Challenges in writing longer works

[EmilyMiller]

I know I’m probably boring people to death about writing my first novel . But…

One thing I struggle with is, the protagonist was very fixated on X in Part II, but the story has moved on by Part IV, and now they don’t seem to care that much about X.

I find myself constantly having to either write a graceful off ramp for X, or adding bits to say they still care about X, as X will be a big deal again in Part VI.

What aspects of longer works do you find challenging?

 

[NuclearFairy]

Well, since my first longer work was a really dark story, I kept getting too stuck in the character's head. Which I solved by writing some really different short stories, and then eventually two other longer works came knocking on my head. And so now I have three long WIP going on. One of which is a direct sequel to the first one.

So now the problem is different. Now the problem is staying focused on just whichever WIP I'm trying to bang away on.

 

[TheLobster]

I find myself constantly having to either write a graceful off ramp for X, or adding bits to say they still care about X, as X will be a big deal again in Part VI.

A decently sized time skip should take care of those lingering affairs implicitly, especially if the character talks and behaves differently on the other side of it.

 

[crookedletter]

I recently completed a first draft of a novel. I struggled like hell with it. A big part for me is the fact that I find plotting and outlining incredibly dull. And if I find it dull I don't do it well. I write best when I write with a head of steam, when I'm excited about it. So I plow forward into who knows where and find sometimes where I end up is not at all in line with where I began.

In actually finishing a draft, though, I was finally able to convince myself that all that's okay, it's part of the process. Because now I know where it's all going I can tweak where it started and rewrite what needs to be rewritten, so all of that (hopefully) feels inevitable by the end. Not an easy process, to be sure, but it doesn't seem quite so daunting as all my numerous restarts did.

I think it applies to what you're describing, too. If in writing forward your character forgets about X, that's okay. Let them forget about it for now, and you can figure out how to remind the reader (and maybe the character) about it in revisions.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Well, since my first longer work was a really dark story, I kept getting too stuck in the character's head. Which I solved by writing some really different short stories, and then eventually two other longer works came knocking on my head. And so now I have three long WIP going on. One of which is a direct sequel to the first one.

So now the problem is different. Now the problem is staying focused on just whichever WIP I'm trying to bang away on.

I don’t think I could have written 80,000 words without having breaks to do other stuff. I found it was great to do something else whenever I hit a quandary about the plot, which was often. I knew my ending and the general trajectory toward it from early on. But specifics of character motivations than led to something necessary happening along the way were (and still are) tricky. I often feel doing something else is a good way to give you brain time to figure it out. Sometimes a solution presents itself while I’m writing an unrelated short story.

[wow I made a mess of replying there ]

 

[EmilyMiller]

I recently completed a first draft of a novel. I struggled like hell with it. A big part for me is the fact that I find plotting and outlining incredibly dull. And if I find it dull I don't do it well. I write best when I write with a head of steam, when I'm excited about it. So I plow forward into who knows where and find sometimes where I end up is not at all in line with where I began.

In actually finishing a draft, though, I was finally able to convince myself that all that's okay, it's part of the process. Because now I know where it's all going I can tweak where it started and rewrite what needs to be rewritten, so all of that (hopefully) feels inevitable by the end. Not an easy process, to be sure, but it doesn't seem quite so daunting as all my numerous restarts did.

I think it applies to what you're describing, too. If in writing forward your character forgets about X, that's okay. Let them forget about it for now, and you can figure out how to remind the reader (and maybe the character) about it in revisions.

I often write with a head of steam as you say. But I’ve been incrementally revising as I go, because the idea of a major edit at the end is daunting. I’m a bit of a control freak (OK, I’m a massive control freak) and what works for me is plugging plot holes as I go.

I also have a side document full of notes to go back and make sure that events line up, or that I refer to something before it happens.

I’ve found I need to be much more disciplined (insert joke here) than normal. My objective is that when I finish, it’s more general polishing and fixing a few inconsistencies rather than a major rewrite. But I may be deluding myself.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I don’t think I could have written 80,000 words without having breaks to do other stuff. I found it was great to do something else whenever I hit a quandary about the plot, which was often. I knew my ending and the general trajectory toward it from early on. But specifics of character motivations than led to something necessary happening along the way were (and still are) tricky. I often feel doing something else is a good way to give you brain time to figure it out. Sometimes a solution presents itself while I’m writing an unrelated short story.

[wow I made a mess of replying there ]

Yeah exactly. And then when I finished that story at 100k words, I was glad that I'd decided to split the story in two. But, I find that having several long WIPs also has a similar effect as writing short stories, so I'm writing less short stories. But still, it's a bit more distracting than writing short stories too, cause I know I'll finish the short story soon so when I get an idea in the middle of it I can just jot it down and finish up. But when I get an idea in the middle of writing one of my longer works, it's hard to just jot it down and get back to it.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Yeah exactly. And then when I finished that story at 100k words, I was glad that I'd decided to split the story in two. But, I find that having several long WIPs also has a similar effect as writing short stories, so I'm writing less short stories. But still, it's a bit more distracting than writing short stories too, cause I know I'll finish the short story soon so when I get an idea in the middle of it I can just jot it down and finish up. But when I get an idea in the middle of writing one of my longer works, it's hard to just jot it down and get back to it.

TBH part of my motivation in writing a longer work is to see if I can. There are others, e.g. the general premise argued for a longer treatment. I don’t know whether or not I’ll attempt a second. I think I may be short story / novelette / novella girl. The immediacy is appealing.

 

[crookedletter]

I often write with a head of steam as you say. But I’ve been incrementally revising as I go, because the idea of a major edit at the end is daunting. I’m a bit of a control freak (OK, I’m a massive control freak) and what works for me is plugging plot holes as I go.

I also have a side document full of notes to go back and make sure that events line up, or that I refer to something before it happens.

I’ve found I need to be much more disciplined (insert joke here) than normal. My objective is that when I finish, it’s more general polishing and fixing a few inconsistencies rather than a major rewrite. But I may be deluding myself.

That's a good goal. I tried that for a while too but it ultimately just didn't work for my project. In large part because I didn't know exactly where it was going. I had to just write to get to that point. So, yeah, despite completing a draft I feel like I'm pretty far from completing a novel. Sounds like it's working better for you.

 

[EmilyMiller]

That's a good goal. I tried that for a while too but it ultimately just didn't work for my project. In large part because I didn't know exactly where it was going. I had to just write to get to that point. So, yeah, despite completing a draft I feel like I'm pretty far from completing a novel. Sounds like it's working better for you.

I wrote Part VI (the final part) a long time ago. I’ve revised / expanded it more than once to reflect earlier events after I wrote them. But I’d meander too much without an end in mind.

As I’ve said before here, I’m a macro-plotter and micro-panster. I have to have an idea about overall story structure, but I do allow my characters freedom to wander within guardrails.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

As someone who has written an unfinished 80k-word-long work with a lesbian theme, and another unfinished 230k-word-long fantasy work, it seems to me your troubles come from insufficient planning. If you don't plan far ahead, you'll end up having issues such as those you described. It happened to me as well at the start, so I learned by necessity.

The most problematic aspect of very long stories has to be pacing. It can be really hard to anticipate the length of certain scenes in advance, and that can sometimes result in uneven pacing, which can be quite annoying to the reader. There are plenty of such examples, even with accomplished authors in mainstream literature.

 

[NuclearFairy]

TBH part of my motivation in writing a longer work is to see if I can. There are others, e.g. the general premise argued for a longer treatment. I don’t know whether or not I’ll attempt a second. I think I may be short story / novelette / novella girl. The immediacy is appealing.

It really is appealing.

Now here's the real challenge, writing a mid length story.

 

[EmilyMiller]

As someone who has written an unfinished 80k-word-long work with a lesbian theme, and another unfinished 230k-word-long fantasy work, it seems to me your troubles come from insufficient planning. If you don't plan far ahead, you'll end up having issues such as those you described. It happened to me as well at the start, so I learned by necessity.

The most problematic aspect of very long stories has to be pacing. It can be really hard to anticipate the length of certain scenes in advance, and that can sometimes result in uneven pacing, which can be quite annoying to the reader. There are plenty of such examples, even with accomplished authors in mainstream literature.

I do plan - see later comments. That’s not my issue at all. It’s not the broad flow of the plot, more ancillary details, which I sometimes find I have later dropped without a good reason to do so. It’s a detail-focused issue, not a planning one.

 

[EmilyMiller]

It really is appealing.

Now here's the real challenge, writing a mid length story.

IDK. I’ve written several around 30,000 words, which seems to be a sweet spot for me.

 

[crookedletter]

I’m a macro-plotter and micro-panster

That seems like the ideal combination. Unfortunately I'm a through and through pantser. I usually come up with concept first, characters second, then kinda throw them together and see if they get me somewhere. It's a fun process for short stories. For anything novel-length it's a disaster.

 

[EmilyMiller]

IDK. I’ve written several around 30,000 words, which seems to be a sweet spot for me.

So four stories at 30k or more and one at 29k.

 

[EmilyMiller]

That seems like the ideal combination. Unfortunately I'm a through and through pantser. I usually come up with concept first, characters second, then kinda throw them together and see if they get me somewhere. It's a fun process for short stories. For anything novel-length it's a disaster.

Yeah, my process is generally: have an idea, start writing, maybe get 1 - 2,000 words done. Then stop and assess. If I think I can deliver on my idea in 5 - 10,000 words, I might just start writing again - pure pantser. But if I think it’s more complicated, I then write a bulleted outline, or maybe a 1,000 word synopsis. I then kick the tires on this to make sure it makes sense, and adjust if necessary. I might deviate from either as I write, but at least I have some sort of overall structure to guide me.

I also often write an initial treatment of the ending early on and so have something to aim for.

 

[NuclearFairy]

So four stories at 30k or more and one at 29k.

XD Okay, so you have the midlength story thing working.

 

[EmilyMiller]

XD Okay, so you have the midlength story thing working.

I like novelette / novella length. It gives you room to tell a story and flesh out the characters, without becoming a major commitment to write and read. And some of my favorite books are novellas.

I very much ask myself who on earth is going to read 90,000 of my words (I think that will be the eventual length)?

 

[TheWritingGroup]

What aspects of longer works do you find challenging?

I have two novel-length works in progress (and a novella). The challenges are very different in each, because the stories themselves are very different.

--Annie

 

[SimonDoom]

I'll offer my perspective as a reader. A story of any length, from micro short story to novel, should be a story. It should hang together. It should have a story/character arc. Even the very longest novels I've liked have an overarching plot. I think a trap for a writer is getting enamored with your characters and getting sidetracked in wanting to write them about doing stuff even though it's not connected with the story, just because you've grown so familiar with them. I think authors should try scrupulously to avoid this.

 

[crookedletter]

I very much ask myself who on earth is going to read 90,000 of my words (I think that will be the eventual length)?

I think if you don't ask yourself that question you're probably some kind of narcissist. I assume most writers ask themselves the same question, at least for their first novels but probably for everything they write.

I think the same thing when posting a story here.

The answer is readers. There are lots of us.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'll offer my perspective as a reader. A story of any length, from micro short story to novel, should be a story. It should hang together. It should have a story/character arc. Even the very longest novels I've liked have an overarching plot. I think a trap for a writer is getting enamored with your characters and getting sidetracked in wanting to write them about doing stuff even though it's not connected with the story, just because you've grown so familiar with them. I think authors should try scrupulously to avoid this.

I’m pretty sure that this is one mistake I have avoided in my novel so far. It very much has a central arc. Things that happen along the way are virtually all in service of this arc.

 

[Bazzle]

I know I’m probably boring people to death about writing my first novel . But…

One thing I struggle with is, the protagonist was very fixated on X in Part II, but the story has moved on by Part IV, and now they don’t seem to care that much about X.

I find myself constantly having to either write a graceful off ramp for X, or adding bits to say they still care about X, as X will be a big deal again in Part VI.

What aspects of longer works do you find challenging?

Its why I we all struggle when writing arcs of characters on longer plots...in piecemeal the characters want to morph...as you get to know them. Which is where you have the advantage in an unpublished novel to go back and adjust the Chapter 1, 2, 3 thought process that by chapter 28 those thoughts have matured along with the reader. X is the best thing since slice bread at the beginning but actually Y looks really more hot by the the middle and ends up in bed with Z just because?

 

[Cagivagurl]

I know I’m probably boring people to death about writing my first novel . But…

One thing I struggle with is, the protagonist was very fixated on X in Part II, but the story has moved on by Part IV, and now they don’t seem to care that much about X.

I find myself constantly having to either write a graceful off ramp for X, or adding bits to say they still care about X, as X will be a big deal again in Part VI.

What aspects of longer works do you find challenging?

I've found the biggest challenge is staying in the story. Staying focused...
My approach to writing is it starts from the smallest things. An overheard conversation... A tabloid headline, a song, a lyric. Something infinitesimal. There's no plot or scheme, I just write.
I've produced a couple of 100,000 word stories. The one I'm working on at the moment is up to 130,00.
Somewhere in the course of it, there are sections that feel boring... Dull, lifeless, and it's hard to push through those...

I consider myself to be a creative person, writing is one of them. I can only get into it when the mood is right...
So if my current story is boring me silly. It's hard to keep motivated...
The one thing that helps me sustain the drive is allowing myself into the story. Becoming one of the characters...

Once the fun oozes out. It becomes tedious.

Cagivagurl