods. I wanted to just write without planning anything, and when I hit a problem my character couldn't figure out I gave up. I was only able to overcome this when I realized the way I work is to plan everything out and fix those big problems before I start drafting. Thanks for this Erin!
same. then I had the problem of not having a proper plan to tackle editing so I have 2 novels that I haven't edited more than once!
I think everybody works like that though. If you don't plot *anything*, you will eventually run into a brick wall. At the same time, there's nothing wrong with pantsing, but it's best to outline the general story and characters.
I really appreciate how you balance being non-judgmental with being honest and practical in your advice! Your reframing and challenging of assumptions (such as the "real writing happens with a glass of wine and a spontaneously filled blank page with excellent prose" illusion) is really helpful for new and aspiring writers to adjust their expectations to be realistic. Thank you!
I would love more about this. I don't write new novels while writing the one, but I would love your take on other things that are common novelist issues. Like "What if your creative spark disappears for a time because life gets in the way."
6:40 "When you change projects quickly, you don't learn the higher level skills" Yes, Yes, Yes. Looking at a lot of writers I know in my critique group and beyond.
"Editing is the best way to improve your writing." yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
One of my rare comments. I love all your videos although I don't write books. The ideas often translate to my hobby of creating synthwave, especially this problem of why we don't complete a piece of work and why. About 50% of my lounge is a recording studio so I have plenty of toys to distract me from finishing a track and I can imagine designing a world and characters in Obsidian, timelines in AeonTimeline, outlines in Scrivener, and yet never getting past page one. 😄
Yes, it'd be great to hear more about procrastination, etc.!
On the topic of this video: I keep about 10 books in my head, switching back and forth between them, and that process goes on for a decade so far. Whenever I sit down to actually start writing any of them I soon feel like it's probably waste of time and one of those other 9 books would be a more relevant project/better representing what I can achieve. Any of them would take a long time to write but genres are different, plots are different, there are not many similarities between them all, so whichever book I choose it feels like I'm choosing just 1/10 of what I can show to people, and thusly my motivation drops correspondingly. What should I do...
I have the same problem and what helped me is making a priority list. I chose my main story to finish first, and then a second one to write when I am tired of the first ( so switch between them). The rest of my stories I put on wait list. If I get an idea for some of them, I write it down but I do not touch the stories ( I am not actively writing them). Remember that the more you write the better at writing you will become. So start with that story that seems to be the most simple one, and build towards the one you love the most. Always remember those simple truths: What you can achieve is not represented by the type of story you chose to finish first. The best you can achieve lies far into the future. The best you can achieve won't ever be book 1 out of 10, but book 9 or 10. What you lack is patience, you want to quickly reach the success, you want to immediately write that one perfect book. But you can't. No matter which of the 10 stories you choose to finish, it won't live up to your expectations. You have to write them all. You have to build up your skills. Genre, plot, ideas - those are just paints on a canvas - but you have to learn to paint like a true master in order to use them well. Picasso didn't paint his most famous paintings on the get go. He grew into the painter we know in time. So make a list, stick to it and have patience and persistence.
@@vicky5al aha! So I shouldn't start with the one I love the most (which coincidentally is the most complicated of them all). Thanks to you I at least know the order of preference now, and that it won't be too much of a crime to work on two books at once.
True, severe lack of patience.
@@fourleggedlys It's hard but it will be worth it at the end. Just don't give up! Good luck with your writing.
I'm that magical person who can intuit through a book and then publish it with minimal edits. BUT! It only works for romance with light adventure and stuff like family drama. Now that I've come up with an idea for a more complex story, I'm buried to my neck in beat sheets and character profiles.
And for me now it requires a lot of self-dicipline to write this when I know I could pick up one of those simple romance plots and execute them in a few months perfectly without any planning. It also doesn't help that the story I'm focusing on now sounds like it might turn out super good, and that puts additional pressure on the quality of my writing and my reasearch. So it's not easy for us, intuits, either, and switching may be dependent on how procrstinatogenic a project is ))
It's amusing/amazing how much of this can be applicable to artists with very little tweaking
Why feel compelled to stick to writing one book? Mark Twain spoke of many unfinished projects "baking on my literary shipyards." He returned to each as inspiration took him.
This video addressed EXACTLY what I’m going through (although I’m 230 pages in). More please! I think a mood board is a great suggestion (already have a playlist). I had to take a break from my novel due to some historical research I wanted to do last winter. Then life happened, then spring then summer…I prefer writing during the winter anyway and intend to get back in the saddle. Fortunately I never got bored with my story.
If you have ideas for other projects always write them down for later! You can start them at any time, no need to feel like you need to tackle a million projects at one time!
I'm definitely in that first camp. I actually struggled the beginning of this month with having an idea I knew I should write out and finish to turn into a comic pitch later, but another idea almost sabatoged my efforts. It took a lot of self control to reign it in and get back on the first idea. Sometimes I think of it as a "new idea fairy" that magically comes in all shiny and new, but eventually it turns into old idea fairy (which is really the same idea but with a body image issue) and boy do you really need to take that new idea out back, otherwise it just makes everything else all the harder
Definitely the best writing advice channel ever
Even when I think I lack a good question, videos addressing my problem(s) always materialize! Thank you. Def looking forward to more lifestyle videos!!
For me it's the constant distractions and changes of routine. I'll find a space of time each day to focus on writing then after a few months something happens to derail my efforts. Then I lose all my threads and find it hard to get the train running again. Then I get another idea and it all starts again.
Great video, thank you.
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@EllenBrock seems like someone is using your name for phone give outs?👆
« But one day you’ll wake up and it will be done. »
Love that phrase!❤
Omg EB! I could Not remember your name to search and had enjoyed your vids some time ago but the homogenized alg waited till NOW to put you back 😮in my feed! Thankye Lawd!! Now for a memory trick: writers block? Ellen Brock! writers block? Ellen Brock!
Love what u do 🌺🌺🌺
Thank you! I'm glad you found me again. I hope you like the new videos!
Its also not bad to have several projects in the works at the same.
My preference is two. I will spend one week working on one then the next switch.
This gives my mind time to rest from one set of characters and setting and plot and take a vacation elsewhere. The back and forth helps with preventing burnout and can help set you into a routine.
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I love this type of video! A lot of it is, in retrospect, obvious, but sometimes you just need to hear it!
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Musicians have exactly the same problem. A lot of songs or just riffs, motives that are not finished.
About suggestions for another video, I would like to see story structure for a book series.
For me, watching craft videos (cause I'm new to publishing), inspired me to get reignited for my 3/4 book series. Lol I had all my 1st drafts done. Editing was getting to become boring. But when I learned MORE I became reinvested
Writing plans for later projects did helped me control my ideas.
Your videos are THE most helpfull advice I've ever been given on writing (even before the Brandon Sanderson lectures). I always feel motivated afterwards and I have actual steps at hand that I can take - espacially because you have some really unusual tips that finally fit my crazy ADHD brain. Actually editing - as in polish to perfection - before finishing? I did edits before, thanks to your writers types videos, but allowing myself to make it perfect to regain interest: game changer.
Thank you SO much!
Ellen's writer type videos have been the most helpful writing videos I have ever come across! Learning I'm a Methodological Pantser was so incredibly helpful in working out my writing method
I have problems with this and procrastinating. I would like to see more videos like these. Love this one.
Agree with what you’ve said. Am still writing my first novel and am slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but man is it tough.
I know for sure I will not want to edit it because there would just be way too much to do and would rather take the lessons learnt and start anew, than spend more time on it. Has almost been two years (and I naively thought I would be done in a year).
Biggest struggle has been finding dedicated time. As this is a hobby and not how I earn money, choosing to spend my evening or lunch break on it I find difficult.
Do love the idea of really polishing a scene or chapter. Think having that go to place that you are so happy with will put one in good stead for the next part.
Going forward I would love to see videos of you taking a scene or chapter etc, and breaking down where it is wrong etc and what you would recommend in order to improve it. Not just with add this or that but more in terms of how you would as an editor want it to change. Something like that I think would be useful 😊
as someone who has struggled their entire life with starting multiple projects but never finishing them, this has been just the advice and needed, so thank you. i have another i was wondering if you'd be interested on giving advice about. i often get caught up on doing research for my stories (especially when it comes to fantasy worldbuilding) that i get completely overwhelmed and feel upset that i'm just not 'knowledgeable' enough. how much research should a writer do beforehand that strikes a good balance and doesn't completely take over the writing process?
Wow, really calling me out right off the bat. The point about if it's same author, then it's the same problems is going to be very important for me to remember. I've worked on like 5 different projects this year (not including a quick swerve into a fanfiction that i DID finish 💅). I know I can finish long projects, so I need to stay focused and figure out a plot that works and nail down character motivation instead of hopping to something else when things get difficult
I feel like I'm repeating myself when I say I like this type of video because I also love all your other ones, but I really like this kind of video! I'm specially interested in tips on how to actually improve my writing!
Thank you for this video! You do a great work through this channel 😊
Editing is where I struggle. I got my book back from my developmental edit 2 weeks ago and have barely touched it. If I set deadlines it seems I rebel. So I'm just going to set times to work on it and not stress on being ready to publish by Christmas.
Thank you for the video Ellen! Also it’s great to see you back and looking well 😊
Great channel and topic! this always happens to me between novels, when I'm not that invested in one thing or another. and it's torture. I start, I hope. I just have too many passions. What helped me a lot was setting dead lines to finish each book, that way its easier to commit to one, because I have an end point as to when I can start on the next.
This comment is more directed to the viewers of this video.
100% agree that becoming a better editor will turn you into a better writer. Your prose might still be missing some pizazz, but your structure and storytelling ability will allow you to spot problems way in advance.
I also have to second figuring out what type of writer you are. I've tried plotting, it doesn't work for me. It leaves me discouraged and makes me not want to write. But when I try to pants my stories, then I end up writing myself into roadblocks and dead ends. Once I figured out that I'm one of those "chaotic methodological" writers I could finally tap into my strengths which gave me the ability to push through some particularly rough narrative spots.
Okay, back to Ellen!
This might be a difficult topic but I'd love any ideas on how to get *faster* at revising. I can bang out a rough draft in 3 months, but once I'm editing I find myself delayed by several years. I can get stuck on a problematic scene for MONTHS before I finally have a breakthrough and hobble my way to the finish.
Lastly, love the new additions to the book shelf! Too blurry for me to read, but I recognize the fonts. Big smile on my face!
A video on revising faster is a great idea! I will think on that for sure. I'm glad you noticed the new books!
I'm convinced there's a connection between red hair and creativity.
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Loved everything about this video - it's the same with non fiction. You need a catalogue :)
I'm at it almost everyday, but it takes a freaking long time. Crickets chirping
Just writing a comment that I would like more of these types of videos :)
Thanks Ellen! Great video. Great advice.
I love these writing lifestyle videos. Def do more! Thank you.
I usually get stuck with story structure and unable to make it all add up despite having a structure to help me. I end up losing interest, start a new project and end up with the same issue
It's good to see a new video again!
Thank you so much for this video Ellen!! Really appreciated the encouragement to keep on sticking with it!
A video on procrastination would be super helpful if that’s something you’d like to do sometime! Thank you :)
As always, the best advice and so encouraging
I love this kind of videos! Please keep making them! (The one about procrastination, for example.)
I found this video incredibly timely and helpful. Thank you so much.
"...5, 10, 15 novels that you've gotten 20-50 pages into..." cries
I started writing a novel more than two years ago. I had dropped it a year and a half ago and just picked it back up. It's definitely a scary task, editing it, cause one, it's not finished, but even bigger is the fact that i started writing it by bouncing between the second half of the story and then to the first and then back. And with over 140 pages and over 40 chapters, it's hard to figure out where everything goes now.
I felt bad for rewriting (completely) the first 1/2 of my novel 13 times until I saw this video. Maybe I made the right choice after all ...
I've gotten better at rotating projects, but when I first started writing at like 16, I had to sit down w myself and go, "Listen, we're not doing this thing where you sit down and refine chapter one over and over and then move onto the next book. You have to finish this before you get to work on anything."
Also, although every book is different, finishing that first book is such a confidence boost!
One thing I think I've learned is that you have to write out your idea while the passion is there - it won't last forever.
Never stop making videos!
I dunno if this helps, but if I have an idea, I write a 2 page story outline with a theme in mind.
I put it away for a few days and look at it with fresh eyes, adding details. The outline is now 5 pages.
I put it away... fresh eyes... more detail... 10 pages. Repeat.
20 pages, 25 pages, 30, pages, 35 pages... at this point everything is figured out. Even the key dialogue, action scenes, and foreshadowing.
Messy plot is what usually blocked me. Well, it's more like "I'm lost and don't know how to proceed". My ideas tend to be based around "what stuff happens", and then when I hit a point where I need to elaborate on the why/motivation, I get stumped because I don't know. When I asked some people in the past, their advice is that my character or the world is not fleshed out enough, and I need to work on it more. Doesn't really help, because nothing clicked, so I end up shelving projects over and over.
Thank you for keep me going ❣️
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Great video!! Loved it! Would love more videos like this. Thanks, Ellen!
I only start another project if an idea pops in my head and won't go away. it gets it out of my head and on can continue on.
I ended up just combining two of them because I needed more fantasy names
This is exactly what I needed, thank you!!
How did you know I was having this problem?? I can't even say how many projects I have started and with every project I begin, I write less and less of a first draft in each one until the point where I have only one scene. I set aside time for myself to write then waste the whole day procrastinating and not writing a single word.
I thought of something that maybe you could go over in another video...Where to begin to fix a novel/draft that's been royally screwed up? I should have trusted my writer type but I went a different way and now my draft is a complete mess and I don't know where to begin to fix it. And when I even think about fixing, I'm already exhausted.
Thank you for your videos!
That's a great idea. Did you see my video "How to Start Editing Your Novel"? It's old, but I go over a good initial technique to get started. I'd love to cover other tips though because I think editing a super messy first draft is a very challenging position to be in.
@@EllenBrock Thank you! I will check it out.
When I was eight, I specifically remember telling myself that I would feel like a failure if I wasn't published by the time I was ten. No joke 😅
I'm 31 now. I'm still not published, but I still want to be. I've definitely given up on enforcing a time constraint though lol
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It's interesting, i had this problem until i wrote not one, but two fan fiction novels (85k and 170k words). I think it was because 1) i had an existing structure to work with and 2) i didnt have the pressure of "is this good enough?" and so i felt freer to make mistakes
I have this issue.
I start working on a novel, I'm excited, I end up pantsing half the novel and then I get to the middle and my novel comes to a screeching halt.
Most of it, is that I get bored, I get tired of the story and/or I am unsure how to handle or what to write the middle without boring my reader.
In addition, whenever I start picking up again I end up reading to see where I am and I end up rewriting the last page or two (really unnecessary edits to be honest) and then I end up maybe adding a sentence or two and giving up.
Hi Ellen! Thanks for the excellent video! You talk about advanced level skills and I had an idea. Could you share a list of all the skills a writer should have explaining each of them and grouping from beginner to advanced? Maybe even describe levels of competence for each as in a RPG game (a silly example: WRITING - description: be able to write - levels 1 star if you know how to write words, 2 stars if you know how to write sentences, 3 for paragraphs...). I don't know if it could be turned into a video, but I think this could help us know what our skills are and in which skills we should focus next. Anyway, thanks again, it's always nice to learn with you 😀(and sorry for my english, I actually write in french, but your wisdom is international!)
Many writers seem to have the boredom thing and I have it in Spades due to my add. Get people to hold you accountable. Motivation is not something you have you do things to get yourself motivated so if you wait to be motivated you will be waiting your whole life. Simple concentration exercises as opposed to mindfulness meditation exercise your prefrontal cortex and develop more focus and stick to its and can be read about how to do online. I prefer candle meditations or you can stare on a DOT at a wall or count. If you have a difficulty with Focus get people to hold you accountable and practice focusing on things such as candle flames, dots, or counting.
Yup I do that. Hopefully I'll finish one eventually
Applying this to making games has really helped so much thank you!! ^^
I would love more motivational videos like this. I specifically struggle with procrastination caused by a fear of failure. In other words, I raise the stakes so high for myself, expecting my work to be perfect and knowing it never can be, that the whole process of writing becomes daunting and less enjoyable, and I end up avoiding it. I'd appreciate any suggestions you have for overcoming that barrier. I always love your unique approach to every topic
I like this tipe of videos. I've recently dicovered that I'm an intuitive pantser so videos about structure tend to be a little overwhelming for me, It would be nice to have more videos about psicology and writing life as you said. I really like your advice about polishing a couple scenes. Thank you for your videos.🧡
Thankyou so much. I thought i was the only one!
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In my own experience: if I don't know how to shape the story in the middle or the end, I simply don't know enough about the characters or the plot. Meaning I have to brainstorm and research more. This usually means taking a paper notebook, sitting in the park or a coffee shop and continuously asking myself the same few questions: why does this character do this? How can I make the character naturally reach this point? Why does this decision feel unnatural for them? Must I tweak the character's personality so that this decision makes more sense? What other possibilities exist? My notebooks are always full of questions which I ask myself and I try to find answers to them.
I never see character or plot development as making stuff up. It's more like an archaeological dig. I'm uncovering something that had a life of its own. Convince yourself that your story is meaningful and fully functional and you will write it in a way to make it happen.
I'd love a video on how to improve my writing!
okay, a couple months later i am *back* to this video, because this time, i got,,, over 53 pages into the project, and i didn't get bored, and it was good, and i loved the challenge it posed, but i still abandoned it? it was almost like,,, i suddenly felt terrible about the project, and then whenever i would try to re-read it, it'd be too high-quality for me to even think about continuing. it's like, i love it, but i hate it, and i can't seem to force myself to work on it. i got great feedback on it, too- someone said they almost cried reading it due to how potent the emotions are- so i just. don't know
i think my issue is imposter syndrome and perfectionism, but that's between me and my therapist
Very helpful, thank you!
My problem is that I can never tell if I'm following a dopamine train or something that I actually want to write, so I get past the outline and discover that I actually don't want to write a story like this.
My issue is that I somehow become enamored with stories that take place in different eras, locations and countries. So I get stuck falling down the rabbit hole of research for countless hours. Every time I write a scene, it becomes apparent that several pieces of information need to be researched to ensure the scene is authentic and accurate to that era or place. (language, clothing, shoes brands, cigarette brands, TV types, furniture type, color schemes, car models, restaurant names, camera names, gas station names, phone numbers, the cost of everything from a phone call, to a drink to dinner.) So I get exhausted because I find myself doing MORE researching than actual writing. So after researching everything I need for a scene and finally getting the info I need, I end up spending hours and finishing a half a page to 2 or 3 pages of actual writing. I feel like a rat running in a wheel!
Love me a good Ellen Brock video
I'd like to see a video about procrastination. I was going to send in a request for this topic a long time ago, but I never got around to sending it.
You're my favorite source of writing knowledge. Thank you so much for your videos! Are you available to hire as an editor?
very helpful indeed, thanks
I don’t understand people like this. For me I started writing to tell my story, not to show off my writing skills. I want people to hear about this fantasy world I’ve been builing in my head for years, even before I had ever thought of writing. I couldn’t even think about writing a different novel right now. It would take years to come up with a concept as intricate that I’m this passionate about.
As a pantser I think switching from one work to another comes natural I may even consider It as an advice, since we tend to create the plot or worldbuilding along the way, there Is a great chance that you can get writers block even when you aré in the mood to write that story, so jump to the other project that you already know bette seems like a doing the right thing. Either way always starting a new idea leads to nowhere
Yeah i'd like more of these, without loosing the other kind of videos that are very usefull
I know all about procrastination, I practice it daily 😂
same 😂
My problem is that I have only one book idea and working hard on that. I sure hope that one turns out well 🤣🤣
Any advice on how to get over the middle hump of writing a novel other than slug it?
I used to have this problem until i started plotting. Now I don't have a problem with the writing. I just keep changing the outline while I plot/write. I feel like it might mess up my whole draft so I'm here waiting for me to figure out what i want in the scenes lol. I know the answer to my problem, I'm just ignoring it for now because I'm frustrated.
I've managed to finish first drafts, but haven't ever polished a draft because I always end up with convoluted plots that don't go anywhere and passive characters. I'm trying to plot out the story more in depth before a first draft. But usually when I start writing, I start to pants and change the story...it's a constant struggle. One of my biggest problem is I keep thinking there must be a better plot point to the one I've come up with. I second guess my decisions a lot. What do you do in the case of second guessing yourself on plot/character decisions?
Listen! Don’t tell me what to do!! 😂😂 I need to watch this video though.
I pants to the first plot point. Then didn’t know where the story went. So, I planned the rest. Now I know… prolly pants a lot from here :)
Great video!!
procrastination. . . Procrastination. And fear of being interrupted.
Because the initial excitement of starting a story is gone, so you jump to a new distraction because that's more exciting than the old idea, which is becoming more work to write. You need to practice discipline and commit to finishing an existing project.
I am very interested in this and everything you said sounds like me
Definitely helps
I have a very unrelated question: I watched your videos on proactive and reactive scenes and they are incredibly helpful. Now I'm wondering how I can not only have a proactive protagonist but also proactive ide characters. Like, do scenes work in which the proaction is actually executed by a side character if used sparingly and in a way that is relevant to the side character's arc? And how would one go about writing such scenes without changing the point of view?
Yes to more lifestyle videos please!😀
Guilty of 90% of the points made and the reasons behind.
I can't say I get frustrated with doing it. That being said having any WIP at the stage before enough structure has formed. Before a fair impression of the basic plot or crucial elements to a scene or chapter are given shape. I find that a slog as I do enjoy the articulate feedback from editors and other competent critics and I don't want to subject them to a half-arsed vague waffle... Proof it's interesting to beyond my own tastes. That it actually lands.
I do a lot of practice exercises not intended to be a published as short stories to figure out how to convey a technique or a concept or test something outside my experience in a vacuum. Seeing if within the scope my ability, if the result is good, fun/captivating or gimmicky and/or self indulgent. Perhaps I spend too much time on them and I probably could have finished two or three manuscripts instead.
I've yet to have a problem with writer's block. Of course that leaves me with an equally proportional heap of editing on the drafts that I write with purpose.
Outside of short story competitions I am in no way deadline driven. Through even if I don't make the long or short list with my submissions it is satisfying to completely finish a story more than once a year.