Dealing with block

[LukasGrey]

So, I'm hitting a couple of writers blocks in my stories, and I'm far enough in that I hate to walk away from them completely...

Problem is I have ideas for new stories, usually very different in tone and theme than what I'm working on now. I tell myself it would be fine to just work on something that is occupying my thoughts right now and then I feel guilty because I'm leaving something half finished? So instead, I work on nothing...

Does anyone else find that taking a break on a story and working on something else helps them? Do you ever circle back and finish what you were working on before?

 

[LeandraNyx]

Deleted

 

[sr71plt]

I sometimes have a story idea claiming more urgency than the story I'm working on at the time. Sometimes I suppress that and finish what I'm working on first at least in rough form--it can always be polished up in review. Other times I let the more urgent story play through. But if I've even noted down a tentative title for the first one I do almost always go back and write it later. My bottom line is to go with the flow and if I find what I'm doing really hard to get out, it isn't time for me to be getting it out yet.

 

[LeandraNyx]

Deleted

 

[sr71plt]

It's probably an apt comparison.

 

[CyranoJ]

Does anyone else find that taking a break on a story and working on something else helps them? Do you ever circle back and finish what you were working on before?

I often abandon stories and rarely resume what I've left behind; usually I have to leave things for the reason that something fundamental isn't working and would require just starting anew. However, material from abandoned stories often works its way into new ones. (I got 50 pages in on a Nude Day concept that I couldn't make work, but its protagonist and her somewhat conflicted relationship with a girlfriend turned up in slightly different forms in a story that did get finished, for instance.)

 

[LukasGrey]

I often abandon stories and rarely resume what I've left behind; usually I have to leave things for the reason that something fundamental isn't working and would require just starting anew. However, material from abandoned stories often works its way into new ones. (I got 50 pages in on a Nude Day concept that I couldn't make work, but its protagonist and her somewhat conflicted relationship with a girlfriend turned up in slightly different forms in a story that did get finished, for instance.)

I would go insane if I left something forever! So far, I've been fortunate to come back.

I think the big point that I'm starting to realize is that my moods help with my writing a lot. There are certain stories that I seem to produce better work on when I'm in a depressed mood. Some that I seem to produce better ideas on when I'm up.

Today was the first time I tried to sit down and force myself to write on something that I was just not feeling and after a couple of pages found myself writing terribly and making a really rash decision on ending the story very quickly and poorly.

Right there I decided to open a new document and start a new story!

 

[ElectricBlue]

I often abandon stories and rarely resume what I've left behind; usually I have to leave things for the reason that something fundamental isn't working and would require just starting anew.

I'm this, but luckily don't have abandonment issues. I've only ever not finished three that went past the thousand word mark, and they were abandoned because in one case another idea was far better, one because life changed, and the third because it was a stupid idea in the first place. If it's not working in the first 1000 it's never going to work, and I'll delete it.

I'm surprised at the number of folk here who seem to keep their non-starters or stalls in a big ideas file. I don't keep material on the off chance it might suddenly rewrite itself and become good - that's not going to happen. Once a turkey, always a turkey.

 

[LukasGrey]

I'm this, but luckily don't have abandonment issues. I've only ever not finished three that went past the thousand word mark, and they were abandoned because in one case another idea was far better, one because life changed, and the third because it was a stupid idea in the first place. If it's not working in the first 1000 it's never going to work, and I'll delete it.

I'm surprised at the number of folk here who seem to keep their non-starters or stalls in a big ideas file. I don't keep material on the off chance it might suddenly rewrite itself and become good - that's not going to happen. Once a turkey, always a turkey.

See, I think this is why I'm struggling with this decision this time...

I'm seventy six thousand words into this story...

So hard to walk away from, but I can feel what I'm putting out right now is crap!

 

[ElectricBlue]

See, I think this is why I'm struggling with this decision this time...

I'm seventy six thousand words into this story...

So hard to walk away from, but I can feel what I'm putting out right now is crap!

Whoa, that's shit. As they say here in the Toyota ads, "bugger!"

Don't give in to putting out crap though, it will only make it worse if readers tell you what you already feel.

How long have you sat on it before "knowing" for sure it's crap? Have you got a trusted second set of eyes who can impartially judge?

 

[kropotkin]

Writer's Block

Good luck. Writer's block is difficult to overcome.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm seventy six thousand words into this story...

76,000 words isn't a "story." It's a novel.

 

[LukasGrey]

76,000 words isn't a "story." It's a novel.

Ha!

I've written two full length "stories" that are that length, hammered out a part three that is in the sixty thousand range and that will easily pass that count by the time it's finished, and now this one. Can't quite bring myself to call them novels! Almost feel like I'm trying to claim an honor I haven't earned!

It was easier to drop the first story that I took a break from as that one dredges up a bunch of really personal stuff, and I think that's what's bothering me about taking a break from a second story. Like I'm leaving too many threads loose!

I know both stories that I'm letting sit for a while are good, and worth pursuing, and am smart enough to realize that I need to give up within a couple of pages of terrible writing, but man it's tough!

 

[sr71plt]

Novels are determined by wordage, not quality.

 

[TxRad]

Novels are determined by wordage, not quality.

If it was quality, half of them would never get published.

 

[LukasGrey]

If it was quality, half of them would never get published.

A good point. Mostly, I hate rewritting stuff! I can feel when the quality starts to drop and I really do not want to force myself to produce crap that I'm just going to have to go back and rewrite!

I can feel when I get in the zone, and right now, with this story, I'm not in the zone. The new one that I started working on, I've managed to punch out almost three thousand words in about three hours and I can feel the quality is so much better than what I was working on.

 

[CyranoJ]

I'm surprised at the number of folk here who seem to keep their non-starters or stalls in a big ideas file.

Well, I know I'm not that organised. I'm just lazy about deleting things from my hard drive that I know should probably go. When an idea from a failed story turns up in a better one it's often accidental; the migrating protagonists in my example above only became evident when I went back to the old broken story by chance, looking for something else, and was like: "Ohhh, that looks familiar..."

I'm seventy six thousand words into this story...

Think of it this way: long as you learn something from those words they weren't wasted. I get that cutting your losses on that much work is agonising, but for my money there's nothing more demoralising than labouring at something you know is broken.

 

[sr71plt]

Fixing it is what would be the most useful developmentally.

 

[CyranoJ]

True, where possible.

 

[LukasGrey]

Also, to be clear, the work isn't wasted. There is a good story there, and the problem is more me needing to figure out how to end it without just smashing an ending on it. I could feel myself forcing the writing, and that was what was hurting it. Hopefully taking a good break from it will help me to find the story's voice again.

 

[Hypoxia]

Also, to be clear, the work isn't wasted. There is a good story there, and the problem is more me needing to figure out how to end it without just smashing an ending on it. I could feel myself forcing the writing, and that was what was hurting it. Hopefully taking a good break from it will help me to find the story's voice again.

Some ways of devising endings:

* Visualize any sort of final scene, then figure out how to get there.
* At a story fork to possible paths and endings, pick the least likely.
* Sneak back to a minor early point and structure the end around it.
* Pull a trick from a magic bag; end the story; move on to the next.
* Pull a JPB (Just Plain Bob) trick: leave the story nervously hanging.
* Be ambiguous; outline possible endings; invite readers to finish it.
* Plagiarize. In your own words, of course.

 

[SamScribble]

76,000 words isn't a "story." It's a novel.

Reminds me of 'never mind the quality; feel the width'. I'm sure that that's not just a London thing.'

 

[NOIRTRASH]

The reason things rarely improve is because we try and fix them. What starts bad stays bad and must be destroyed like Carthage. So said James Q.Wilson in his book about lingering bad ideas, BUREAUCRACY. Conservatism is the perseverance of good ideas. I said that.

 

[Comentarista82]

So, I'm hitting a couple of writers blocks in my stories, and I'm far enough in that I hate to walk away from them completely...

Problem is I have ideas for new stories, usually very different in tone and theme than what I'm working on now. I tell myself it would be fine to just work on something that is occupying my thoughts right now and then I feel guilty because I'm leaving something half finished? So instead, I work on nothing...

Does anyone else find that taking a break on a story and working on something else helps them? Do you ever circle back and finish what you were working on before?

I'd say if you get ideas for new stories, go ahead and scribble down or type up those thoughts you have in your head, in a stream of consciousness if necessary. When it's done, you at least have something to go on and I find if I don't capture those thoughts immediately, I almost never have them in the same form again. Sometimes working on something else will restart the idea process for the original work.

I wouldn't feel guilty about not finishing something. It's not like the computer or written notes will rise up and whack you upside the head or smother you in your sleep.

What's big for me is keeping my mind fresh, which also depends on your attention span. To do that follow this guide while writing:

Work 20 minutes, take a 5-minute break; during that break, do something that is NOT work but fun: listen to your favorite song, go take a brisk walk, play with the pet, climb a tree...whatever.

This will keep your mind fresher yet keep you on-task. The brain operates in cycles of approximately 20 minutes and it needs that break to "wring out" the information it's processing. The outside optimal limit is 30 minutes, with a 10 minute break. This was partly discovered by Dr. Paul Pimsleur from Ohio State University and he created language lessons based on that 20-30 minute window that is the most successful language-learning approach ever. By the way: how do you know at which point your brain needs a break? When your mind first begins to daydream.

If you find you focus longer, you can go 45 minutes/15-min break or 60 minutes/20-minute break. Follow same "fun" guideline.

What if you really crash? I had 4-5 times I hit such a block that my brain didn't even recognize the meaning of the words in any sentence I was reading and not absorbing a thing. I then went to Hastings Books, Records and Video and browsed the place, opening bargain books for sale and reading flap covers, checking out CDs and a few videos. After 2.5 hours, I felt the fog lift and I returned to the apartment and worked.

Best of luck and hope this helps!

 

[ElectricBlue]

---^^^^^---

Alternatively, coffee...