Reader's Block

Undercover · Nov 22, 2011

I'm in the middle of acquiring a publisher for my third book, waiting for the contract on that. Plus I am in the middle of multiple agent offers for my fourth book, still waiting to hear back on two others that have it. So far two have offered, the other two still pending.

In the meantime, I thought it best to read one of my spindles which is at 20K words. I have another at 15K, but thought to work on the other since I believe it has more potential of being a full length novel. I started it during the summer, then stalled...then stopped, then started the other, then stalled and stopped. And during all that I've been pushing my 3rd and 4th completed novels.

I opened the file, so that's a start, right? I even read and revised a chapter, so that's good too? But I can't seem to read further. I feel like it needs a huge boost of something...something to keep me interested in going further. What that is, I have no clue.

I don't want to start from scratch on a brand new novel since I have two spindles already. I just can't seem to move on, any suggestions?

jaksen · Nov 22, 2011

What do you mean by a 'spindle?' Seriously, I had to read a few dictionaries and still couldn't figure out how you were using the word. Is this something new? (Perhaps I don't get around enough.)

As for answering your question, if you are that flummoxed by which novel to work on, toss a coin and force yourself to stick to the one that gets selected. I'm working on three short stories and two novels atm and it is frustrating to be writing on one while my mind is drifting off to the other. But I do it.

I am also querying a different, third novel.

bearilou · Nov 23, 2011

Like Jaksen, I'm not sure what you mean by 'spindle' but I'll try to answer the rest of the question.

Undercover said:
I opened the file, so that's a start, right? I even read and revised a chapter, so that's good too? But I can't seem to read further. I feel like it needs a huge boost of something...something to keep me interested in going further. What that is, I have no clue.

My first inclination is to say 'it's boring you'. Hard to say but there it is. Perhaps it's simply going nowhere in the narrative, perhaps you've hit a boggy place or you've hit a thread of the plot that doesn't seem to be working.

The advice I've seen (and found works like a charm) is to step back from it and outline what you have so far and see if you can find the place where you took a 'wrong' turn. Brainstorm and play the what if game.

And bear in mind that when you have a narrative that goes 'and then this happened, then this, then that', it's not a terribly compelling story.

http://www.mtvu.com/video/?vid=689002 gave a really good breakdown of this in just a short 2:14!

Things to chew on, at least.

Undercover · Nov 23, 2011

Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to confuse anyone. I call my spinning stories that aren't done yet spindles. Like hand-spinning to twist into threads or plots, storylines as they say.

Thank you for the suggestions, I'm not really an outline type, but I will try it. I think (as I mentioned) getting these contracts over will help me too, to focus better. Plus with the holidays near doesn't help either since my kids will be off. But I'll be damned if I let my unfinished stories go to waste.

Thanks again for commenting, Jaksen and Bearilou, much appreciate.

bearilou · Nov 23, 2011

Undercover said:
Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to confuse anyone. I call my spinning stories that aren't done yet spindles. Like hand-spinning to twist into threads or plots, storylines as they say.

Thank you for the suggestions, I'm not really an outline type, but I will try it. I think (as I mentioned) getting these contracts over will help me too, to focus better. Plus with the holidays near doesn't help either since my kids will be off. But I'll be damned if I let my unfinished stories go to waste.

Thanks again for commenting, Jaksen and Bearilou, much appreciate.

Okay, funny thing. When I read spindles, I immediately thought of spinning and sort of figured you were talking about stories not done (still in the spinning phase). Glad I was right!

As for outlining, it's not outlining an entire book from beginning to end, it's taking what you have, breaking it down into simple components and seeing if (warning: spinning metaphors ahoy!) your thread is breaking from too much or too little twist; is it slubby from too much or too little draft; maybe it's not the yarn but there's too much tension at one point on the wheel or in the drive band...

In other words, you're looking at what you have and trying to work back to the point in your narrative that you're not 'breaking down' and seeing what happened. From there, the problem and solution would (hopefully) present itself.

Good luck!

kguiver · Dec 27, 2011

Haha, I like the spindle thing!! I'm going to call my work that now if that's all right

Stijn Hommes · Dec 28, 2011

Multiple agent offers for your fourth book? Don't you have an agent yet after selling the previous three?

Undercover · Dec 29, 2011

I didn't have an agent for the first two, but I did with the third book. That agent couldn't sell it. When I wrote the fourth, (after leaving the first agent) I searched for a new agent.

I was able to connect with a new one, finally. This one wants to represent both the 3rd and 4th book and we just signed together two weeks ago, so we'll see.

silverp · Mar 18, 2012

Spindle, if you don't mind. I'd like to borrow this word. Very nice. I like to paint and swim while I spindle my idea for book 2, just finished book one, and feel pretty good about it.

Reader's Block

Undercover

I got it covered

jaksen

Caped Codder

bearilou

DenturePunk writer

Undercover

I got it covered

bearilou

DenturePunk writer

kguiver

I'm unique, just like everyone else

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

Undercover

I got it covered

silverp