HELP! My plot bunnies died!

[Dreamer3702]

Okay, so I'm supposed to be working on this novel, but I barely have a plot. I've never had this problem before. I have no idea as to how I'm going to crank out 50k when I'm struggling with chapter 2! Don't get me wrong, I love the characters and the idea... I just need something for them to do between point A and point B!

So, what do you guys do when your brain doesn't want to cooperate anymore? What do you do to keep the ball rolling? I know I should just write, which I am, but I haven't gotten an idea yet and I'm getting to the point where something has to happen!

[brainstrains]

I totally feel for you, sometimes I wish I would just go crazy like Jack Nicholson in the Shining because my life would be much easier if I could just write the same thing over and over again.

Perhaps you should read some of the great books out there about structuring your novel. For one, Vogler's Hero's Journey has helped me navigate through the swampy middle to THE END. Once you find a structure that will work for you and your novel, you can begin playing "What if?" to throw some significant plot points in there, which will develop your great idea into a novel.

Usually, once I have those plot points, I take some time to list the scenes in the novel, just writing a sentence about each. Depending on how many scenes I have and how long I want the book to be, I determine roughly how long each scene should be. So if I have 25 scenes and I want to write a 50k-word novel, each scene should be about 2,000 words. Knowing that keeps me on track, keeps the book balanced.

[Dreamer3702]

I'm going to try to write out the plot points that I have now and see if I can come up with some fillers. Thanks for the suggestion; you might've just saved my WIP! If anyone else has any tips, I'd still like to hear them. :-)

[Stormhawk]

Use index cards. Write on them the scenes you know, or the places the characters go, then lay them out on a floor or table, organise them and see what's missing.

[Azure Skye]

When I get stuck with an issue like that I do a few things. First, I tend to step away for a while and think about others things. So far, knock on wood, something will sneak its way into my brain while I'm thinking about nothing important and I'll have an a-ha! moment. Second, play the "what if" game. Take your main thought or plot point or whatever and just keep asking what if and see where it goes. Inspiration will eventually find you.

I like Stormhawk's suggestion about the index cards. Sometimes you need to see where you've been and just how far you have to go. Good luck.

[Honey Nut Loop]

I'm having the same issue. I've dropped the computer and headed towards the paper, pencil and an outline. I tend to scrawl out pages of possibilities and then draw flowcharts to link them together. I've currently got a vague step by step guide. Now i need to find my character's motivations...

As brainstrains has already said, Vogler's The Writer's Journey is a great read for novel structure.

[MsJudy]

Plotting has been the hardest thing for me to learn, so I've spent the past year reading books about how to do it. I thought it would stifle the creative spark to be so analytical, but it's actually very freeing! When I get stuck now, I think about the structure and where i am in the book. "Okay, it's time to make the situation even worse. What bad things can happen to my character next?" Then I start brainstorming all the possibilities. Within a few hours or days, one of them will pop out at me--I'll start to see how it could happen. Then I'm ready to write!

I used to take FOREVER to finish a first draft, waiting for something to come to me. Now I'm finishing drafts in just a couple of months--and i still work full time and have two kids. So I am very happy with this new approach! If you want suggestions on books I've found helpful, PM me and I'll give you some titles.

[slcboston]

I read... Everything. Eventually something pops.

In the meantime I try and keep writing, even if it's something insignificant and essentially time-wasting (like, oh, I don't know, posting in a web forum or something). :D

[Dreamer3702]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I'm going to try I'll of them until my plot bunnies come back from the dead. :-) I'll let you know how it goes!

[Danthia]

When I get stuck on plot I got back to character. Who are these people, what do they want, what are they willling to do to get it, what's in their way. Usually my stickiness is casused by me having a plot event I need to have happen, but no character motivation for it to get there. So I look for ways to take my characters and deepen some aspect of their problem. What's the worst thing they could do leading up to that event? What obstacles would be in their way? What inner conflicts might cause them outer troubles?

If you're stuck at chapter two (and I'm right with you there on my current novel. Almost have it worked out finally) I find it's because I have a "premise novel" and not a story. I have a great idea and situation, but I haven't yet figured out the plot. As in, the goals, obstacles and resolutions that will drive my story on a scene by scene basis. Once I start thinking about what the characters will do to get into and out of these cool ideas, it works out.

Good luck :)

[Dreamer3702]

Thanks so much for everyone's help! I tried a little bit of everything and was able to figure out what my problem was. I was going at the story from the wrong angle. I should have been following a different character and the story should have started sooner. Who would've guessed?! ;-)

I still think it would be cool if people posted their tips and tricks. I'm sure some one out there would like to hear them.

[spike]

When I get stuck, I head back to my outline and ask myself where the story is going next and how do I think it should get there.

If that doesn't work, I just write a brief description and plan to come back later. An example would be: Where Billy gets into a fight with his sister and gets grounded. I'll go on to the next scene/chapter and go back and fill in. Sometimes it's easier to write what comes before than what comes next.

[MsJudy]

another thing to think about is how to make the conflicts/disasters bigger, how to increase the tension. So when I have a brainstorm list, I'll pick the one that has the most potential for things to go terribly wrong! (As Gail Carson Levine says, make your characters suffer.) I also like to make my characters be somehow responsible for their own messes, so if i have a choice between something happening to them or a way they could screw it up on their own, I'll pick the screw-it-up option.

[brittanimae]

I still think it would be cool if people posted their tips and tricks. I'm sure some one out there would like to hear them.

Me! Nice thread. I'm interested in the books someone mentioned--it would be great if we could post a couple of titles here. And thanks for all the public advice!

[MsJudy]

Me! Nice thread. I'm interested in the books someone mentioned--it would be great if we could post a couple of titles here. And thanks for all the public advice!

here are the ones I've found helpful:

Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine
The Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children by Nancy Lamb
Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver
Scene and Structure by James Bickham

:) Judy

[Aslera]

Often I find that my characters have flaws that make the plot appear. Zair's scared of death, so what better than to confront him with the opportunity of immortality? Analei can't imagine being alone, so to protect Alex, her best friend, she agrees to leave exile and return to her throne. Jon's pretty convinced he doesn't need anyone, so why not give him someone who needs him--what does that do? And so it goes.

[Mela]

You might be too tense and anxious about the lack of plot. I've had the same problem. Let your mind work for you - instead of you working your mind. Does that make sense?