B***** B*****, moan moan...

Start all over again. I've had to do that myself. But keep what you have - you may need it later.

Well, I've never completed anything, (as far as fiction writing goes) so I might not have anything useful to say...

but, if something is missing from your story, can you turn its absence into a plot point? "Aha, but where DID the amazing three legged white goat go?" or whatever.

Unless what is missing is motivation. Which is very important. I had that problem in my WIP. The two main characters didn't seem to have enough motivation. So, I demoted them to supporting characters, which they had enough motivation to be, and promoted some (bettter motivated) minor characters into the main characters.

What is missing, anyhow?

Wow, *30* abandoned novels? I've been writing since I was a kid and have only abandoned maybe 2 or 3. Maybe you're unusual or maybe I am, but it sounds to me like you're doin' it wrong. It also sounds like we're similar in our idea-generation process: come up with a great world, great opening, great ending... but getting from opening to ending is the hard part.

You mentioned doing a lot of work on the creation process -- character analyses, etc. -- but not much of a plot outline. I've found that outlines are essential; without them I lose track of where I'm going far too easily. It's hard, painful, even alienating, but I've gotten to the point where I won't commit myself to a story without a coherent outline. My process is usually that I'll come up with an idea, write two or three "test chapters" to get a feel for the voice and character development, then scrap those chapters and go back to the development stage to work on the outline. My outlines are looooooong -- the last one was 21 pages. I divide them into sections:

Brief synopsis (I think of this as the 'back cover blurb' on a paperback)
Characters (with brief summaries of each)
Theme
Style
Setting
Detailed outline (this is the long part)

The detailed outline gets written as if I'm actually telling the story in brief form to a stranger. That makes it easier to see where things don't fit together or make sense. (It's also useful later, when you need to pitch the story to agents/publishers; many like to see a detailed outline to decide whether the story itself is worth reading.)

If having this problem and abandoning novels has become a habit for you, then maybe you need to make a drastic change in order to break the habit. Try concentrating on the outline, nailing down the details first, then writing. It can't hurt.

jdparadise said:

Abandoning the work is one solution.

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Abandoning the work is not a solution.

You've done that any number of times already; how's that worked out for you?

Finish the book. All the way to The End. Then put it aside and re-read it three months later.

There is no substitute for finishing your novel. None.

You have permission to write crud. You do not have permission to write anything else until you have completed the first draft of this work.

jdparadise said:

In any event, outlining doesn't solve the problem at hand; the problem isn't with not having a roadmap, it's that the spot where Kansas was supposed to be, is just a black hole instead.

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That sounds like a neat idea, actually. Kansas has vanished, people go out to find why/chart the black hole.
Or am I just odd?

Just write the book, worry about the hole in it when it reaches the end, who knows? Maybe the perfect solution to the hole will present itself as you write.

Whenever I come across a problem in my writing, I do the following depending on how big the problem is:

- Keep writing and hope the problem resolves itself or I figure out a solution.
- Go back to my outline (I don't do the detailed character stuff/research you do but I write a detail outline that normally keeps me fairly straight) and rework that until I get my solution. Even just making scribbly notes sometimes helps.
- Leave it for a while and mull it over in my head, sometimes without realising I'm doing it, and often the solution pops up (sometimes in my sleep!).
- If things are really bad (it's only happened once and I must admit, I have not yet found the solution I need!), leave the whole book, take a break, work on something else and then go back to it.

I wouldn't abandon your project, you sound very determined and enthused. Even if you need to change everything, just stick at it because it might be you tweak something and then the rest drops into place.

Also bear in mind you could ask for help in The Sandbox section, they always have good ideas there.

Clare

jdparadise said:

Hard to say without boring everyone to tears by reciting all the backstory.

Suffice to say that, in the nominally closed system that was intended to make up the first book, there are four groups involved, call them A, B, C, and D. A&B are bad guys pitted against one another; C is the rag-tag band of heroes, and D is a group whose interest in the outcome of A&B's conflict is vital for a number of reasons... but whose power to influence that conflict is extremely limited.

There are two holes, predicated on my deep desire to avoid turning the A&B situation into open warfare - that's not the kind of book I want to write.

1. D in theory has deep interest in A&B both being gone from the closed system... but their own motivation for staying in the system is growing increasingly indefensible to me as a writer.

2. Assuming they'd stay, if I want to avoid open warfare I need to give D some sort of power-of-law so that C (engaged in AvB on behalf of B, not knowing that they're bad guys until later) can take legal action against A using the system that D adjudicates.... but if D had the resources to actually have this power-of-law recognized, the situation wouldn't be what it is.

There's also a side-problem that I could probably deal with, that C is actually not equipped to do the job they're being asked to do... that might be part of the story, so I'm not as concerned about that. But 1 and 2 are killers for me.

Murky, much?

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1. I'm not quite sure what this means. It sounds as if their motivation is out of your control. Change their motivation if it's a problem for you.

2. Why does C need authority from D? Is there not a law of the land? Could they not act as vigilantes?

jdparadise said:

1. D in theory has deep interest in A&B both being gone from the closed system... but their own motivation for staying in the system is growing increasingly indefensible to me as a writer.

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Well, make the motivation something more, pump it up, mess around with it until it is defensible.
Or, try this, say to yourself that you have already resolved all of this in an earlier scene, a solution was found and you already took care of it, and keep writing.

Maybe it's not a hole, maybe it's just a possibility.

I had a hole akin to that in the story I'm working on at the moment. Basically I had this figure of god-like power helping the good guy every now and then. Eventually I wondered, why doesn't he teleport him to the bad guy to kill him instead of teleporting him a short distance, why doesn't he give the good guy awesome powers? Why doesn't he kill the bad guy himself?
Eventually I realised he wasn't on the good guy's side, he was playing for the end game- balancing out both sides and pushing my good guy to some inevitable conclusion for reasons that he hasn't seen fit to fully divulge yet. He's an all-powerful, manipulative liar beyond all human comprehension. Needless to day, this apparent hole became something alot more interesting.

James D. Macdonald said:

Abandoning the work is not a solution.

You've done that any number of times already; how's that worked out for you?

Finish the book. All the way to The End. Then put it aside and re-read it three months later.

There is no substitute for finishing your novel. None.

You have permission to write crud. You do not have permission to write anything else until you have completed the first draft of this work.

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This is solid advice! I know I'm going to take it.
I think that you need to finish the story jd, even if its a different story than you had in mind. You won't be the first to have done that!
Good Luck.

And I'm still trying to figure out what ....B***** B*****, means.

I guess popcorn will not fix your problem. You have had some good advice given by others...so I will go on my way.

Find a way to patch up the hole. Don't abandon the whole thing. It might take you days, or weeks, but the bottom line is you create the story and can create something to make it fit. If I ever run into a plot hole I stop and think "Well how can I make this plausible?" "Can I change something that isn't crucial to the story to make it work? "What makes this a plot hole?" etc. I have managed to fill the hole most of the time and I'm sure you can too.

I agree with Uncle Jim's advice, but I'm wondering something...

Could it be that you're actually a writer who will work better without an outline? (I'm certainly one.) It strikes me that you're using an awful lot of creative energy in your detailed outlining and such, and perhaps you're not leaving any for the actual writing.

I find that if I just get out of the way of my writing, just relax and let it flow -- KNOWING that I can merely cut or reivse anything that doesn't work, or has a hole, etc. -- that I get a lot more done.

There's no one "right way" to write. Maybe you're trying to hard to make it perfect before you write it, and it wants to come out more organically.

You dismissed the only advice that's going to save you. UJ's. If you don't do what he suggested, soon you'll be posting about having 31 abandoned novels. You're just going to have to bite the bullet and finish this one. Hole and all. Then, if I'm not mistaken, you'll be mowing the grass or diving to work and the filling for the hole will come to you. Your subconscious knows the answer, but it won't tell you until you commit. Sort of like a woman.

My thoughts:

1) Sounds like all of your spreadsheets and character sheets and what have you are just an excuse not to write the actual story.

2) Your story sounds way too complex and tangled. If you can't explain the problem in a few paragraphs (and your explanation was totally confusing), you probably have some bigger issues at hand. Simplify. My novel #1 is currently undergoing a rewrite for the same reason. I've been emailing with an agent who really likes my characters and writing, but when she read this thing she was like "Holy cow, there is way too much going on here! I don't even know where to begin!" Incidentally, when I was writing the query for this thing I had HUGE problems because I found summarizing the plot was impossible. Turns out because I was going in too many directions. When I finally sat down and decided what I wanted this thing to be ABOUT, suddenly it was obvious what needed to go and what could stay.

3) Sometimes you have to write the crap before you can see how to fix it. I think what I'm writing now is going to be great, but this is the second or third time I've done an almost-total rewrite. Fortunately I get to save all the awesome parts. If I'd realized how much trouble I was in plot-wise before I started writing, I'd never have written this book. But I'm glad now I had to go through that process.

When I started, my book had more holes in it than Swiss cheese. I kept writing. By the time I reached the end of the first draft, the characters were telling me I was doing it wrong, and no, it happened a bit differently. In draft 2 (a complete and total revision) I am improving, filling holes in plot and character motivation, in some cases completely rewriting and adding scenes. I am still not there, but I feel it is starting to work.

Do you know how many times during this year I wanted to abandon the novel? But I didn't.

Keep at it. Force yourself through.

To fill the hole you need to bring in something from outside system with an overriding legitimacy. I suggest, in all seriousness, the power of love, righteous pride, and/or the desire to solve (a) crime.

This may seem odd, and is perhaps out of context?

However, I think of my story in terms of a peg board. I place “character pegs” along the top and have a piece of string coming from each to the conclusion. Then I add pegs along the strings as occurrences and twist the relevant characters strings around that peg. For me it helps me see what is happening and if anything is missing.

All metaphorically though!

I just realised how juvenile that sounds!!