how do you stick to it?

Personally, I'm not an outliner. I know that my first drafts are going to have issues by writing this way, but I enjoy it more. Second, third, fourth, etc drafts are for tuning up your manuscript. Just write the thing down and then worry about it.

satyesu said:

i find that, whether i'm writing a short story or trying yet another novel, if i don't make an outline it's poorly tuned, but as soon as i set in stone what happens next, i lose interest in actually writing it. how do i keep going and keep it fun for me?

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A lot comes down to persistence. Forcing yourself to write whether you're still keen on the idea or not. Usually the enthusiasm for it comes back.

I've dealt with this issue too. I personally have tried:

Embracing big rewrites: A lot of writers do actually write without using outlines at all. They know there might be some major problems, but they're fully willing to embrace the long rewrites so they don't lose momentum on the first draft. Depending on what your issues are with your first drafts, embracing the power of rewrites and edits might be all you need.

Outlining but not completely: You could just outline a few scenes or chapters ahead at a time. Then you have a plan to work from but you haven't finished the story yet so you shouldn't get the feeling you've already written it. This works well for me.

Outlining but in a looser form: I, for example, am working via a storyboard. I'm free to switch scenes around, add new ones, or toss out ones that no longer look necessary. I don't use a lot of detail so I still make a lot of discoveries along the way. So far this is my favorite approach.

blueobsidian said:

Personally, I'm not an outliner. I know that my first drafts are going to have issues by writing this way, but I enjoy it more. Second, third, fourth, etc drafts are for tuning up your manuscript. Just write the thing down and then worry about it.

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I agree. I find my first ideas of the story are quite different from the end result and I'm happy with the changes. If you restrict your creativity while you're writing you could miss the opportunity to include some really good ideas in your writing.

And keep your eyes on the end product. Writing may not always be fun and easy, but you have to put up with to have written. There's nothing quite like being done with a story and feeling that pride of having written it.

It's like when I pull the little push mower out and look over my acre of lawn. I don't enjoy mowing the lawn, but it always looks so nice when it's done.

satyesu said:

i find that, whether i'm writing a short story or trying yet another novel, if i don't make an outline it's poorly tuned, but as soon as i set in stone what happens next, i lose interest in actually writing it. how do i keep going and keep it fun for me?

Click to expand...

My mindset:

The outline is where I learn what happens.

The book is where the reader learns what happens.

I stay excited about it because I feel like I'm saying to the reader, "Guys, seriously, wait 'til you see what happens next!" Think of it in the same vein as a story you'd tell your friends about something cool/funny/etc that happened. The "you have got to hear this!" excitement. It's already happened, you know the ending, but they don't.

I often get so excited with the ideas that are coming that it's hard to stick in the here and now. I create another document and put all the thoughts I am thinking in it. Doesn't matter what order they are typed in. Some thoughts may be of the end of the book or certain conversations I want the characters to have. It helps me to have a place to put these things while I continue to write in the present.

I also try to keep to a writing plan of writing every day. I look forward to it. I don't have a set number of words that I "have" to write, but setting the time aside is like a gift and I find my brain starts to think about the book before I can even get to my laptop.

satyesu said:

i find that, whether i'm writing a short story or trying yet another novel, if i don't make an outline it's poorly tuned, but as soon as i set in stone what happens next, i lose interest in actually writing it. how do i keep going and keep it fun for me?

Click to expand...

Having an interest in what you are writing always helps. If you believe in what you are doing, friends and family will catch your enthusiasm and will help if you let them. If you let writing become a chore, it will never pan out. I hope that helps.

Then, there is the Muse of Inspiration. If you have ever been touched by a Muse (for something you have done that you were proud of), then you know what it feels like. For my first manuscript, the Muse did not touch me so much, as she beat the tar out of me. She is at it again as I write my second.

satyesu said:

how do i keep going and keep it fun for me?

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It's probably not going to be fun all of the time. Finishing a project, particularly a long one like a novel, has fun parts, parts that are driven by excitement, but also parts that are just plain work. If you want to do something that is fun all of the time, be a professional video game player. The real world of writing requires pushing through the times when the writing isn't so much fun, and that requires self-discipline. And it really doesn't matter if one uses an outline or writes in the moment. It will still require some hard work to get to the end. Probably the first step toward success is to realize finishing a writing project isn't all fun and games. Step two is to quit abandoning every project when the fun in the writing fades.

I'm not an outliner either. It makes me feel like the characters are stuck on a track without any room to really breathe, even if I have the power to change it as I go. I simply prefer to feel as though the events are happening in real time and the characters are actively responding to it.

When it comes to "sticking to it", you have to feel compelled to write if you want to pursue it with any seriousness. This comes down to the proverbial, "Why does one write?" and the equally proverbial response, "Why does one breathe?" You simply have to want it. Some people may disagree, but for a large portion of writers that I've personally spoken with (and others who have gone on the record saying as much), the process of writing, especially a novel-length work, is a tedious, stressful, lonely job. I've completed one novella length and five novel length manuscripts, a couple I haven't listed in my sig, and I will admit that I've rarely enjoyed myself while doing so. The only real satisfaction I feel in the writing process is when I type the final sentence and hit the period key. Even then, the satisfaction is only momentary, and I'm back to nitpicking everything all over again. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't expect writing to be a fun-filled, happy-go-lucky experience.

If you aren't determined--if you aren't on a mission to write write write--you never will.

Why don't you outline up to a certain point? I don't see why it has to be either you outline or you don't.

satyesu said:

i find that, whether i'm writing a short story or trying yet another novel, if i don't make an outline it's poorly tuned, but as soon as i set in stone what happens next, i lose interest in actually writing it. how do i keep going and keep it fun for me?

Click to expand...

Why does the outline need to be set in stone? I used to hate outlines because they were so rigidly structured and required so much detail. I'd lose interest in the story once I did one. But I needed one because I wanted to get a handle on the story. So I did mine in a less specific way, keeping the details vague so that there was room for growth:

Chapter 4
Backstory about main character
They find bodies
Monster finds them.

And if the story changed in a different direction (which it did), I adjusted the outline.

You either write and enjoy it or you don't -there is no magic pill.

satyesu said:

... how do i keep going and keep it fun for me?

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I find I have more success (i.e. I finish the story!) if I can visualize how it ends, and backtrack to roughly note turning points. Having planted my navigation markers, I set sail.

-Derek

I carry around a writer's notebook, in which I keep copious notes about my story. Anything that comes to mind about it during the day. Sometimes I draw diagrams and charts. Sometimes I make character sketches. I'll write brief outlines of scenes that are coming up. All of this makes me more in the mood to write when I actually sit down to the computer.

I think the key is to realize that, once the outline is finished, you only think you know the story. There's a lot of new, interesting stuff that evolves or gets invented when you're connecting the dots between outline points. You just have to dive into that "fleshing out" phase with the understanding that your story isn't completely told, and there's still a lot for you to discover. The only difference is that you're switching gears from brainstorming forward to brainstorming between. And in successively more detail.

As others have pointed out, though, even if that idea doesn't excite you right off the bat, you'll need to learn to push through those "I don't want to" moments if you ever hope to be a pro. A HUGE part of writing is rewriting, which means even the step you're avoiding right now is only an early step. A first draft is just the beginning, not the end result. Whether you discover an enjoyment of the process or simply discipline yourself into continuing forward, you'll need to find a way to push through many, many stages of writing. If you can't, you might as well start shopping for another career now.

That being said, I think you'll find that if you just push yourself forward and start the next step of your writing, you'll very quickly find the fun in it. After each major phase of a project (outline, treatment, first draft, etc), I feel like I'm done and have no interest in continuing. I want desperately to procrastinate and do something else or start another new, interesting project. But, as soon as I force myself to start the next phase, I very quickly get into it and start having tons of fun, and wonder what the heck I was avoiding in the first place. If you're truly a writer, I imagine you'll find the very same thing.

So, yeah. Just force yourself forward, and the fun will come. The more times you find the fun, the easier it'll be to force yourself forward the next time. Rinse and repeat.