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Sorry for the constant posts....

satyesu

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But after taking all y'all's advice into account, I've decided to write the story I want to write.

I ditched the inconsequential girlfriend. She breaks up with the MC before the story even starts, and in chapter one he gets put on Zoloft and the inciting incident is him immediately going off to college rather than wait a semester to see how he reacts to the med. It turns out he has bipolar disorder, not depression, and the SSRI he's on leads him to attempt suicide. The fledgling hero admits himself to a psychiatric hospital, where he meets a new adult whose androgyny makes him question his sexuality and conservative bias toward LGBTQ people.

However, there's where I'm stuck. I want the book to be about their relationship, but not a romance. I want to keep the focus on their development into adults. I have no stakes, no conflict. Halp :(
 

Tepelus

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Ugh, Zoloft! My doctor put me on that and after three days I had to stop taking it. It made me restless, I couldn't sleep, my anxiety went through the roof, my heart raced, and I had a panic attack/meltdown at work. Hated the stuff.

The doctor took me off Xanax and put me on Buspar and that with the Zoloft was too much. It took months for me to wean myself off Xanax as I was taking it every day instead of only when needed for when I felt a panic attack coming, and even though it was a small dose it still was hard to switch from Xanax to Buspar. But I'm doing fine on Buspar alone now most of the time and have learned to deal with the racing heart that happens from time to time.

Sorry, just wanted to share my story.
 

Layla Nahar

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Sat - how about if you pick up a piece of paper everyday and just write about your MC. What does he do? What does he think about? What does he see? If you keep doing that the story will find its way into the words.
 

frimble3

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To add to what Layla said, how about, (probably not right before or after writing about your MC) you do the same for the androgynous stranger.
After a while you'll get a feel for what they've got in common, as well as what separates them.
How does New Person feel about religion, come to that?
 

KBooks

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Agree. Might be time to just start writing. Often it's easier to address things you might want to change on a rough rough draft that's at least clear and in front of you on paper, versus just staring at that blank sheet with the words snarled in your brain.
 

NINA28

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First, don't worry about all the questions you've asked. It's fine to asked for help or inspiration. Just make sure you're helping others in this community too.
I'm not going to give you any stakes or conflicts because I don't know your story and also wont do your work for you. But there must be some somewhere. You need to get your thinking cap on and if that's not working you just need to let your ideas sit for a while. Try reading. Something will come eventually.