So.. I've been struggling with my book. My disorganized mind is having a hard time grasping plot outlining, dialogue, and well..everything.
I started with this amazing idea. I wrote 30 pages. I bombed. Nothing to say. Nothing to share.
I am stuck.
I am thinking of breaking it into several shorter stories. Thinking of that makes my head hurt. Now I have to find places to stop. I have to outline each story. More work.
Why is this so hard?
I lost my ideas. I lost my fantastical project. It's all gone.
Will it come back?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I have no idea.
I will just keep going.
Maybe write the whole thing. Finish it. Then go back and assess the damage.
What do you think?
7 comments:
I think you need to stop thinking so much about it. You're stressing yourself out. When I get like that, I just try to focus on making pretty poetic sentences, so that I'm not aiming for anything more than approx 20 words at a time. The sml goal REALLY helps, and then I get inspired by what I'm writing and it moves forward. Good luck!
It's OK to write crap.
I do it all the time. The key here is to just keep writing no matter how stupid you think your story is. Sometimes the story just suffers from a thin plot or poor character development. But, you won't any of this for sure until you finish the story. It's also OK to get 30 pages into the story, and then go back to outlining.
I like to outline but I've found that I must keep it simple and flexible in order to get the writing done. I've been working on a story titled "Lovestruck Succubus" now since the beginning of the year. I've outlined most of it and have written about 40K words into the draft. I made the mistake of posting my WIP on a blog (the same one you posted on recently) and a couple responded negatively to my post. I know it sounds childish, but that just blew the wind right out of my sails. I completely stopped writing and am now stuck. Right now, I'm trying to conjur up some belief in my story again so I can keep writing and get the draft done.
The point I'm trying to make here is that, writers are a bold and self-sufficient but also have very delicate egos. Believe in your project - even if you think it is stupid - and concentrate on a scene at a time. Most of all, keep writing until it is finished - and then decide whether the story is what you wanted it to be, workable, or total crap. This way you'll have gain from the experience. I think the learning experience and becoming a better writer is worth one or two crappy stories.
Keep writing, Sugar. If it makes you feel good, do it.
Wow, I think I started to sound a little preachy in that last post. I'm sorry. I just completely empathize with your plight.
Also, sorry for the missing words. I was writing on the fly and got carried away.
Thanks Ali. I do tend to think too much about it. I worry that it will suck. That others will hate it. I need to stop :)
The one sentence thing, that is a great idea. Thanks so much!
J..you are too cute. I appreciate every word. No worries. It is comforting to know I am not the only one out there that worries and then just, stops. We can pull through. We will! right?
it is totally understandable to stop when others give a negative opinion. But just remember, that is one or two, and they are just opinions. There will be thousands out there that will absolutely love it. :)
Write it, baby sis!!! I have read some of it and I need to know what happens next. Even if it is just for me---write it! You have an amazing talent, don't give up on yourself. you will always have at least 1 person who wants to read what you have written and will think it is wonderful
It will definitely come back. I would suggest maybe writing something else for a little while, or skipping ahead to some later part in the story and write THAT (even if there is a high probability it won't fit later, it is still a good exercise in really getting to know your characters.)
I don't so much OUTLINE as TIMELINE. These... maybe 6-10 things need to happen. I want them to happen in THIS order. and then I can think about the in between one step at a time.
My bestfriend had finished a book and the tip she gave me when she gets stuck is to read a poetry book. Lately I've been experiencing this - don't know where my story is going. I've started reading Canterbury Tales - and it's like magic, the dialogue started to flow in my story. Try it. It might work for you too. :-)
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