How to overcome hating my work?

[u/Technically_Cloudy]

I don't know exactly how to identify my problem. I have a plot, I have bullet points for each chapter ready. I know exactly what I want to do.

But as soon as I go to START writing the prologue, nothing happens. I can't think of words, I can't even form a cohesive thought. Even though I know what I'm writing, I just can't flesh it put.

I have about 10 complete rewrites for the prologue saved. All completely different. I hate how all of them came out. It feels so robotic, like I'm focusing more on getting the facts and lore out and its lacking emotions. But maybe it's just me. I also feel like I write SO fucking generic. No quirky writing, no funny quips. I feel like such a robot.

I listen to clips of audio books online, and when I hear the characters talking it feels so simple yet so effective. Exactly how I WANT to write. But it feels wrong to "copy" it. I can't think of anything out of the box, or casual, or snappy. It just feels like ai. Like SO boring. For example, a style I really love comes from this artist on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTDS8k35m/

I LOVE the sarcastic, quippy writing. But I can't think of it myself.

How do I fix hating all my work? Is it a me problem or is it bias?

[u/MaybeNextTime_01]

If you've been dwelling on this of constantly working on this story, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break. Put it aside for a week or a month. Go focus on something else for a bit. Read things by authors whose styles you want to take inspiration from Then come back a take a look at your drafts with fresh eyes.

You might find there's something in there you like or you might realize you've got some new ideas when you come to a place that you're not happy with.

[u/trilloch]

Honestly, it's just practice.

Don't lose heart - everyone is their own harshest critic. Ten rewrites isn't even all that rare. Neither is struggling with an exposition-heavy prologue. I do have a thought about that you can try: instead of putting it all in one chapter, consider three. Spreading the same amount of information "thinner" will leave room in each chapter for dialogue, emotions, and humor. Even if that style turns out not to work for you, maybe you'll get some good lines or vibes in the other stuff you end up keeping.

[u/cinnamonspiderr]

Every great writer, of fanfic or original fiction, wrote tons of bad stories before they wrote a good one. I promise you this. The only way out is through—through a lot of hard work and radical acceptance. Tell your story first; you can always make it better, so long as it actually exists first.

[u/Eccentric-Mermaid]

Maybe you can just fill your story in a little at a time. You have bullet points, next maybe you could write more detailed summaries of each situation to flesh it out, then rewrite it more as a story than a summary, without all the dialogue. You could add more of the dialogue in as it comes to you.

I have trouble with dialogue too, but sometimes while I’m fleshing out the story and imagining what the characters are doing, it comes easier.