Perpetual Plotting Problems

S&S, like kids and their imaginary friends, I invented an Imaginary Audience. It kinda works for me. Still have to push myself, but now there's someone rooting me on.

I have a hard time with most of my plots, but I keep writing anyway, and things do come together, often with unexpected twists I would have never thought of it I tried plotting. So I would say keep going... keep talking to your characters, watching them... and when they do something you like, write it down.

My avatar isn't a porcupine because I'm warm, fuzzy, and care to be within touching distance of anyone... so I can totally understand frustrations with the world. I happen to hate everyone. The ones I hate least frequently are the people I bother to talk to.

Just because you start a story without a plot doesn't mean you can't develop the plot later. Sometiems I start with characters-- then I can go back and figure out what that neat scene is leading up to and what the conflict is. I find it enjoyable to pull the pieces of the plot together. Here's an excercise for you (stolen from someone, I forget who,) brainstorm twenty different endings/plots/conflicts. Really do the full twenty, no excuses and no worrying about good ideas. As you exercise your brain in plotting, you'll come up with new ideas. I usually only get to about 12 or 14 before I hit on a idea that REALLY works.

Also, if you're not finding any kindred spirits, it may be because you are closed to the possibility. Because you have concluded that all people are stupid, fickle, etc, are you really going to give anyone a chance? Plus, your dour attitude may turn off some who are not quite as far into the dark side. In my experience as a dark sider, there are few people who endure dark, bleak commentary and few who enjoy it. Finding them is hard. (I thank whatever gods there may be for my husband.)

Your listlessness in writing may be a reflection of your state of mind. You need to straighten yourself out. Depending on the type of person you are, writing may be the catalyst for change (good writing will cheer you up) or it may be the product (when you're cheered, your writing will go better.)

Now, you have to understand, if *I* can see hope in a situation, then it really must be there. I have some pretty dark colored glasses that help me to find the dark side of every situation. You want the doomandgloom report, I'm your porcupine.

Find purpose. Find something that makes you happy. And keep looking for a friend you can enjoy. [Insert sappy phrase about friendship]

SandS, plotting is sometimes an over-used word in the fiction world.

For instance, almost every activity, from world building to character studies, can be helpful to your plot, therefore, it must be part of the plot process, right?

I'm going to say, "wrong."

This is because plot is simple and often overlooked.

Plotting is the planning of conflict and resolution.

Again, plotting is the planning of conflict and resolution.

Just because I write about characters who do something does not mean I've plotted a novel. If I've taken the time to figure out the main character's outer goal ("save the cheerleader, save the world...") and his inner goal ("find other freaks like me") then I've taken great strides to plotting my book. By seeing/realizing/boiling down the major things that create tension in my book's scope, I help myself write the rest of the novel. The secondary characters, external world, etc. usually has their own agendas and they don't co-exist peaceably with my MC, which adds/builds tension and conflict. This is part of plotting.

A Utopic world where nothing bad happens to the MC and nothing bad can come in, is not interesting. Take that same world and invade it with a race of superhuman she-wolves who eat Mary-Janes and Marty-Stu's for breakfast, then you've got interesting....add a Mary-Jane who despite being out numbered, and bitten and infected with the she-wolf virus who can stand up against the wolves, and you've got a story.

I definitely DON'T want to 'go out in the real world'. The 'real world' is intolerably awful, and protest against it is the core motivation of my writing. My personal artistic philosophy is that fiction exists to point out the injustices of the universe, pain a picture of what a truly good existence might be like, allow us to pretend temporarily that all is as it should be, and distract us from the intolerability of reality.

Click to expand...

The real world can stay out there, but bring the conflict in and control it. Use news stories of conflict to imagine worst case scenarios for your characters and depict how they will overcome the worst. That's the joy of being a writer, you get to control your very own universe. Too bad writers are perverse gods...

I started project after project four years ago. I just tossed them away and forgot about them. I read a book and came up with a entire story all my own with nothing to do with the book I was reading

S&S, your OP is full of what you don't want, but it's not clear what you do want other than friends.

At a squint I'd say that your writing looks stalled for the same reason your friendships are: because you don't want to care until you get paid in advance.

In my experience we all pay up front and we all pay more than we get back. Don't sweat it; them's just the rules.

My suggestion: do something for someone other than yourself. Do it regularly. Do it with your best efforts. Practice caring until Self doesn't fill your mind. If that hurts and outrages you, then be hurt and outraged. Jot down how it hurts and why it hurts. Start a blog and whine your head off if you want, but keep doing.

Caring often, actively and sincerely is exercise for the spirit. When we first start exercising, everything is torture. After that, it's a mind-numbing chore. After that, it can actually be a bit exhilarating.

Caring brings friendships like honey brings bees. It brings compassion, sympathy and concern. Why? Perhaps it's just because people who care seek other people who do.

Finally, caring leads to compassion, empathy, sympathy, understanding, inspiration -- all key tools in the writer's toolbox.

So my advice in a nutshell: don't wait to get paid before you care. Don't bargain about how much you need to be paid or when. Care first (not by judging, by doing), and you'll find what you need.

Good luck.

How about this?

"that I don't feel like I have anything important to say"

Then, don't bother.
Say something ordinary but say it so well, the whole world will realise they had not thort properly about a fork b4.
A spoon.
A automobile.
A dove, a pigeon.
Anything and everything.
When you can write 100,000 words about a single orchid bloom, and can't contain yourself at 99,999, you have cracked your demon.

The demon is in your head, nowhere else, it is not over here, I have my own personal demons, keep yours away!

Take something, anything, big/small, simple/complicated, white/black, then OWN it, every last little detail and probably nothing anyone else has thort of b4.

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english is a word, I invented it, I own it!