The Sophomore Slump

[starscape]

nothing to see here

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I think writer's block is helpful. Some part of us knows our story is taking the wrong path, a route that isnt THE WAY.

 

[rgraham666]

The solution, I've found, is just to shut off your critical faculties and write.

"Sharp sword, empty mind" and all that.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Everything I've read in the old threads seems to indicate that by and large the Sophomore Slump is inevitable. If that's the case, then how do/did you push yourself to move beyond that fear and keep going? How do you balance writing for the good of your own soul, so to speak, and writing to build and please an audience?

I just never even thought about it. I never made it into such a big deal. It's a lousy porn story, a fuck tale. Write it and the hell with it.

Honestly, I consider myself a pretty serious writer, but I just don't agonize over whether people will like my stuff that much. I mean, I agonize over plot problems and shitty writing and cliched situations and awkward dialog and crummy endings, but I don't think I worry whether people will like a story or not. Unless maybe if I've written something so fantastically wonderful that I don't know what I can possibly do for an encore, and that rarely happens. I'm not that good.

If I were stuck on this sophomore slump thing, I think I'd do the only thing you can do, which is blast your way through it. Hold your nose and write, as they say. Things are rarely as good as we think or as bad as we imagine.

One thing you might want to try, though, is completely changing topic. Write a little throw-away piece; some little fuck-story or seduction, something totally different -- one or two thousand words, very simple -- and let that be your sophomore story. Write it just for yourself, what you like to write, and post it or not, as you wish. I've written some of my very best stuff when I've let myself write throw-aways while I'm 'actually working' on some more serious piece. You stop pressuring yourself and worrying about being great and instead have a chance to just be really good.

 

[TxRad]

Doc has it right.

I've got a hundred partially finished stories. When you can't bring yourself to work on the one you want. Pull something else up. sooner or later you'll hit something that clicks with your mood.

You don't have that luxury. You don't have the back stories. In this case find something to inspire you. A picture, a person, a thing. even a simple scene. It just has to be something that ghets the mental juices flowing. Write it down, dirty, and raw. Just don't throw it away. sooner or later it will fit in somewhere.

Good Luck

 

[starscape]

Thanks so much you guys for your input. After getting a decent night's sleep I'm feeling a little better. Been having problems with insomnia lately and that always trips things up upstairs.

I think writer's block is helpful. Some part of us knows our story is taking the wrong path, a route that isnt THE WAY.

I never thought of writer's block in that way before. Maybe you're right; I'll have to keep that in mind.

The solution, I've found, is just to shut off your critical faculties and write.

"Sharp sword, empty mind" and all that.

Good advice. I have a terrible tendency to WAY overthink things. I think I'll just try to write today in general, with no goal or topic in mind and see how that goes. Free association and all that.

I just never even thought about it. I never made it into such a big deal. It's a lousy porn story, a fuck tale. Write it and the hell with it.

Honestly, I consider myself a pretty serious writer, but I just don't agonize over whether people will like my stuff that much. I mean, I agonize over plot problems and shitty writing and cliched situations and awkward dialog and crummy endings, but I don't think I worry whether people will like a story or not. Unless maybe if I've written something so fantastically wonderful that I don't know what I can possibly do for an encore, and that rarely happens. I'm not that good.

Thanks for giving me a different perspective to consider. From reading on the forums I get the impression that a lot folks write as an escape, release, form of crack, what have you--for whatever reason they are compelled to write. For me it is a form of therapy; that probably explains a lot of the reason why I am taking it too damn seriously.

I guess I had been hoping recapture the frame of mind I was in while in the middle of writing my first story. Everything just poured out of me in a major way. I barely slept or ate for weeks. Well, okay, that part was not so good but the point is I was seriously inspired, and being inspired gave me this high that I want to experience again. And again.

One thing you might want to try, though, is completely changing topic. Write a little throw-away piece; some little fuck-story or seduction, something totally different -- one or two thousand words, very simple -- and let that be your sophomore story. Write it just for yourself, what you like to write, and post it or not, as you wish. I've written some of my very best stuff when I've let myself write throw-aways while I'm 'actually working' on some more serious piece. You stop pressuring yourself and worrying about being great and instead have a chance to just be really good.

I will give this a try. Truth be told, when I first started coming here, I really couldn't have given a shit about how "literary" the stories were. All I asked for was for them to be reasonably well-written enough (spelling, grammar, punctuation, descriptiveness) to get me off. I only started noticing how well-written they could actually be after stumbling upon one, quite by accident, that had a gripping plot along with the super hot sex. After that it was all "Whoa, what have I been missing?" Maybe I need to get back to my roots.

In this case find something to inspire you. A picture, a person, a thing. even a simple scene. It just has to be something that ghets the mental juices flowing. Write it down, dirty, and raw. Just don't throw it away. sooner or later it will fit in somewhere.

Another great suggestion. I was sort of doing that before with the four stories at once thing, placing ideas and passages I had written wherever they best seemed to fit. But even four stories does limit the kinds of things I'm writing. I am sooo envious that you have a hundred partially finished stories, BTW. Talk about inspired. I really wish I could write like that!

 

[CWatson]

The Doc has good advice. Take two of those and call us in the morning.

I didn't even bother trying. In my case, it helped that I knew what story I wanted to tell, and didn't care if it wasn't in the same vein as my first story; and they weren't remotely similar at all--one was this sprawling character epic, the other the (arguably) simplest and most stripped-down love story I've ever written. I told people ahead of time, "These are not the same style. Do not expect this story to be better than my first one, because I didn't try to do that and probably wouldn't've succeeded anyway." (And besides, I was flush with success on the first story itself. I broke a lot of genre conventions and was surprised when people liked it.)

As to this:

How do you balance writing for the good of your own soul, so to speak, and writing to build and please an audience?

That's a dangerous misconception, ma'am. Long story short, you don't. You write for the good of your own soul, and that's that.

We don't write to get popular; if popularity was what we wanted, we should be politicians, instead of working in a medium where quality almost requires controversy. We don't write to get rich; there isn't a lot of money in fiction anymore, and the only ones who get rich are not only exceptionally talented, but seem to be able to write a mile a minute (Orson Scott Card, Stephen King, Danielle Steele). We don't write to make friends of the audience; there's no way to please everyone, and we'd go insane trying. No. We write because we have things to say, and this is the best way to say them.

And after that, it's up to The Reader to choose whether to keep reading or not. (If they're smart, though, they will keep reading; after all, we're very good and very talented writers, and we offer them our works for free. What kind of moron would willingly deprive themselves of that? )

So. What should you write for your second story? What you want to. Because there are much more important things at issue than whether you can top your first one. (Hint: you probably can't. So why stress about it? Decide you're still going to write the best story you can, and go for it. If you do, you might become one of the rare people who writes their best book second. )

 

[CWatson]

I guess I had been hoping recapture the frame of mind I was in while in the middle of writing my first story. Everything just poured out of me in a major way. I barely slept or ate for weeks. Well, okay, that part was not so good but the point is I was seriously inspired, and being inspired gave me this high that I want to experience again. And again.

Of course you do. That's how you know you're a real writer!

Unfortunately, it can't be forced, or coaxed out; it just has to happen. Since I started posting online in 2003, it's only happened to me once. Like you, it led to a breakout first story, which I still consider to be the best thing I've ever written.

God, if that creative-euphoria stuff could be bottled...

 

[starscape]

That's a dangerous misconception, ma'am. Long story short, you don't. You write for the good of your own soul, and that's that.

We don't write to get popular; if popularity was what we wanted, we should be politicians, instead of working in a medium where quality almost requires controversy. We don't write to get rich; there isn't a lot of money in fiction anymore, and the only ones who get rich are not only exceptionally talented, but seem to be able to write a mile a minute (Orson Scott Card, Stephen King, Danielle Steele). We don't write to make friends of the audience; there's no way to please everyone, and we'd go insane trying. No. We write because we have things to say, and this is the best way to say them.

Thanks for this; I really needed to hear that. You reminded me of when I first got that creative rush and how good it felt just to write again.

Unfortunately, it can't be forced, or coaxed out; it just has to happen. Since I started posting online in 2003, it's only happened to me once. Like you, it led to a breakout first story, which I still consider to be the best thing I've ever written.

God, if that creative-euphoria stuff could be bottled...

I am a little frightened by this comment! Once in five years? Shit! If I had only know how rare a feeling that was, I would've savored it more instead of just pounding away at the keyboard wild-eyed like a mad woman on a mission.