Keeping on track

Have you the overview of a story long enough to be a novel? Could the short stories be chapters of a larger work? Have you tried writing an overview of what you intend to write? I don't do this but you seem to need it.

I'm of the school of "write the story as it unfolds." (That is, if you have the luxury of letting the characters take you wherever and an editor or agent isn't screaming for a storyline.) BUT maybe for you, a synopsis would work best at the beginning or near the beginning. It'll give you the incentive to forge ahead and finish the darn thing.

I despise writing synopses. But if it gives you the kick-start to finish a project, go for it. Nothing long or wordy. And it won't stifle the imagination if you work on your story with the synosis in the back of your mind but knowing you can change it as the story progresses. I'm sorry if I'm not being clear. Long day!

Sometimes writing is work and you have to treat it like work, but do as I say, not as I do. I am familiar with the problem. I have found, though, that when I force myself to sit down and write I eventually begin to get into the groove and start to enjoy it. I have to go back later and liven up the stuff I wrote trying to get started. Right now I need to rewrite a couple of queries, and I am not doing it. I'm writing a musical instead. I defeat myself, I am a spoiled brat of a writer, self-indulgent. But the day will come when I write a couple of queries. I know that from past experience. So patience is another quality to pursue I guess. Pardon my rambling, and good luck. Just write the damn thing, then see where you are.

What you're asking is how can we make you have the discipline necessary to be a writer. The answer is, we can't. You're going to have to develop your own discipline. We can offer suggestions on how routines that have worked with us, but even those won't make you be disciplined enough to write every day, to sit down and work, to start out with 'Once upon a time...' and keep going until you reach '...and they all lived (or not) happily (or not) ever after' of a novel-length work.

Discipline is something you're going to have to grow and develop in yourself.

MumblingSage said:

Any advice on how to keep my focus on a novel all the way through? As is, all I'm getting is a lot of seperate scenes and scraps. And some short stories, which are nice, but not bringing me any closer to my goal of finishing a novel this year.

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Make the main conflict bigger. Make the MC's goal matter enormously to the main character, and to other characters as well (to allies, to opponents, and even to innocent others). Increase the stakes by making the cost of failure unbearable.

Complicate the main conflict with nuisances, obstacles, distractions, time pressure, closing of escape routes, depletion of resources, and anything else you can throw in the MC's way.

Involve more characters in the main conflict, each with their own specific goals, secrets, alliances, attitudes, abilities.

Add subplots that relate in some way to the main conflict.

Consider finding a way to bring each pair of characters together. If they each want different things, you may be able to create a scene conflict, and therefore a scene that relates to the main conflict. (This tip comes from Jerry Cleaver's wonderful book Immediate Fiction.)

Never make anything easy for anyone, ever. (Jerry Cleaver again.)

All of this comes down to two big ideas: To make the story novel-sized, add complexity to the main conflict. To make the novel cohesive, relate everything to the main conflict.

Dale

MumblingSage said:

I just can't sit down and write chapter after chapter--I tend to get about one chapter done and them I'm off to short stories for the rest of the month.

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Think of each scene as a short story: The main character wants something, one or more other people in the scene present obstacles, and in the end the MC either succeeds or fails to achieve the goal.

Dale

MumblingSage said:

Any advice for keeping with that particular trip and not choosing an entirely different vacation?

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Maybe it's not necessary to write the whole novel in a single trip. Perhaps you could write a chapter, write some short stories, write a chapter of another novel, then come back and write a new chapter on the first one. As long as you keep coming back to it, you'll eventually reach the end.

If you find that you don't have the energy to return to the novel, maybe that's your inner wisdom telling you that the novel isn't worthy of your time right now.

Is there a possibility that this is not a writing problem, but something else (e.g. attention deficit)? If so, then the solution lies somewhere other than with writing techniques.

Dale

I realize I'm only reiterating what's been said, but you really might need to try an outline. I'm the sort who just makes it all up as I go along, but that doesn't work for everybody, and if you really keep derailing so much it might be necessary. Outlines do tend to take away some of the element of surprise, but maybe that's what you need to keep you on track? (I. e., take away all the shiny pretty things lying alongside the road if you ever want to keep walking to the destination.) Otherwise you might just keep ending up with a bunch of scenes and short stories but no connecting novel. Writing takes discipline. Sometimes you can only just sit down and make yourself do it.

Granted, when I'm sitting down and "making it up as I go along," it only works out because it's usually an idea I've thought about for such a long time that the scenes naturally fall together into place as I go. The thinking/mulling process can take years, depending on how long the story is. My stories run upwards of over a hundred chapters so maybe the mulling process won't be so long for a regular novel, but you might also need to just think your ideas over for a good long while and let them naturally mesh together and fall into place on their own before you start writing them. In short, they have to develop and learn how to crawl before you can set them on their feet (in writing) and teach them to walk.

Know your characters, and know them well. If you trust them, they will lead you through your novel. I don't write out character sketches, they're in my head the way details of friends are in my head.

I can't put an outline on paper or screen, but it's in my head.

I don't write from Chapter One to The End. I write the scenes that excite me, or the ones that research brings to mind. Next I go to less exciting but necessary scenes, and finally to those that join scenes together. That sounds a bit like what you're doing, Mumbling Sage, only you end up with short stories. Try putting the same characters in those short stories and see where they take you.

Oh, and the main thing -- glue inserted between seat of pants and chair works well.

Orson Scott Card gave reat advice on this. He said put two totally dissimilar ideas together, and work out the details of how they could fit together. Taking two totally different short stories and fitting their characters and events together may add up to a read-made outline. He also said that describing what kind of story you want to write should dictate the beginning and end (not detail-wise, but where it has to sart and when it's time to end)--see his M.I.C.E. (Milieu, Idea, Character and Event) equation.

Both he and David Farland have said that they more they knew about the characters and milieu, the less they needed to rewrite. David Farland uses color-coded outlines (denoting a color for each character) to see which character needs more attention in each chapter.

Hope this helps.

If short stories is where you live, you can do wonders with them.

1) Maintain your main character through your short stories.

2) After 20 or so short stories, as stated in an earlier post, tie them together. May not even have to do that. Roberd E. Howard wrote dozens of Conan short stories. These became novels, as a grouping of 3-5 unrelated stories (outside of the MC).