When nothing's flowing

[goatpiper]

Man oh man oh man...
Please share your experiences when not ONE paragraph flows properly into the next when you're hammering away at your WIP. The last few pages I've written seem so ridiculously disjunct. I fear the following will be the same - I'm trying really hard not to think about that, though.
I'm trying to leave all this crap behind me without trying to revise it in the moment, but can't help but think what a pain in the arse it will be later. It's like I have this gap in my manuscript where all goes to drivel.

Gotta wonder...in moments like these, 'hope' is one of the coolest concepts around.
I'm clinging away...

[Perks]

I don't know, but I'm considering digging my left eye out with a nutpick. I'll let you know if it helps.

[Sage]

Are you doing NaNo? Just think. If you run out of plot, you can always go back & fluff up those sections for a higher word count.

If you're not... uh, yeah. Leave it for editing if you just want to get it all out there. It'll all be fine. <hugs>

[Jamesaritchie]

Some lack of flow is normal, I think, but if it gets too bad, and if it keeps up for too long, it tells me I screwed up the opening, or something shortly thereafter.

For me, A flows into B, B flows into C, C flows into D, etc. If this isn't happening, I know I'm trying to make things happen, rather than allowing the story to dictate what happens. It doesn't happen often, and when it does happen, it's usually within the first 100 pages, but when it does happen, it's nearly always because I screwed up very early in the story. Pushing on to the end simply doesn't work for me under these circumstances.

Just me. Your problem with flow may be completely different.

[jbmm]

goatpiper--just keep going with it. If it doesn't want to "flow" in the moment, you can just push it all out on paper, print it up, and (at a later time), get out a pair of scissors and try to glue it all together. If the magic is with you, it will work. I promise.

[scarletpeaches]

I write through it and it never seems as bad on editing.

[Thomdor]

Is personal problems/emotions getting in the way? Perhaps some event that's happening now in your own life that causes you to lose the thought process? Maybe try writing in a new location for a different perspective.

This is a bit bizarre but try eating a whole bag of potato chips and write from the perspective of the guilt you feel (or drink beer or whatever sin/vice you can come up with). It won't help your story but you'll 'get it out of your system' and perhaps get some new ideas for the characters. If you're going to have to rewrite anyway, might just as well have fun with it.

Maybe try recording yourself reading the whole thing aloud and listening to it later. Might help to 'see' the gaps etc.

Rest assured you're not alone.

[kristie911]

I hate when that happens...I feel your pain.

Depending on my mood, I usually do one of two things. One, I walk away...literally, walk. I shut off the laptop and take a walk, or I vacuum or take a shower, whatever seems necessary to distract myself from my WIP. Because when I'm distracted, I do my best thinking...just do something mindless and let the whole thing cook for awhile. Usually, when I'm forcing my writing, it's because something happened that I wasn't expecting and now I have to think about it for awhile again.

Or two, I push through it. Keep writing the crap and delete the whole damned thing later, either during edits or, more often, the next day. I re-read it and if I hate it, it's gone. Sometimes it's painful but I just remind myself that they are just words and I have plenty more where they came from...and better ones too!

Good luck!

[James D. Macdonald]

Go back four sentencs, and try re-writing from there (whole 'nother direction, brand new words).

If that doesn't help, go back four paragraphs and change course.

If that doesn't help, go back four pages, and write fresh from that point on.

If that doesn't help delete the last four chapters, and write fresh (new direction, new plot) from that point.

[My-Immortal]

I'll sometimes stand under the shower and let the hot water beat onto my head until the water gets cold. Usually by then the problem becomes clear and I'm able to write again.

If that doesn't work, I print out what I have written and read it out loud (with a pen handy). It's surprising how many times I'll catch what is wrong by reading it out loud - it just doesn't 'sound' right.

If after all that I'm still stuck, I usually try to look at the scene from a different POV because perhaps I'm telling that part of the story through the wrong character.

Good luck with your writing!

[egem]

Goatpiper I think writing is like everything else in life. If something is screwing it up it rarely has anything to do with whatever is being screwed up. If a relationship get's screw up it's not the relationship's fault it's whatever is happening with the people in the relationship.

Look around for other things that may be causing this first. Make sure that you don't have something too big on your mind that you haven't cleared before you sat down. If there is something new that is bouncing off your writing clear it. Take a walk, as was suggested, listen to music, forget about the work for a day, and go back. When you go back start where you left off and try it again. Until you get the flow it's going to keep coming out clunky. I think it can keep going for a long time if you don't clear up whatever is having an impact on you. Once you get the flow go back and rewrite everything. It will start sounded good again. It just takes time. I'm not saying to stop writing the work. Just keep coming at it with different mindsets until you find the right one. When you find it will flow.

Also, something that has always helped me is to read something I don't normally read (not all of it, maybe just a few paragraphs or stanzas). Read a poem if you always read scifi. Read fantasy if you always read poetry. Pick up books at random that you have not read. Let other writers clear the clunk.

[Writer2011]

My biggest problem is that i'll start off with somehting good and not more than a few paragraphs into it, things seem to just shut down--I hate it :) I know what I want to say just have a hard time getting it written down.

[My-Immortal]

My biggest problem is that i'll start off with somehting good and not more than a few paragraphs into it, things seem to just shut down--I hate it :) I know what I want to say just have a hard time getting it written down.

Even if I don't have the exact words to describe what I want - I'll at least put something down because then at least that part of the novel is out of my head. Once the story is out of my head - no matter how clunky or in need of rewriting it is - I find it much more manageable.

Good luck

[SeanDSchaffer]

My step-dad works on cars. When I was a child, I could hear him using cuss words that had never been heard of before, all because a nut would not go on to a bolt properly.

He would curse and swear for about five minutes, and then come out of the garage and into the house, sit down, have a cup of coffee, watch a little television, and basically get his mind off the nut and the bolt for about fifteen minutes to a half-hour or so.

After this break, he would go into the garage again, with a fresh attitude, and the nut would instantly go on to the bolt without a problem.


The above, Goatpiper, is not simply a parable. This happened almost every night, in our house, for the twenty or so years I lived with my parents.

My point?

Take a break. It doesn't necessarily have to be fifteen minutes to a half-hour. But take a break, get your mind off the work you're doing. Maybe take a shower, have a snack, do something to get your mind off that paragraph.

Then, when you're done with your break, go back and read over it again and see if your mind comes up with the right idea. It might not always work perfectly, but if your mind is struggling, I find the best thing you can do is give your mind a break.

That's my opinion. I hope it helps you out.

:idea:

[zornhau]

Just a thought. Perhaps it's not flowing because you're trying to make joins that don't need to exist. It's quite OK to write like this:

[Sentence(s) without POV character but through their eyes] [POV Character's reaction]
E.g.
The crimson sun impaled itself on the castle spires, painting the landscape with blood. Rooks..... [insert purple prose here]. Olaf pulled his cloak tighter and loosened his sword in its scabbard.

The path plunged into the gloomy dell. Strange sounds..... [etc]. Mouthing a prayer to Unk El Geem, Olaf doubled his pace. He was almost there.
The point being that there's no need to try to join everything up. No need for clumsy constructions such as "Olaf saw..." "The sinister sounds made Olaf...." "Reacting to the..."

Essentially you separate your POV character from his/her environment and write as if the two were in dialogue.

[Jamesaritchie]

I do think it's a good idea to keep in mind that sometimes flow problems are trying to tell you you're goingt he wrong way, and the longer you go in that wrong way, the more problems you'll have trying to get back on course.

It is, I think, a good idea to determine, if you can, whether the problem is with the story, or with you. If it's your mood, if it's something else on your mind, etc., walk away and come back later.

But if the problem is with the story, pressing ahead is probably the worst possible thing to do. No matter how well it reads later, if the story is going in the wrong direction, it doesn't matter. If the story is off course, getting it back on course is teh first priority, and this usually means backing up some distance, finding where you took teh wrong turn, and getting back on the right road.

[goatpiper]

I really appreciate all the support.

I know a lot of my problems have to do with this being my first novel. I've written plenty of short fiction, but that's much different, imo, than a long, sustained work. The idea is certainly big enough for a novel - I'm just inexperienced. I know that. I just needed some slaps on the back. It always looks like a masterpiece in my head, and I feel like I'm thrashing it to death getting it onto the paper, but that's the only way anyone (including myself) is going to see it.
I went back and read what I was talking about, and it's not really bad, just a bit forced and stilted. I notice as my manuscript grows that I have places where everything is rocking out and moving so smoothly, and places where it's like slogging up the steepest mountain.
Thanks again for all the response! I'll keep on truckin'.:box:

[blisswriter]

I agree with the others who say take a break. I do it all the time. Quite often in fact. I've been working on my first novel for several years. Some days nothing would come so I started other manuscripts.

I've also put aside my novels to work on poetry and short stories. Somebody has gotta pay for all the Twizzlers I eat while I'm writing! :)

[aadams73]

I get up from my computer, snap a leash on my pup and take her for a walk. If that doesn't fix the problem, I throw a # in and get to work on the next scene. Usually the walk works wonders though.

[zeprosnepsid]

What I do when I lose my flow is one of two things. Sometimes I just start reading the novel from the beginning (I think some people are against this sort of thing but whatever) and try to find the flow I've already created. I get into it by reading it (just as easily as by writing it).

The other thing I do is start writing a short story. A lot of time they suck but at least I get it out. I just write this story that doesn't matter to me until I feel the flow return.

And once I did go back and wipe out a chapter or two =)

My problem right now is I haven't written in a while. Writing is a lot easier (and better) when you do it every day. So I'm trying to get back into the flow by writing short stories and writing every day until I feel like my writing isn't just blah. Tap into the creativity and all that.

Good luck man.

[Mbwana]

It always looks like a masterpiece in my head, and I feel like I'm thrashing it to death getting it onto the paper

Yes, that's exactly how I feel about my latest attempt this week :(
I don't yet have the nerve to get back to it - I have a very sensitive stomach, you know ...

But I wanted to say "Thanks from a lurker !" to all who have replied to your post. That helps others too :) !

Now I'm going back to writing gothic lyrics ...

[goatpiper]

Things are moving along well, now. Going swimmingly, you might say (that's one of my favorite adverbs).
I did ice a bit of work - approx. 2 pages...not much, but enough to throw me back a bit. Cool thing is, I write longhand, and I've developed a pretty cool way of handling things. I just marked off the section I iced with a red marker, but all the words are still there (in case there's something good in there I can use in revision). I've also taken to typing up a bit of my handwritten manuscript every night, without doing any revision whatsoever. This accomplishes a couple useful things - it keeps me familiar with the material immediately previous to what I'm working on every morning, and gets the manuscript into a WP proggie gradually, so it's not some giant of a thing to accomplish when I finally write 'The End' on the dern thing. I have difficulty reading my own handwriting at times, as well, so this will also prevent me from scratching my head down the line when I'm trying to type out a section where my muse had lit a fire under my fanny, and my longhand is just a fast-paced scrawl.
Thanks for all the perspective. I love this board, and you all rock. It's so great having a place like this. ROCK ON!!!!! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/musik/music-smiley-010.gif

[kristie911]

Things are moving along well, now. Going swimmingly, you might say (that's one of my favorite adverbs).
I did ice a bit of work - approx. 2 pages...not much, but enough to throw me back a bit.

Glad you hear you got back on track! Last night I was working on my current manuscript and decided it was becoming too forced and I didn't like where it had gone, so I closed it and did some editing on another work. When I opened my WIP again, I realized I hated the whole thing except the first chapter so I deleted the whole works (just shy of a hundred pages).

It hurt but actually I feel much better, I could have pushed on and maybe finished it but it would have sucked anyway!

[FolkloreFanatic]

I really appreciate all the support.

I know a lot of my problems have to do with this being my first novel. I've written plenty of short fiction, but that's much different, imo, than a long, sustained work. The idea is certainly big enough for a novel - I'm just inexperienced. I know that. I just needed some slaps on the back. It always looks like a masterpiece in my head, and I feel like I'm thrashing it to death getting it onto the paper, but that's the only way anyone (including myself) is going to see it.
I went back and read what I was talking about, and it's not really bad, just a bit forced and stilted. I notice as my manuscript grows that I have places where everything is rocking out and moving so smoothly, and places where it's like slogging up the steepest mountain.


Wow. I'm having the exact same problems. Normally, my solution would be to work on something else until the inspiration comes back, but this is NaNoWriMo we're talking about here, and I can't even manage to write CRAP. Oi.

[stormie]

I've also put aside my novels to work on poetry and short stories. Somebody has gotta pay for all the Twizzlers I eat while I'm writing! :)

Ahhh....Twizzlers! Love the strawberry. People think I buy them for my family. I buy them for me--and I don't like to share.

What do I do when stuck? Move on to something else in a totally different genre. Like from short horror story to sickeningly sweet romance to religious essay. Or as others said, get up and go for a walk. One time I walked down to the beach and had such a good time I stayed. Writing was put on hold but it was worth it! The next day I had some really great ideas and the mind worked overtime.

[kaquinn]

A lot of the time, things really don't flow for me on novels. I keep writing anything I can think of, in random order. If I get an idea or character I hate, I write it anyway and don't criticize, and somehow it all comes together in my mind after the first draft. Sometimes a "stupid idea" makes a great change in the story.

I use the first draft to explore characters and ideas, and after a while, it gets easier to go back and fill in the gaps and choppy spots. Just keep at it!

[goatpiper]

I've had this solution in mind, but it's pretty screwy...maybe on a day off (and I often have days off during the 'work week', so my wife is working while I'm home) I should get a couple pitchers of water and a cooler of food near my desk, handcuff myself to some fixed point on the desk (something I can't undo or take away from the desk - I'd have to figure that out), then have my wife take the keys to the handcuffs to work. That way, I'd have to keep working, no matter how rough it got, since there's not much interesting stuff to do around my desk (the computer is kept on a shared desk in another room). I write by hand, and a big reason is that I tend to surf the 'net when things are going badly.
Imagine how much I'd get done!
Well...my discipline has gotten a lot better over the past month...without the handcuffs.

[Maryn]

I've had this solution in mind, but it's pretty screwy...maybe on a day off (and I often have days off during the 'work week', so my wife is working while I'm home) I should get a couple pitchers of water and a cooler of food near my desk, handcuff myself to some fixed point on the desk (something I can't undo or take away from the desk - I'd have to figure that out), then have my wife take the keys to the handcuffs to work. That way, I'd have to keep working, no matter how rough it got, since there's not much interesting stuff to do around my desk (the computer is kept on a shared desk in another room). I write by hand, and a big reason is that I tend to surf the 'net when things are going badly.
Imagine how much I'd get done!
Well...my discipline has gotten a lot better over the past month...without the handcuffs.At the risk of being crude, goatpiper, I refer you to the title of this thread, which you yourself created. With two pitchers of water, you're going to feel the need for some, ah, 'flowing'! You do not want to be chained to your desk when the need arises. Talk about distracting!

Maryn, remembering an old Candid Camera in which they chained new employees to their desks

[goatpiper]

That is hilarious! I didn't even think of that. I guess that's another problem to solve.

[PeeDee]

The stuff usually flows pretty steadily for me (ifI have no distractions, I usually have about twenty pages of story that I can write at any given time.) If, however, I start going and fall dead in my tracks, it probably means I'm writing a rotten scene,or a scene that's meant for later. Sometimes, it's as simple as just rephrasing it.

ALways, though, I take a break. Either I write a short story within the WIP itself, or I go off and "freestyle" a short story (what Harlan Ellison does: Someone gives you a title, you write a story right on the spot based on that. I love doing it.) It really helps.

Go read a chunk out of your favorite book. Watch a few scenes from your favorite movie. Etc. It'll get you flowing again.

Or just keep writing, no matter how horrid it sounds. I had a short story, many moons ago, that I wrote with my teeth set on edge. I hated it. Sounded terrible. When I finally posted it....it did better, reader-opinion-wise, than some of the stories I'd been happy with before it.

Who knows. :)