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Its the Grand Finale and I have lost passion.

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Billycourty

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I am in a serious funk.

I am on the second to last chapter of my book. This is the third draft and everthing was going great. I was excited about the ending, everything was set up for the big Grand Finale before everyone celebrates.
But I have lost all desire to write. I drag myself to the keyboard each day, fleshout the scenes. But none of my characters are talking. I feel like I am pushing wooden cut outs around a board.
I don't want to go back and read to catch the passion again, because I don't want to leave the book without an ending.

I have taken showers, walks, imagined the scene playing out in my head, even tried music.

What the hells wrong with me?
 

Lhipenwhe

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Every writer has a different reason for entering into a writing slump; for me, if the writing doesn't go the way I like, I tend to descend in a spiral of doubt, irritation, and anger.

For you, it might be ending fatigue? After writing the draft and planning for a Grand Finale, arriving at the end can feel anti-climactic and make you doubt your ability to finish it?
 

Layla Nahar

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Just curious - how close are you to the end? 10%? 5%? Are you having trouble knowing how to end it?

I think it could be that as you approach the finish your creative system may be reluctant to let go of the thing that has been giving it a very defined purpose for so long. A lot of artists (musicians, actors, etc) feel depression after finishing a big project - kind of like, Ok, I've accomplished this big goal - and now nothing... I think one way around this may be to give your creative system some idea of what the next project is - not enough to distract from finishing, but enough to let it know that it will still have a purpose once this is finished.
 

Orchestra

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Layla is spot on, I think. This sounds like a classic case of self-sabotage induced by fear of success. Subconsciously, you don't in fact want to finish as that will present all sorts of troubles: the arduous tasks of editing and querying, coming to terms with your own inadequacies, letting go and moving on to different projects... Your mind is trying to protect you from these perceived threats by flooring the break pedal.

I was stuck writing my undergraduate thesis for months until I realized what was going on. It turned out nothing bad resulted from finishing. :)
 

Billycourty

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For you, it might be ending fatigue? After writing the draft and planning for a Grand Finale, arriving at the end can feel anti-climactic and make you doubt your ability to finish it?
I do feel as if the finale is anti-climatic, I desperatly want to go back to the begining. But I have changed plot lines so things back there will need to be smoothed. I know going back is not the answer, just an escape.
Just curious - how close are you to the end? 10%? 5%? Are you having trouble knowing how to end it?
Around 85,000 in what will be around 90,000 when finished. There is something missing in the ending, something that the Characters known and I don't, I just don't seem to be able to understand what they are trying to show me.

This sounds like a classic case of self-sabotage induced by fear of success. Subconsciously, you don't in fact want to finish as that will present all sorts of troubles. :)
Food for thought, thank you.
I think I am very fatigued artisticly. Maybe trying to rush the scenes, because I am tired of being immersed in them. The last chapters have been very charged will war so being on the ground level of that has drained me.
I need to sink into the scenes and not rush them.

Thank you very much for lending me your guiding words.
Regards
Jaymee
 

jaksen

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Sit down and talk to your characters. Write it out. Let your subconscious mind direct things. Don't try to force anything.

I did this once with a short story. (I write long shorts/novellas which are very complicated.) I started writing dialogue, using each character's first initial, sort of...

ME: Hell, H, where am I going wrong?
H: You're an idiot.
ME: I accept that. Now talk to me.
H: I'm sixteen, not twelve. Now think about it.
ME: Okay, am I writing you too young?
H: Not always, but think about it.


I really did do that, and it got longer and longer until I got it. When I do that, it's like I'm sorting out myself, and the parts of me which are in these characters, and when I get them sorted, the plot seems to fall in place. It's just another technique, perhaps a corny one, but it might work for others, too.
 

gothicangel

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You say that this is a third draft, but it sounds as though you're doing some major rewriting.

I would not think of this as a third draft, but a first. Allow yourself to write crap, and deal with it in draft 4.
 

Isilya

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You say that this is a third draft, but it sounds as though you're doing some major rewriting.

I would not think of this as a third draft, but a first. Allow yourself to write crap, and deal with it in draft 4.

^ This

I was recently in a very similar position to what your describing and advice similar to gothicangel is the only way I was able to make it through.
I recommend giving it a try.
 

sky warrior books

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I am in a serious funk.

I am on the second to last chapter of my book. This is the third draft and everthing was going great. I was excited about the ending, everything was set up for the big Grand Finale before everyone celebrates.
But I have lost all desire to write. I drag myself to the keyboard each day, fleshout the scenes. But none of my characters are talking. I feel like I am pushing wooden cut outs around a board.
I don't want to go back and read to catch the passion again, because I don't want to leave the book without an ending.

I have taken showers, walks, imagined the scene playing out in my head, even tried music.

What the hells wrong with me?

Welcome to my little section of hell. Get out while you still can...:e2writer:

Seriously, I've been there. I think you need to open a fresh file and just write the ending. Not where you need to start, but how you see the ending in your mind. (You can fill in the rest in the next go-around.) Don't worry about it being "right" or whether it's a chapter or whatever. Give yourself permission to goof around with your characters. Let them take you where they need to go. Maybe they'll show you where you're having difficulty.

I don't subscribe much to fear of success as I do to fear of failure. I suspect that you stopped because something isn't "right" about the ending you envision, or perhaps you've had so much fun with your characters, you don't want it to end. Tell them it doesn't end-- just this book portion does and start working on a sequel!
 

Swannington

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You say that this is a third draft, but it sounds as though you're doing some major rewriting.

I would not think of this as a third draft, but a first. Allow yourself to write crap, and deal with it in draft 4.

Totally this. Just get it something down on paper, it doesn't have to be the best writing in the world.

Remember, a load of crap is still better than nothing at all! :D I had a chapter I was hating writing, and I dreaded going to my PC to continue it. So I just churned it out quickly and moved on to the next chapter, which I enjoyed way more. I'm not looking forward to going back to it to fix it up, but at least its stopped blocking me from finishing the rest of my MS.
 

Cloudcastles

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While working on my novel, I got stuck -- slowed down tremendously -- during one of my revisions. I wrote my first draft really fast, but I think it was ambiguous feedback that had made me uncertain what to do in certain spots and I felt discouraged. I admit I also got waylaid by iOS apps and games. :tongue But eventually the writing frenzy came back to me, and I've just about finished polishing my entire novel (just trying to trim words wherever I can). Now it's my apps that have become like weeds (haven't been updating them regularly).

So take heart. Force yourself to write even if it's slow going. You can clean it up later. If you're having trouble writing, don't edit yourself while writing, or worse, edit before you even put the words down. Don't worry about how it comes out.
 
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