• Read this: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?288931-Guidelines-for-Participation-in-Outwitting-Writer-s-Block

    before you post.

WIP driving me crazy.

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I've been trying to write this very complex psychological sci-fi noir for a while, and I haven't gotten past the first page. If I do get past the first page, I'll probably call it garbage and delete four hours of hard work, sweat, and self-injury. I have no idea how the plot will turn out, the tone is inconsistent and it's a chore to write in first-person. I've considered taking a break from Redesigning Eva (the project title). I think about it everyday, all the time. I have troubles putting a single word on the page. I don't want the rough draft to be perfect, but at least it should be stable enough to elaborate upon in later versions.

I hardly ever do get time to write. I'm that easily distracted.
 

mccardey

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Why don't you ask to have this thread and your other "Eva" threads merged? That way you'll be able to use one thread as a stimulus to keep you working, and look back on how you've progressed, which might be more helpful. I think if you keep beginning new threads on the same topic, you might be distracting yourself - and missing out on any momentum that starting the threads might build ...
 
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whacko

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Hey CC,

I haven't seen your other threads. But, if it's a chore writing in the first person... change the POV.:tongue

Regards

Whacko
 

Celesta

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Maybe you don't like this story and should just toss the whole idea?
 

Celesta

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Ok, perhaps perfectionism is kicking in? You don't want to make a mistake so you can't move forward?
 

dpaterso

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Maybe you're aiming too high, too soon.

Maybe writing something else that you're more comfortable with, in a voice you're more comfortable with, would do you some good.

You don't have to abandon your baby, but honing your skills and getting more confident writing other stories could do you a world of good. They don't need to be long. They don't need to be in the same genre or setting.

Consider just for fun example's sake the Flash Fiction Challenge that's running this month. Pick a topic. Write something. Learn something. Add more tools to your writer's toolbox.

If on the other hand you're utterly fixated with your baby and couldn't possibly write anything else, then perhaps that is another problem best suited for another forum.

-Derek
 

caspermac

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Do you have a detailed chapter plan as to where the plot will go?
 

DancingMaenid

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I agree with the possibility that you might be psyching yourself out. It sounds like you're trying to write a story that means a lot to you in a style you're not that comfortable with. I've had a lot of projects where I felt like my vision exceeded my ability, and maybe that's a little how you're feeling right now.

I'd suggest putting it aside very briefly and trying to work on something else. I agree with dpaterso that something short could be good. If you find that easier, that may be a sign that the problem is this particular novel (or how you're approaching it). If you can't seem to work on anything, then that may suggest a broader problem with your confidence or discipline.

Also, if writing in first person feels unnatural, maybe it's not the best POV. Maybe play around with the style a bit? You're early enough into the writing process that if you did decide to change something, it wouldn't be a huge deal.
 

MoLoLu

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I felt like this writing my first WIP. In the end I dumped it several (20-30) times and eventually just sat down to write it. The result was TERRIBLE and unreadable. It forced me to re-write over 70% of the WIP in a matter of weeks. I spent 8 months on that story, seven months for the horrid first draft and one month rewriting 60 thousand words into a presentable result. It went so well in the end that I've manage to outline a possible sequel way faster than I'd ever hoped.

I still resent the fact I spent so much time beating about the bush but in retrospect the experience of failing was something I needed to continue. I had to see that I can write something second class and horrible in order to do somthing good. A lot of changes happened during that failing, both to my writing mentality and the story itself. I believe forcing myself to finish, no matter how horrid it was, and then seeing what parts were good enough to keep did it for me. This bears particular relevance to me as a perfectionist. Seeing imperfection in my work motivated me not only to fix the first few chapters (which I spent months doing) but fix the whole damn thing because, if I'd written it once and messed it up, I'd sure as hell be able to write it again and do it right.

On a side note, I recently tried first person for a fantasy WIP and it ended up so inconsidtent I gave up and went back to my favored 3p close. There's something about first person that requires a lot of effort to make it read coherently.

Not sure if any of this helps you but I feel a certain detachment from a work is often required with the knowledge that later editing will fix all ills (even if this requires a HUGE leap of faith).
 

Maryn

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In seeing your many posts here at AW, I see the same few problems again and again.
  • No master plan. You have not yet worked out where you are going, why you're going there, and how you'll get there. A detailed master plan is vital to people who are not self-starting as they want to. The form does not matter--outline, detailed synopsis, bubble diagram, index cards, spreadsheet--but if you don't know all about these characters, what happens to them, how they react, and how that leads to a satisfying conclusion, it's no wonder you can't write more than a page.
  • Unreasonable expectations of quality. Give yourself permission to write utter crap, and share it with no one. A completed manuscript that sucks is way, way ahead of a blank screen, in terms of being a finished product of quality.
  • Lack of discipline. The busiest people here manage to write. Have you tried the BIC method? That's your butt in chair for X amount of time every day, no matter what other demands there are on your time. You have two options and only two: write, or just sit there. You cannot do anything else during BIC time. Most days, you'll write. You cannot amass credit if you go beyond your time, BTW.
  • Lack of motivation, probably the result of not having a solid plan yet expecting really good writing results. It's not that you don't want to do this, but that you are not yet prepared to do this.

Maryn, been there herself
 

Layla Nahar

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I was thinking of adapting my idea into a school play as a dry run, just to get something down on paper before I write the book itself.


hmmm. How do you expect that putting it in a different format will make it easier to write?

Can I make a suggestion?
Write on paper, in a notebook (this suggestion works really well for those with illegible writing) and start with "Once upon a time"
(ps - after looking at your syw post, I see that "Once upon a time" may be a bad fitting suggestion for "Eva"...)

Try to develop two keystones of writing:
1) keeping a promise to yourself to write on a regular basis - this should be a clear definition, like "three times a week" (hint - start small)
2) finishing whatever you start.

I agree with the others that it is probably best to set this baby aside till your abilities have caught up with your vision.

But if you want to write you have to decide to write. Some people who want to write have more obstacles to over come than others. If you want to write - describe your obstacles clearly and once you do that you can make a plan for overcoming them. After that you just have to apply yourself to that plan.

keep at it!
 
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Layla Nahar

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I was thinking of writing a condensed version with a similar premise, yet a simpler plot.

Ah, I see. Well, if the goal is a condensed simpler version, how about if you write a short story? If you write it as a play, then you'll be dealing with the learning curve of writing a play. Do you think that might be an effective way of putting off wrestling with the demons that are keeping you from making up the story that is calling to you?

I will add my voice to Wesley Kang's and recommend that you read Stephen Pressfield's "War of Art"
 
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Maryn

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If you're willing to write a condensed version, and if your goal is to write the novel, forget school plays and short stories. Write a detailed synopsis, which can then serve as your blueprint for the novel-length version.

Writing it in a form other than the one that's your goal is just further self-distraction. If you really want to do this, you need to sit down and do it. If you can't, then I can only assume you don't really want it as much as you think you do. You want to have written, not to write.

Maryn, sometimes succinct
 

firedrake

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The thing is, I don't have a plot.

Then what are you writing?

Do you have a beginning, middle or end?

An instigating incident to get the story rolling?

Antagonists? Tension?

Anything?
 
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Then what are you writing?

Do you have a beginning, middle or end?

An instigating incident to get the story rolling?

Antagonists? Tension?

Anything?
It's a psychological sci-fi drama thriller with elements of dark comedy, horror, bildungsroman, and satire.

I have a beginning, no middle, and pieces of an ending.

Antagonists? Several, depending on how you look at it. One of them is a psychopathic mad scientist. Tension? Eva's caught in a series of twisted mind games that make her doubt her abilities, her worth, even her sanity and grasp on reality.
 

Layla Nahar

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Well, I believe you are a 'real writer' and that you want to write, but the way I see it, something within your psyche is interfering with the realization of that desire.

I had an idea that I was in love with but I struggled with it for about a year before setting it aside to solve more fundamental problems.

I'm doubtful that outlining can help if your problem is with making up stories. I would suggest that you write the parts you know for this current story, and stop thinking ahead, stop thinking about back story - just write what you know and what you can add based on what is already written. If you really run aground, I suggest writing short stories as exercises until you get comfortable with turning ideas into stories.
 

wishflower

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The thing is, I don't have a plot.

I know exactly what you mean. I was there a week ago. I had the general idea of what I wanted to write. I knew the characters, their goals, and approximately where I wanted them to end up. Mostly I just had the world and knew I wanted a story to take place there.

I've been trying to write this story for a couple months without getting anywhere... just more world building. Then I found AW and started looking for everything on plotting I could. I'm used to writing shorter pieces and all that empty space in the middle of a novel was really intimidating.

This thread was really helpful: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163356

Especially this part:

What you're effectively creating is a train of consequences. If you're very new to all this, one of the easiest ways of designing a plot is to make a chart to see how you get from A to B within your basic story structure. Take your first event, then draw arrows to every possible (interesting!)consequence that could result. Then list the possible consequences of those. You'll soon drop some of the first ones as 'not leading anywhere interesting', and it won't be long before you've got one thread that's moving like a rocket. That's the one you write. It'll almost certainly change as you go along, of course, because as characters grow and develop you suddenly see whole new consequences you'd never thought of ('But if Peter had that childhood memory of being trapped in the Blitz he'll be terrified of underground places, he'll go mad in that tunnel, which will force Bill to take over, which will make Jane impressed, which will make Peter jealous of Bill, which will be why he betrays him, and THAT's how the villains find out where he is'). When this happens for real with a major story strand, it's like one mine setting off another in your head until your brain blows up, and it's one of the best feelings in the world...

Now I have a plot and subplots far more complex than I thought I was capable of. I used www.bubbl.us to do this arrow technique and everything just came together. Don't despair! I went from a beautiful world and no plot to a complex plot in just a couple days. Just believe in yourself. If you're afraid to start writing then write a scene that's important to the backstory but won't be in the novel. You'll get warmed up and then start writing the story before you know it.

Good luck!
 
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