The all important 2nd chapter

At this stage, and because it has kept you from writing for 3 weeks, I think it may be best just to push through it and type in " ****** " in the places you need specific researched information. Also, by pushing through, you may find you can solve some of your problems without thinking them through first. That's happened to me a few times. I've been stalled on a section and then just went, "Fudge it, let's just write and see what happens" and then somehow things manage to resolve themselves.

Or could you skip chapter 2 altogether and work on a different one maybe?

Depends on WHY you're stuck.

If you're stuck at C2 because you need those details to figure out where the story goes from there, then I'd figure it all out before you move forward. Starting over at C1 is easy. C24 is hard.

BUT, if it's just technical stuff that doesn't affect the plot or anything, and you know where the story is going, then breeze away. You can always fill in the details later and flesh it out.

My first drafts tends to be like that. I know where I'm going, but not always how I'll get there, and if I know there will be a chase scene, but not the details, then instead of the two or three pages (or whatever) it will take, I write something like "Bob runs trough the city with the guards hot on his tail and escapes. FILL LATER." This way I keep the muse momentum going and don't get bogged down by details I need to research.

I'd just skip the stuff that's giving you trouble. You don't want to lose momentum while you're excited about the story.

I agree with TP, push through it. I find, keep writing and it will come...

Well... it depends. I think it depends if the information is important and if it has any impact on your plot direction, etc. For example, I skipped through an important research to move forward, and later found out that my assumptions were all wrong, and the reality made me change my plot -- it just wouldn't work as I had written it. I should have done all my research first.

I've never been stuck.

I just keep going until I reach the end and I don't write in chapters for the first draft anyway.

Keep going. The all-important chapter two (as opposed to the all-important chapter three, the all-important chapter one, and the all-important last chapter) may not survive the second draft anyway.

i think it's wise to do the research first. i only wish i could follow my own advice. what i find i do is start the story and have an idea as i write. too often i discover that that idea doesn't fit at all where i want it to, or, even worse, the research doesn't solve the problem because it doesn't have the 'right' facts i'm looking for. usually it's a technical problem. typically it's something stupid like how houses were plumbed for gas lights. or is it the right carriage, or would the maid wear a corset, and shoot me now, please. one thing that absolutely drove me mad was finding out what kind of police/constabulary force would be around in 1693 new england area.

so, i can't give more props to doing research ahead of time. one prompt that turned into a book involved a diamond. i forget exactly how i came about the name, but the diamond also turned out to be a somewhat famous ship, perfect for the story. it didn't hurt that the ship was considered cursed. it even had a steel hull, very unusual for its time. so i used the ship to sail overseas where it docked with an underwater mechanism ~ the boat was a key, an electrical conductor that opened up the island's main door and turned the ancient machinery on. i mean, what else would the ship with a steel hull be used for, i ask you? but, i'd never had had that idea (which i think is pretty cool) if i hadn't researched it first.

and the thing with research is there's sometimes a fact involved that you wished you'd known earlier. what i'm working on right now had a vague year to it until i was researched victorian dresses, found this thing called the contagious disease act, and want to use that. it also gave me a specific year, which in turn nailed down the style of dress to use.

so, resurch good, ug.

Once, longer ago than I like to admit, I was a research fellow at Oak Ridge National Labs. The scientist I worked for, with the improbable name of Ron Rahn (true), gave me some advice I think cuts to the heart of research. He said:

"The most important thing to learn is when you can be sloppy and when you can't. If you're sloppy about the wrong things, you'll spoil the experiment. On the other hand, if you insist on planning and designing every little detail before moving ahead, you'll never finish any experiments at all."

So, Danthia/Uncle James on the one hand, and Maestrowork on the other, appear to be telling you different things. Problem is, both things are true. Too many writers let the need for more research stall their work. But I've also seen writers charge ahead assuming they'd look up the details later, and write themselves into an avoidable corner.

I guess I really didn't help much, did I? Sorry. It's a Goldlocks problem, and you need to find the solution that is "just right".

I'm not published, but I keep writing - there are parts in my book right now that have [MORE HERE] or '???' slapped in the middle of paragraphs. I find that when I get stuck, I'll get irritated and it will become a chore, so I just make a note in the draft and carry on. After all, I'm going to be rewriting the whole thing properly later on.

As others have said, if the bit you are stuck on is vital, then try and finish it - but if it's not, just carry on. Chances are it'll come to you when you least expect it anyway!

Some alternates that might be helpful:

If it's research:

In the space where you need to do some research, type [Need research on widgets]. Highlight it in yellow and continue writing.

Then, when you get bored writing or over the next few days or weeks, search the Internet for the research material. If you find what you're looking for, you can go back and add it. If you happen to be near a bookstore or library while driving around, drop in, see what books on the subject they have. Meanwhile, keep your eyes alert for any articles in the newspaper that might relate in some way. Try posting a question about the topic over on the Research board and see what you get.

If it's a story technical detail:

It may be a good idea to simply jump ahead to chapter 3 and start writing. With my last project, co-writer and I spent months trying to make chapter 1 work before we went on. When we got to page 100, we understood how to start the story better and trashed the first chapter, and then when we reached the end, we trashed the first chapter again. All that time spent trying to make it work in the beginning, and the chapter ended up not getting used.

In my current WIP, I got stuck on the first chapter, and I finally jumped ahead to get something written and that unlocked it. Do what you need to do to keep moving.

popmuze said:

I've got a great idea, great plot, great synopsis and great first chapter. But I've been stuck at the beginning of chapter 2 for about 3 weeks. Let's say there are some technical difficulties I want to get straightened out. Would you wait until you researched all the details, or, in the interest of speed, just breeze through the chapter without the information, figuring you'll fill it in later.

Click to expand...

It all depends on what you're writing and what kind of details you need. I write historical fiction and you can't just PLUG IN details. They look plugged in if you do. Details must be seamless and in order to do that, at least for what I write, you have to know your stuff BEFORE you start to write. If it's something simple like the model of a gun or the name of a hotel or a street, of course it's no problem. But if it shapes action or contributes to the plotline, you really ought to do your homework first or else you may find yourself backtracking and rewriting.
Linnea

I always use fillers. I might right something like

NAME had checked into LUXURY HOTEL IN PARIS three days ago, and had been casing the rendezvous. It was close to METRO LINE NEAR THERE, which was an avenue of escape. At rush hour, the crowds there on Rue XXX would be easy to get lost in.

When I have time, or when I am done with the first draft, I do a search for all the bolded text and fill in names and places with research.

Presumably you've been doing lots of background reading right the way along, and reading lots of fiction and non-fiction about all kinds of obscure things. That should keep you from gross errors.

And if you have the Germans winning WWI, well, hey, you have alternate history!

Yeah push through it and worry about the details later.. After 3 weeks it can only become more difficult to get back in your writing groove.

I have never researched while writing first draft. I just write until I get to the end and then explore those places I need to research afterwards. I find that the internal editor is the worst thing a writer could bring to the first draft table. Keep it locked up until that first draft is done.

If you know roughly how Ch. 2 ends, ex. ' MC 1 & 2 go to MC3' --you can drop in filler notes to self:

How can MC1 get the car to travel to the city when he doesn't know how to drive?

Where does the MC pick up MC2 so they can get to MC3?

What happens when MC 1 & 2 pick up the mysterious stranger on the way to MC 3?

After you've wrestled Ch. 3 together you can pull Ch. 2 open and fill in the blanks.