What to do when words just don't leave you horny anymore?

I got up to 55k on NaNoWriMo. Then I decided the direction the plot went was pure crap and restarted it.

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I always feel that way in the middle of a draft, but if I push on and finish, I usually find it's not as bad as I thought. And at that point, it's as bad as it's going to get. From then on, I can make it better. But until I finish a draft, I'm in a swamp of despair.

So IMHO, the horror you feel is just normal writer's angst. I'd say finish that draft and then fix it.

Well, you got my attention with the horny part. As to your problem, it sounds like you're thinking to much about what others might like and not enough about what you feel. Crappy writing (I think) is forced writing, or when people achieve a certain amount of notariety believe that every utterence they scribble on paper is worthy of greatness, that's stuff that sucks. But true feelings, or real inspiration usually reads well. Totally different than getting published, crappy writing gets published all the time.

It sounds to me like your work might benefit from two things: One, having a master plan (whether it's a detailed synopsis, an outline, index cards, or something else is your call) before you write, so your plot won't throw any surprises your way, and two, giving yourself permission to write utter crap in early drafts. Bad writing can be edited, revised, completely rewritten, but blank pages of the blocked and discouraged cannot. If you're going to rewrite anyway (which is pretty much a sure thing), what does it matter if what you're revising is truly sucktacular?

So plan carefully, then write badly. Works for me!

Maryn, bad writer

Don't worry! Everyone always think that things suck in the middle of a book. It is normal. Give yourself permission to suck (he said to the woman who was no longer horny). Fix it in the edit. Usually when I go back to revise the book, I can not tell the parts I thought really sucked at the time of writing from the other parts. Finish the book. Fix it later.

A couple of things:

Hi June.

First, you really don't know where a book begins until the whole story is written. I have cut four chapters before to reach the real beginning. Search back in Writing with Uncle Jim to find some good discussion on this.

Second, Choppy writing is the hallmark of a first draft. If everyone wrote perfectly in the first draft, there would be no need for rewrites, edits, and editors at publishers.

Third, it is important to finish a novel whether you think it is good or not. Actually completing a full story is a training process all by itself. It teaches you discipline, motivation eve in the tough times, and offers you confidence in the fact that you can complete a full work.

Lastly, most people's first novel ends up at the bottom of a trunk for safekeeping. We have to protect the world from those deliciously horrible books we personally treasure.

I use this method. It is right for me.

1. I wrote the story, no matter how much I hate it in the middle.
2. I let novel sit on the computer for a month. Then I reread the manuscript from beginning to end, making notes in the margins.
(note: I do cheat a little by adding comments to the WP file as I go about places I need to fix storyline problems.)

just my thoughts...

Maryn said:

It sounds to me like your work might benefit from two things: One, having a master plan (whether it's a detailed synopsis, an outline, index cards, or something else is your call) before you write, so your plot won't throw any surprises your way, and two, giving yourself permission to write utter crap in early drafts. Bad writing can be edited, revised, completely rewritten, but blank pages of the blocked and discouraged cannot. If you're going to rewrite anyway (which is pretty much a sure thing), what does it matter if what you're revising is truly sucktacular?

So plan carefully, then write badly. Works for me!

Maryn, bad writer

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I agree with this. I think if you write down what you want your plot to be at first, it might help steer you along as you write. Just write your first draft and don't worry about how bad it sucks. If you finish it, you'll feel great and it will probably inspire you more than you thought. I know that's what happened with me. You can edit however many times you want to fix it. There are no rules that says how many times a person edits to fix something. It might take one person a couple of days or weeks, yet another it might take years. If you can just finish one novel, no matter how bad you think it is, you'll be feeling better. That's just my guess. Good luck.

I remember reading about how a famous book got written ( Ragtime, by Doctorow I think) where the author said they had a complete writers block. No plot, no characters, nothing.

So he sat and forced himself to to write something - it turned out he wrote about the wall he could see in his study, which turned into him writing about how old the house was, and trying to imagine it when it was built at the turn of the century, with trams running outside....before long, he had a book. A book that was nominated for several awards, and won at least two ( iirc).

The very act of writing gets those juices flowing, so write anything, even if you think it's drivel. You should ( hopefully ) find that as you write the plot evolves in your head until you've got something not half bad. I don't suppose there are all that many books where the plot is exactly as the author planned it, but many where the plot grew from the writing.

First get it written, then get it right.

It gets me through the first draft, but I can't claim that motto as my own As long as it helps.


Good luck

You have hit "the wall." It happens to me a lot--after a certain number of words (I'm at 62000) you realize that everything you've ever done is complete horse manure. But fret not, I have the solution! Here are my methods for overcoming writer's block. Success is guaranteed; I'm never blocked for more than a day.*

1. Read something brilliant. I recommend Lolita because it is my favorite book--something less heavy like Ender's Game would work as well. This always renews in me the desire to "do that."

2. Read writerly advice. Hang out at AW for a while, read one of those "how-to character" books you have lying around, or troll writer-blogs. Try to find writerly advice that tells you how crappy famous first drafts were.

3. Write something entirely different for a day or so. A short story about penguins, for instance.

4. Open that 55000-word document, scroll down to the end, and write. You can fix it later.

*terms and conditions apply.

juneafternoon said:

I don't particularly believe in writer's block

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I don't know why some people refuse to believe in writers block. Its just mental exhaustion. People make it sound like the tooth fairy. Writers cannot be creative all the time. We're human. If you don't know what to write, its because you're not inspired enough. Take a break. Read a book. Have a bath. Go see a movie. Do ANYTHING else. Once you stop obbessing about your book, your mind will become clear, and eventually you'll find the right sentence or line of dialogue you've been searching for. It will just come to you. BANG. Like that. Give yourself a break.