Where do go from here?

[Karinthia]

I'm not sure if this is going to have a moral, a purpose or just letting off a little excess energy, but have you ever gotten to a point in writing where you are not sure where to go from here?

I've written stories in quite a few different venues and pushed some of my own limits in them. Now, I find myself wondering HOW I can backtrack a little and not have to stretch so much. Does that make any sense at all? I feel like I've gotten to the line in the sand and I can't find it in me to take the step that leads me, yet again, somewhere I haven't explored yet. I wish I could write of simplier things? (small disclaimer <g>, the themes and doings of my stories might seem very simple to others, but to me they can wash over me like high tide). Can you go back ten steps and start all over and take your time hitting the pinnacle of what you can do? at least in your own mind?

I'm floundering now. I've got ideas by the dozens for stories, but how to I improve them over the last ones I did (again, improve them in my own mind, not others opinions)?

Has anyone ever hit this? For me, it's not about the audience that reads them or the "votes". It's more about finding my own comfort level.

K

 

[curious2c]

Karinthia

I think I understand what you are trying to say. You want to get your other stories out, posted, but don't want them to sound like copies of the other/s you have already put out there. What I am hearing here is you want to let these other stories out but don't want them to be like the earlier ones.
I have had a problem with something like that. I found myself wanting to use certain situations already written in another story the new one. Is it the same as cheating yourself? I don't know but I hope that I will always be able to think of another way to let out those situations so that they do not sound or read the same.
Hard to do, for me anyway. I came to the conclusion that you can 'go back' but it will never be the same. You should be able to create another pathway in the new story. This new pathway should lead you in the development of your story and prevent too much of a problem.
You have come up to the line in the sand, make it a starting line in a new race! Don't look on it as a limitation or needing to push yourself farther but as a new race entirely.
Hope this helps, I am new at writing and probably not a real 'expert' on how to do things here.

 

[Quint]

I try to vary how the story is written and the relationships and characters of the people in the different sagas.

"Sweet Salvation" is written in 3rd person limited from a female POV and deals with a girl meeting someone new who she falls in love with (yes, it's true. It hasn't happened yet, but I assure you it isn't all gangbangs. Oops, there go my readers).

My chapter in the Chain Story is written in 3rd omniscient and has more interplay between characters--there are a couple of "relationships" that develop. Plus the characters themselves are VASTLY different from S.S., a fact that never fails to give me a headache, and the time period is one that I know very very little about.

I also have a story floating around in my head, which will be written in 1st person from both the male and female POVs. The two characters already know each other. This will be the most challenging story I've attempted with regards to HOW I'm writing. I'm looking forward to it.

Trying something different may or may not be the solution to your problem, but it will stretch your writing ability and experience and that can only be for the better. Approach a story from a different angle, or create a character totally foreign to your nature. Take the story and place it in a different time and place, one that requires research to write properly. It sounds like it's the "How" of the story that you feel you need to improve, not the "What." This is a very good step! Best of luck to you in your endeavors.