posted by
ladyslvr at 11:50am on 06/08/2008
Most of the people on my flist are authors (published, working-on-it, or fan-only), which means there's a lot of talk about writing on my friends page. I love this. Even though I'm in a writer's group, we have a pitiful attendance, and most of the people who do show up, don't know much about fiction. So, the progress notes and other writing discussion feeds that part of my soul that wants to know what people are thinking.
I joined the writers group because without the constant deadlines, I'd never get anything written. Lately, however, the deadlines haven't been helping.
Last March, in the depths of my illness, I started a short story called Bubbles. Now I'm about 1600 words in, and probably slightly less than half way through it, and it's gone. Although I've been working on it as steadily as I'm able, I have no idea where the story is going or even what it's about anymore. I knew all this in March. Then it did that thing stories do where they change in midstream. And now I'm just lost.
So, those of you who are writers, could you please take an entry to talk about overcoming hurdles within your stories. Not writer's block hurdles, but story ones. How do you recover the plot thread when it breaks?
I joined the writers group because without the constant deadlines, I'd never get anything written. Lately, however, the deadlines haven't been helping.
Last March, in the depths of my illness, I started a short story called Bubbles. Now I'm about 1600 words in, and probably slightly less than half way through it, and it's gone. Although I've been working on it as steadily as I'm able, I have no idea where the story is going or even what it's about anymore. I knew all this in March. Then it did that thing stories do where they change in midstream. And now I'm just lost.
So, those of you who are writers, could you please take an entry to talk about overcoming hurdles within your stories. Not writer's block hurdles, but story ones. How do you recover the plot thread when it breaks?
(no subject)
If I can't even remember what point B was, then I put the story on the back burner. I'm the kind of person who simply can't write if I don't know what the story is about; if I don't have some sort of goal for the story, I don't even start.
But if it changed in midstream... it may require back-tracking and "killing your darlings" -- that is, delete the bits of the story where it changed direction, and start again from where it was fine. I mean, if you were going from point A to point C, and then at point B it turned in the direction of Point F rather than point C, then delete everything after point B and start again. I get that sometimes in dialogue, where the characters are talking and talking and wander away from the point I'm trying to make. Pull back, think of your goals, refocus.
(no subject)
I definitely am glad that you're still working on writing. And if you ever feel like running something by me or brainstorming, catch me when I'm on AIM or email me or which ever. I'd be happy to help.
(no subject)
Livejournal goofed the link in my post. Sorry!