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    • CommentAuthorDanielle
    • CommentTimeJan 16th 2011
     

    Share your worries about writing here. Bouts with writer’s block, lack of confidence, the looming fear of seeing your book sporked by a random stranger….whatever. Others may offer advice, funny stories, hugs….whatever you like. :)

    •  
      CommentAuthorJabrosky
    • CommentTimeJan 16th 2011
     

    My main problem is maintaining my interest in a given project. It seems that every time I get an idea for a story, I get really excited about it, but after a few days I grow sick of it. That has killed most of my stories.

  1.  

    I’ll work on one obessively thing for a month and then don’t touch it for five.

    And also, everything I’ve ever written is either a pale copy of someone else’s work or just plain rubbish. /angstybitchywhining

  2.  

    I have trouble actually executing my work. As in, I have an idea I love and that I stubbornly cling to, but I’m stuck as to how to carry it out most effectively.

    • CommentAuthorDanielle
    • CommentTimeJan 16th 2011
     

    So what do you do? What helps you get past the funk?

  3.  

    ^ Was that directed to me or just to people in general?

    Uh, well, in my case, I’m not actually looking at my draft right now because I’m flooded with school. That said, I’m still thinking about it when my brain’s not melted. If I’m in no condition to mentally try and undo all my various plot and character-related tangles, (which is usually) I simply try to imagine particular parts of the plot and sometimes changes that work spontaneously appear. This actually happened to me last night, although now I’m not clear exactly how it happened. Anyway, a problem that had been needling me for months has been mysteriously solved (or at least, put on a path towards being solved) in a way that makes sense and is actually more interesting than what I had before.

    Now because something’s finally WORKED I feel more motivated to write. Too bad biology final comes first…ironic how that works out, right?

  4.  

    In my case….it’s hard to explain. I usually have to stop myself from deleting everything I’ve ever written. And then my characters talk me out of it. I can’t even explain how. It’s not like I hear voices out loud, but it’s like I have this group of people in my head who are very much alive (even if I created them). So when I get stuck I can sort of let them take over to see where it goes (when they want to cooperate).
    So they…well, one in particular…usually talks me down from deleting everything. Because he doesn’t want to die, I guess, and if I were to not write it would kill him.

    I realize that makes no sense whatsoever. And I know that the people I create aren’t real. So now you all know that I’m insane.

  5.  

    Maybe someone could help me as well? Every time I even think of opening up my rough draft and editing it, I freeze up and then go melt my brain on TV. It just seems like SO much work…how do I talk myself into it? I mean, I WANT to finish this book—I like the characters, and the plot’s salvageable. I think. But I’m so scared of opening up the document and finding a train wreck. Help?

    @ Inspector: If your characters are real in your head, then they’ll be real on paper, right? I think it’s a GOOD thing that you hear them! (Since you’ve confessed, when I’ve done my character interviews, I can actually feel myself becoming two different people. It’s weird.) And DON’T DELETE YOUR WORK! So what if it takes up room on your computer? You can always edit. Although, as seen above, I am not a very good example…

  6.  

    @ lookingforme: Aheh, I’ve been neglecting your poor draft. I’ve been neglecting everyone’s but I feel kind of worse in your case because you went through everything I sent you. XP

    But I’m so scared of opening up the document and finding a train wreck. Help?

    Don’t worry about editing. Open the document and keep tabs about what you’re feeling as you read and write down whatever issues/problems/ideas you have about things to change or think about for the next draft. Don’t even think about changing anything yet, because there’s no point in jumping in and trying to fix everything if you don’t even know what needs fixing.

  7.  

    Agreed with SWQ about trying to edit while you’re writing a draft, since you’re never going to get anywhere.

    In my experience, there are no magic tricks to get yourself to write. You just open up your word processor and start typing words, whether you want to or not. If you wait for ‘motivation’ to strike you, or negotiate with yourself to get writing based on a series of shaky if-then conditions, well, you’re probably gonna get very little done.

    That said, I need to follow my own advice, grumble grumble

    •  
      CommentAuthorThea
    • CommentTimeJan 19th 2011
     

    I started to read my NaNo, because I was going to rewrite it starting the first week of Jan. When I found out what I wrote, and missed a day of my daily writing project, I decided/realized that I am an absolutely worthless writer and should just give up because I do not have a natural talent and the sponateous need and drive to write “literature” and the young-adult type NaNo draft is in no way “literature” nor would it ever be.

    And while I know that my stuff isn’t bad after a couple rewrites/revisions, I can never remember after the fact how I did it. So I have a couple older stories that I know I rewrote at least three times and I almost think they aren’t too bad, and are much better than they started. But I don’t know how to start rewriting the novel. Other than just doing it, which I’m not. /whine

    Wow, that was cathartic to write. I actually feel much better at the idea of starting again, even though I haven’t even though about writing & especially rewriting for at least two weeks now :)

  8.  

    Will a cyber huggle help, Thea? cyber huggle

    I decided/realized that I am an absolutely worthless writer and should just give up because I do not have a natural talent and the sponateous need and drive to write “literature” and the young-adult type NaNo draft is in no way “literature” nor would it ever be.

    No no no, don’t think that! To hell with ‘natural talent’! Writing is the kind of skill that you have to work at gaining if you’re going to be any good. As to what’s ‘literature’, who cares? Write what makes you happy and what inspires you. Don’t even think about how other people might classify your work. (Anyway, Charles Dickens was the prolific bestseller of his time, writing sentimental serials for the common masses and now he’s considered ‘literature’. So how do you know what will be in the future?)

    Sorry, was that preachy? It’s just that I’m very passionate on this point and I sometimes feel exactly the same way, so I kind of gush all over it. XP

    But I don’t know how to start rewriting the novel. Other than just doing it, which I’m not.

    I don’t know whether you lie on the ‘organized’ or ‘spontaneous’ end of the writing spectrum, but for me, having a plan about how I’m going to handle 200 pages of crap makes me feel a whole lot more confident going in. Like I said before, try diagnosing all the problems before even attempting a rewrite so then you know what you need to change and/or improve on. Then you don’t feel so lost and hopeless…or at least, I don’t feel as lost and hopeless.

    But yeah, sometimes it helps just to vent frustration, as you said. That’s why I like this community so much- the bigger ones like Figment are so impersonal and you don’t really feel connected to anyone.

    On a support note, you can DO it!

  9.  

    But I don’t know how to start rewriting the novel.

    Well, you can always just begin at the beginning.

  10.  

    ^^ You’re much more concise than me, sansafro.

    •  
      CommentAuthorTakuGifian
    • CommentTimeJan 20th 2011
     

    Yeah, the whole idea of “natural talent” is bull. Writing is an act of defiance against nature, and every one of us had to struggle to learn to do it at the most basic ‘stringing letters together’ level. Learning to write well takes years of practice and experimenting. Nobody is ever born able to write, and nobody has or ever had “natural talent”. As far as I understand it, “talents” aren’t inherited, they are nurtured. The only way you will be able to reach a point where people call you “talented” is if you nurture your little rebellion, and practice and experiment and dedicate yourself to improving it.

  11.  

    ^^ I love this. Absolutely love it.
    Today is my last real day of vacation. I am going to start tackling my main problem (villain that is one dimensional and not villainous enough). I have a list of problems I need to fix…I’ll work on them slowly over the semester, and then will wrestle the whole beastie into submission in the summer while working a boring summer job to pay for food and boarding :)
    Thank you for your encouragement!!

    •  
      CommentAuthorPearl
    • CommentTimeJan 20th 2011
     

    @ Thea: I feel the same way about my Nano novel.

    I reread it and couldn’t believe I had dedicated hours upon hours working on… this. I put it back where I found it and stopped looking at it. The idea of rewriting it and making it into something I can really appreciate is incredibly daunting. And honestly I don’t know if I will. It would definately be worth the experience of reworking it and I won’t find out any other way how much I can really do. But there is part of me that thinks it would really just be better to write a JulNoWriMo or wait until next November to get something less crappy. It’s not really like it would be a bad thing to just keep it on the shelf. And yet, what a great challenge it would be to finish it.

    I’m thinking I might go ahead and try. Nothing to lose, I guess.

    •  
      CommentAuthorThea
    • CommentTimeJan 20th 2011
     

    No no no, don’t think that! To hell with ‘natural talent’! Writing is the kind of skill that you have to work at gaining if you’re going to be any good. As to what’s ‘literature’, who cares? Write what makes you happy and what inspires you. Don’t even think about how other people might classify your work. (Anyway, Charles Dickens was the prolific bestseller of his time, writing sentimental serials for the common masses and now he’s considered ‘literature’. So how do you know what will be in the future?)

    Thanks SWQ :) And like Taku said too, in general, I’ll defend this view no end for other authors and their work. But thank you, because for somehow I’ve managed not to include myself under that view. So much for practice what you preach, huh ;)

    And I’ve ordered out about the first five chapter’s plot trajectory. Since a lot is changing about the circumstances of the characters and how they all meet, though, I don’t know how to write them. And I’m pretty sure I’m sticking with the 3rd person, but I’m also having trouble allowing myself that distance of third person (because most of the original draft is so close 3rd, it’s almost 1st—but I don’t like 1st).

    I suppose I should confess that my concept originated when I was reading too many Twilight sporks, and wanted to try a story with all the ‘fixes’ they suggested for various individual issues mentioned: Bella’s sociopathy, the terrible parenting, etc. And also ‘easy outs’ for young adult fiction in general (that I remember) like conveniently absent guardians) But since the final product didn’t end up anything like a Twilight rewrite or any of it’s ilk, I suppose that’s a silly reason to have a block.

    Well, you can always just begin at the beginning.

    Well, I have to, and that’s the problem. At this point, I’m not even sure how many of the scenes and plot points can be reworked, or even characters (though I think my character list might be too small. I’m trying to reread old YA favorites and newer (well-received) ‘popular’ YA novels. Because I never read much in that category in the first place.

    And I can’t think of a title at all. At ALL. This is far more traumatic then it probably needs to be at this point.

    tldr: Sorry, this post turned more into my working through my issues out loud, like brainstorming with friends in person, but online it takes longer to read than to think.

    @Pearl: I’m pretty sure that’s where I am. The only reason I really want to work on this manuscript is because, with work, I think I can shape it into something that’s at least serviceably entertaining, and it could be pretty fun, and since I got the 50,000 words they said I could get a proof through CreateSpace. I don’t think I’m aiming for too much ;) And depending on how you’re rewriting, you can always see if you simply car enough about it (despite the _this_ness of the draft) and if you’re having fun work on it like that. And if it just feels terrible, start writing again come July or November :) Because despite my own wangst, I am enjoying the process.

    Oh wait! cyber huggle back at you, SWQ. Thank you very much :D

    @lookingforme: Good luck! And wrestling the beastie should give you, at least, something to think about during boring money-work!

    •  
      CommentAuthorsansafro187
    • CommentTimeJan 20th 2011 edited
     

    Well, I have to, and that’s the problem. At this point, I’m not even sure how many of the scenes and plot points can be reworked, or even characters (though I think my character list might be too small. I’m trying to reread old YA favorites and newer (well-received) ‘popular’ YA novels. Because I never read much in that category in the first place.

    Well, you could always just floor it and start rewriting without thinking about it too much, just to break the inertia.

    And I can’t think of a title at all. At ALL. This is far more traumatic then it probably needs to be at this point.

    I know what you mean. It’s weird, but it’s kinda unnerving when you haven’t got something to call it in your head except ‘my story.’ I’m still pretty unsure of mine even at this point, since I don’t think it’d ever fly with a publisher.

  12.  

    Sorry, this post turned more into my working through my issues out loud, like brainstorming with friends in person, but online it takes longer to read than to think.

    Don’t apologize, I’ve found this to be the best way to see issues and work through them.

  13.  

    Oh, man, I wish I hadn’t been away so long. Stuff like this makes me realise just how much I love you guys. This is an awesome topic.

    Anyway: my writing woes, which are currently massive. You don’t have to read all this. I’m doing exactly what Thea just did.

    I’m trying to finish a novel that I aimed to be finished with by 31 December last year. Then I changed the deadline to 12 Jan. Then 31 Jan. Now, at the moment, the end thing is 1 March. I just can’t get off my butt and write it. I mean, I know that I need to shut up and get on with it. I know that I just need to start typing. But I don’t want to.

    I have the same problem with a Twilight fanfic that is the last in a series that I have wanted to be done with for so long. I wouldn’t even have started writing it, or the one before, but see, I promised to do a series of three back when I actually liked Twilight (now you see how long ago this was), and now I’m stuck with it. And it’s coming along very, veeeeeeeeeeery slowly. At least I’ve learned one thing: never make promises about what you’re going to write next.

    Then there’s a Firefly fanfic I wrote that was just a stupid little 500-word oneshot featuring a slightly OOC River, but people are asking me if I’m going to write more. And that’s great, I mean, I sound like a total cow whining about people liking my writing (or my idea, anyway), but the thing is, I already have too much to do. I only just finished a fanfic that was the same basic concept (ie deviations from the script into funnyland), and it took nearly a year and a half to do the damn thing.

    I don’t want to start doing the whole thing all over again, for an entire season of Firefly. Besides, I’m sick of writing funny things. I’ve done too many.

    And I’m sick of having too many fanfics on the go at once. Scratch that, having too many stories on the go, fanfiction and original fiction. I have over ten projects that all want my attention, and the list keeps growing. A lot of it is fanfiction, and I just want to be done with that. I don’t want to stop writing ff completly, but I want to have more time for original fiction, which is so much harder and requires more of everything.

    I’m going to have to make a decision here.

    pauses

    Okay, I’ve made it. I’m not going to be continuing that Firefly thing. I am going to continue the Twilight thing, purely for the sake of closure. Then I can be done with it. Then I can work on Skeletons (you guys remember, the one where Edward kills Charlie. atm, I want to make it into a novel-length fic, and it’s coming along okay.)

    And after that, I’m not going to promise to write any thing else.

    There we go.

  14.  

    I feel kind of on top of things now.

    •  
      CommentAuthorThea
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2011
     

    Go Steph! Wow, that’s a lot of work you’ve got :D

    If it makes you feel any better, I promise to write things all the time and never do ;) But I have to say, Skeletons sounds fascinating!

  15.  

    The thing was, I had a promise with myself: anything I post on ff.net, I determine to finish. Because I hate disappointing readers, and at least this way I finish something. I didn’t want to break that with myself just because I felt like not writing it.

    Thanks for the compliment on Skeletons! Just to plug myself a little more, this is the oneshot before expansion and extension if you want to read it.

    •  
      CommentAuthorThea
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2011 edited
     

    All I’m getting is an II 404 page? and I do want to read it. :)

  16.  

    here

    Sorry. I copied the link off my profile page and it had an II forum thing in front of it, when it’s actually on ffn. So yeah. It should work now.

  17.  

    I’m not going to be continuing that Firefly thing. I am going to continue the Twilight thing, purely for the sake of closure. Then I can be done with it. Then I can work on Skeletons

    This sounds like a very sensible idea…I know that you don’t want to disappoint readers, but ultimately are you writing for them or for you? There’s no right answer, just a question to ask yourself.

    •  
      CommentAuthorDiamonte
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2011
     

    Sigh. I’ve felt a general disinterest in my story lately. Not even a lack of motivation, just – nothing. I think what really crushed me was losing the 10k words + rewrites when my USB was stolen. Now I just can’t muster up enough interest in writing it to continue. I just haven’t felt driven to write at all lately. And with the rewriting needed on my main story, I just feel totally overwhelmed. I should take everyone’s advice and plan out what needs to be fixed, but —- meh.

    • CommentAuthorDeborah
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2011
     

    I keep getting distracted. I can think of two or three other books I would rather be writing. Does anyone have any experience with that?

    •  
      CommentAuthorBrink
    • CommentTimeJan 23rd 2011
     

    I want to write. I really do.

    But I have nothing to write about. I know I’m whining, and I know I’m doing some group writing, but I can never come up with anything on my own that’s halfway decent.

    • CommentAuthorDeborah
    • CommentTimeJan 23rd 2011
     

    My story is driving me up the wall.
    I finally got the time to sit down and write. But every time I do I run into holes.
    Two characters are nearly drowning, and I intended to have another character who was missing for a while rescue them. But I forgot that due to a plot change, he wouldn’t know whether they would be there or not. I can change it back, but I’m worried that it would be considered a DEM, since they didn’t know he was coming. And the whole point of that scene was to get them to meet him. . . Argh!

  18.  

    Go to sleep on it and then just write it. Don’t you know there’s a kind of writerly magic that means things must fall into place in the end if you’re aware of them?

  19.  

    So after a long time I’m looking at my draft again…I’m over 1/4 of the way through, which is pretty good, but what I’m realizing is that it really sucks. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (yet) but I had to get it out even as I take steps to fix it. My draft sucks.

    Thank you and good night. bows

    • CommentAuthorWiseWillow
    • CommentTimeJan 30th 2011
     

    I’ll work on one obessively thing for a month and then don’t touch it for five.

    Exact same problem. I’ve been working on, of all things, a version of Snow White in class for a couple of weeks now. Lady in the Blue Hat hasn’t been touched in a month.

    • CommentAuthorDeborah
    • CommentTimeJan 30th 2011
     

    I have multiple stories going at the same time.
    And I just started one with a page-long infodump on how the hero holds this land in allegiance to this guy, who holds it in allegiance to this petty king, and how there was a great empire in the old days, and blah blah blah. ‘Like A Firebird’ will require editing.
    But ‘Thiswold Thyster, or The Golden Enemy: A Novel of the Kisaars’ has just started off with a creepy prologue.
    I just wrote a fairly good scene where two people meet again in ‘Elwen’.
    Now I have to drag myself back to ‘The Broken-Fingered Magician’.

  20.  

    I’ve been working on, of all things, a version of Snow White in class for a couple of weeks now.

    Hey, weird coincidence!

    • CommentAuthorWiseWillow
    • CommentTimeJan 30th 2011
     

    Mine is the original Grimm version- but with logic and motives :)

  21.  

    Ooh, that sounds really cool. I’ve always been interested in fiddling with fairy tales. You should post it whenever you’re done!

    • CommentAuthorNo One
    • CommentTimeJan 31st 2011
     

    Deborah, your story titles sounds very good. :) I wanna read them.

    • CommentAuthorDeborah
    • CommentTimeJan 31st 2011
     

    Thank you!
    ‘Like a Firebird’ was inspired by CP, in a way. I was so disgusted with Eragon’s Magical Healing Deu Ex Machina that I decided to write about a chosen one who was crippled and DIDN’T get it magicked away.
    And I’ve decided to cut a moment of introspection on the part of a very minor character (in Elwen). I’m still debating whether to include all the scenes with the thieves or not. They are all really neat and I want to write them, but most of the thieves are pretty minor characters. I’ve considered just mentioning their pasts, and then writing about them somewhere else. What do you think?