I find myself in a really damn weird position of having a main character that I know almost nothing about yet, but I feel like I already know exactly how he's going to die.
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Basic Writing questions is not a crit forum. All crits belong in Share Your Work
What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?
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The other day I finally finished the a good summary of the history of this world (religious foundations and the like) and now I'm trying once again to sit down and write the book itself and nothing is coming, I know of scenes I want to write and certain things I want to happen and where to end up and I guess you can call it the vagaries of a "plot" but the bare bones, build it from the ground up one brick at a time part is tripping me up. How the hell do people plot? I even have a theme and everything and I have my main characters but plot, how do you plot?!
Trying to write a quick summary/history of the country this takes place in to fill in more foundation for the story just so I'm writing SOMETHING (trying to stick to the 'no zero days' method of writing). This will also focus exclusively on the background(s) of several main characters (who are prominent political figures), but damn I just want to get started on the book itself and I'm having trouble. Ostensibly I always knew writing was hard, but it's like jumping into a pool of water. You never know how cold the water is, (even if you have an idea) until you're in it.
I'm also, as I do write some of the novel itself, discovering some weird tension that was definitely not planned between two characters that I intended on being basically enemies. It's disconcerting and I can almost feel myself writing fanfic for my own damn novel that I haven't even written yet!
Trying to write a quick summary/history of the country this takes place in to fill in more foundation for the story just so I'm writing SOMETHING (trying to stick to the 'no zero days' method of writing). This will also focus exclusively on the background(s) of several main characters (who are prominent political figures), but damn I just want to get started on the book itself and I'm having trouble. Ostensibly I always knew writing was hard, but it's like jumping into a pool of water. You never know how cold the water is, (even if you have an idea) until you're in it.
I'm also, as I do write some of the novel itself, discovering some weird tension that was definitely not planned between two characters that I intended on being basically enemies. It's disconcerting and I can almost feel myself writing fanfic for my own damn novel that I haven't even written yet!
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The other day I finally finished the a good summary of the history of this world (religious foundations and the like) and now I'm trying once again to sit down and write the book itself and nothing is coming, I know of scenes I want to write and certain things I want to happen and where to end up and I guess you can call it the vagaries of a "plot" but the bare bones, build it from the ground up one brick at a time part is tripping me up. How the hell do people plot? I even have a theme and everything and I have my main characters but plot, how do you plot?!
Trying to write a quick summary/history of the country this takes place in to fill in more foundation for the story just so I'm writing SOMETHING (trying to stick to the 'no zero days' method of writing). This will also focus exclusively on the background(s) of several main characters (who are prominent political figures), but damn I just want to get started on the book itself and I'm having trouble. Ostensibly I always knew writing was hard, but it's like jumping into a pool of water. You never know how cold the water is, (even if you have an idea) until you're in it.
I'm also, as I do write some of the novel itself, discovering some weird tension that was definitely not planned between two characters that I intended on being basically enemies. It's disconcerting and I can almost feel myself writing fanfic for my own damn novel that I haven't even written yet!
Not sure it will work for you but my story started this way. So I wrote the chapters that I knew what they'd be, accumulated chapters, organized it and finally revised the opening a half dozen times. You don't need to start at the beginning.
I'm trying to find a good routine to get into the final editing. Some chapters need more work than others. Not sure whether to work on those first or go chapter by chapter. I seem to be picking at it the way one might pick at a plate of food. Time to go from pantser to planner.
I always have to edit chapter to chapter in sequential order, because anything I change will in turn change stuff to come, and I'm just not smart enough to keep track of it unless I edit in order.
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WIP3: Wrote a 3K+ word count chapter, added a snapshot to the half title page.
WIP2: I added a photo blurb to the half title page and did a one-line edit in Chapter 3. This story has been rolling around in my head in one plot line or another since I was 14, but it just never developed. I went through several years when I couldn't unleash my imagination onto paper. Life got in the way. And writer's block came for a long stay. So a few weeks ago I decided to dust it off again. I wrote a bit and got blocked so bad that I actually thought about forgetting the whole thing, but I preserved, and now it is really rolling out. I'm so pleased.
WIP1: I'll take up where I left off early Saturday morning, editing the 6th part, which is the longest section. I hope to do the epilogue by Friday and start draft 8 soonest.
WIP2: I added a photo blurb to the half title page and did a one-line edit in Chapter 3. This story has been rolling around in my head in one plot line or another since I was 14, but it just never developed. I went through several years when I couldn't unleash my imagination onto paper. Life got in the way. And writer's block came for a long stay. So a few weeks ago I decided to dust it off again. I wrote a bit and got blocked so bad that I actually thought about forgetting the whole thing, but I preserved, and now it is really rolling out. I'm so pleased.
WIP1: I'll take up where I left off early Saturday morning, editing the 6th part, which is the longest section. I hope to do the epilogue by Friday and start draft 8 soonest.
I have not made the time to write in too long 
I need to make the time to write again.
I need to make the time to write again.
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I edited three chapters last night. Cut a bunch of fat. I might pick it up again before dawn.
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I just want to write and not care about having to do non-writing related things (except care about family). Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh 
Why must commitment to other things not-writing exist.
Why must commitment to other things not-writing exist.
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That's life, Dysnomia.
WIP1: Ended up writing 3 more chapters by first light, more trimming. Decided to stick Part 6 farther along in the book. 11 more chapters and the epilogue and I'll start draft 8, which will be a LBL hardcopy and red ink edit.
WIP2: It keeps calling to me like a piece of cake in the kitchen, but it's reserved for Saturday. I can't get my WIP1 done if I divide the time allotted. That said, last night I did tidy a bit of narrative and added two lines of dialogue. Mercy.
WIP3: On the 14th chapter. I was going to start another part page before 15, when it occurred to me I'd left off the part where I ran away from home to become a hippy--how does one do that?
WIP1: Ended up writing 3 more chapters by first light, more trimming. Decided to stick Part 6 farther along in the book. 11 more chapters and the epilogue and I'll start draft 8, which will be a LBL hardcopy and red ink edit.
WIP2: It keeps calling to me like a piece of cake in the kitchen, but it's reserved for Saturday. I can't get my WIP1 done if I divide the time allotted. That said, last night I did tidy a bit of narrative and added two lines of dialogue. Mercy.
WIP3: On the 14th chapter. I was going to start another part page before 15, when it occurred to me I'd left off the part where I ran away from home to become a hippy--how does one do that?
I just want to write and not care about having to do non-writing related things (except care about family). Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh
Why must commitment to other things not-writing exist.
I wouldn't discount doing other things than writing - because those things bring inspiration, and depth of feel to your writing. Could you write about riding a motorcycle across America if you've not ever been on a motorcycle?
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That's why I mentioned non-writing related things, haha. To me, lots of writing happens outside of writing, like taking a walk, or going to experience something new, or reading, or researching something. But things like doing homework????.... Or making sure I can graduate college.... Yeaaaaahhh, I guess those experiences can help with writing too (maybe)--and will certainly help with life--but I just want to focus on everything writing-related instead of stressing over polishing this lab report or reading this goddamned textbook or ensuring rental stuff is going smoothly...
-grumbles grumbles more-
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What's on my mind these last few days is that I've moved into one of those "I need to completely rethink this thing from the ground up" phases. I feel an urge to revisit key aspects of characters' backstories; to ask myself whether I even have enough story there at all; to look for more and better ways to up the stakes for everyone.
This is a state I fall into from time to time. What feels a little different, this time, is that it's coming with a strong desire to sit down and WORK -- I want to keep writing along the track I'm on, whilst also considering these questions in preparation for the coming rewrite. In the past, this state has come with an existential crisis - who the hell am I to try to write a story like this, I'm barreling head-on into failure and a colossal waste of time, etc. Not so much this time. I mean, I know the first draft is deeply problematic, but I feel driven to finish it so I have something to fix, if that makes sense. I just want to keep moving forward.
It's a horrendous time at my day job, so I haven't been able to work on it much. I'm just too tired in the evenings, so I can really only make any progress on weekends. But I am thinking ALL the time, and fit in some research (at least some reading) every day.
This is a state I fall into from time to time. What feels a little different, this time, is that it's coming with a strong desire to sit down and WORK -- I want to keep writing along the track I'm on, whilst also considering these questions in preparation for the coming rewrite. In the past, this state has come with an existential crisis - who the hell am I to try to write a story like this, I'm barreling head-on into failure and a colossal waste of time, etc. Not so much this time. I mean, I know the first draft is deeply problematic, but I feel driven to finish it so I have something to fix, if that makes sense. I just want to keep moving forward.
It's a horrendous time at my day job, so I haven't been able to work on it much. I'm just too tired in the evenings, so I can really only make any progress on weekends. But I am thinking ALL the time, and fit in some research (at least some reading) every day.
I'm really glad at the feedback I've gotten and eager to work on my WIP when I don't have a million other things to do.
See now that last part (the drive to finish it) is a good thing I'd say, so many writers get to that phase and just stop, start over and do so much plotting and planning and then loose interest, go through the existential crisis and start over again (speaking from far too much experience here
), so good job! you can do it!As for my writing, still having trouble starting, and I think I will take the advice you gave MaeZe and write scenes out of order, but first I realized I need to figure out how to plot and write the scenes and then organize them and then write, it's obvious I can't seat of pants my longer novels. This is the most serious I've gotten with a novel in my writing (only shorter works for me). After doing some emotional and personal (and theraputic digging) I've done as to why I have trouble sticking to my writing, I've finally got it! But it's still a long, long road still. Right now I'm working on the history of the continent the first, third, and part of the fifth novel are taking place on.
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... Oh, wait. You were serious.
I'm not counting household things that I can put off, I'm talking other deadlines. I have two months off no classes and no deadlines other then the ones I set. Writing will happen.
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I have about 4 more chapters and an epilogue to go editing the first leg of draft 7. Going to make an effort to do them before bedtime in the morning. Then start the the last leg with red pen to hard copy.
I worked out 6,962 words from the story that I'm now working on and, up to three days ago, was back to writing it. I hit a wall right after I outlined what was to happen in chapters 14-25 (I know what's to happen in them, but the words just don't want to come out on the screen. This is frustrating). I want to write this thing, but I can't and am getting a headache because of it.
I am so excited to read your book based off of that alone. If you need an insta-cheerleader for your writing process, I am here!
I mean that in the nicest way, not creepy. Not...uh...(sits in the corner)
What's on my mind about my own writing?
Ideas for my novel are blossoming so wonderfully and organically, and I am falling in love with it. I cannot express how grateful and excited I am. When I remember the name of the wordpress blog that has wonderful critique methods, I will tell everyone. The critique methods are helping clarify the direction I want the novel to take. It is incredibly helpful and amazing.
Re: my current play: I am Mr Crabby Crabby-pants the Second Crabbiest. Among many other things, at this rate, the antagonist isn't going to be the antagonist anymore. It's all part of the process and I need to chill out, but ugh.
Too much work, if I can't get caught up, I can't get back to that final edit. I am sooo close.
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Finished the first leg of Draft 7. 
I'm going to let it rest for 4 or 5 days before I start leg 2. In the meantime, I'm going to work on WIP2 and 3.
I'm going to let it rest for 4 or 5 days before I start leg 2. In the meantime, I'm going to work on WIP2 and 3.Figured out the plot on my wip. Only took four tries and 30,000 words. Just received my first rejection for a short story I submitted and then shortly after received a second rejection for my other short story. Up early to write a short story about a floating city where my main girl is an engineer that fights robots. Unpublished but productive should be my bio.