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At least I figured it out
Tuesday, September 15th, 2015 05:40 pmSo, I've finally figured out why the latest bit of Falling From Ground is going so hard (as opposed to all the other bits that've been hard). I've worked more or less up to the last scene of the Post-It noted, franken-noveled, wouldn't-it-have-been-nice-if-I'd-done-this-right-the-first-time section, in which my character researches some old records. This lets me work in a nice bit of character backstory, which I have. And then....?
That's right; I have no idea where this is going next. (I know stuff farther down the road, but not next-scene next.) Which means I have no idea what this scene should do, other than make way for the backstory. And it does need to do something. Given the way I've built up to it, it feels like my MC needs to discover something new in his research. Probably something that'll pull the rug out from under him, because he's made the mistake of being in one of my novels.
So now I have to figure out what that is. Which means brainstorming. And planning, ugh. Or trying to coax my back-brain into telling me it's had this all along, which amounts to the same thing.
That's right; I have no idea where this is going next. (I know stuff farther down the road, but not next-scene next.) Which means I have no idea what this scene should do, other than make way for the backstory. And it does need to do something. Given the way I've built up to it, it feels like my MC needs to discover something new in his research. Probably something that'll pull the rug out from under him, because he's made the mistake of being in one of my novels.
So now I have to figure out what that is. Which means brainstorming. And planning, ugh. Or trying to coax my back-brain into telling me it's had this all along, which amounts to the same thing.
One scene and stuck....
Wednesday, July 30th, 2014 01:21 pmOh. Maybe the problem with the Mars novel isn't that I don't know what happens after the character walks through that door. Maybe the problem is that what he sees on the other side of that door isn't what I've written.
Interesting thought. Is that it, brain? Is that why you've stopped me dead?
Interesting thought. Is that it, brain? Is that why you've stopped me dead?
I hesitate to say anything for fear of jinxing it, but this time the lull in posting is due to the writing going better. Not swiftly and well (is "swell" a contraction of that?), but better.
I correctly determined that the "stuck" was the kind of stuck that needs to percolate for a bit, rather than the kind that needs to be pushed through. And the percolating yielded an insight into a character's motivation. It's not much of a change: the same events will still happen, and at most, a couple of lines will get said by a different person, but suddenly now it's writable.
Brains, I swear.
I correctly determined that the "stuck" was the kind of stuck that needs to percolate for a bit, rather than the kind that needs to be pushed through. And the percolating yielded an insight into a character's motivation. It's not much of a change: the same events will still happen, and at most, a couple of lines will get said by a different person, but suddenly now it's writable.
Brains, I swear.
Diagnosis Is Essential
Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 09:34 amAt least now I know why the writing's been going so poorly lately; I was totally jumping the gun on the latest plot development. (Red herrings, how I hate you.) It's nice of my subconscious to stop me before I'd gone too far down the wrong path, but it really could just send a freakin' memo.
The other problem is that I've been so focused on what the antagonist knows / is up to that I lost sight of what my main character knows -- and doesn't know. It's good to consider what's going on off-stage, but not to the exclusion of what's under the spotlight.
The other problem is that I've been so focused on what the antagonist knows / is up to that I lost sight of what my main character knows -- and doesn't know. It's good to consider what's going on off-stage, but not to the exclusion of what's under the spotlight.
Thanks, brain
Friday, June 28th, 2013 04:53 pmI spent about three hours staring at the laptop screen today, and wrote squat all. I changed one word. Pep talks didn't help, coffee didn't help, nothing helped. It wasn't until I finally gave up and took a shower that words started to come to me, and I realized that part of the problem was that my brain was in editing mode, not writing mode. For lo, all the words were changes to existing material, the story I've been banging my head against and also a little throw-away joke in the work-once-again-in-progress that changed with the new plot and has been bugging me ever since.
What's more, I realized that the book I've insisted on re-reading against my better judgment (it's good, it just doesn't live up to its prequel), and that I'd tried finishing to see if that would clear my mind for writing, was in fact structured around a nihilist Zen sutra that was exactly the inspiration I needed for revising said story.
I love that my brain has these protocols in place, but it could just send a memo, y'know?
What's more, I realized that the book I've insisted on re-reading against my better judgment (it's good, it just doesn't live up to its prequel), and that I'd tried finishing to see if that would clear my mind for writing, was in fact structured around a nihilist Zen sutra that was exactly the inspiration I needed for revising said story.
I love that my brain has these protocols in place, but it could just send a memo, y'know?
