Home Page › Forums › Fiction Writing › Plotting › HELP! Blocked With An ENTIRE WIP!!
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June 10, 2023 at 9:33 pm #147270
@keilah-h @gwyndalf-the-wise @awsumfaith @esther-c @princesachronicle22 @lightoverdarkness6 @thearcaneaxiom @euodia-vision @loopylin @kyronthearcanin @whalekeeper @joy-calle @elishavet-pidyon @freedomwriter76 @smiley
So I think I’ve finally realized a bit of my problem with my writing…
See…I’m not struggling to “write” per say…because as y’all can tell, I’m writing and being inspired to write for these prompts, my fanfic, RPs, etc.
I have tons of ideas/inspiration.
The issue I keep running into…
Is this first book in the series…
I believe it relates back to my issue with Over plotting it but I’m not sure. All I know is that whenever I think of this book in particular, this first book, I just feel…
Blocked.
I don’t want to work on it. It doesn’t sound fun. It doesn’t seem like a good book or enjoyable…
But the series as a whole? Oh yea. I wanna work on it! I wanna get it done! BUT I NEED TO WRITE THE FIRST BOOK TO WRITE ANY OF THE OTHERS!!!!!
*pulls hair out*
Ik people suggest taking breaks…but I’m not creatively sapped…it’s just THIS BOOK….
The rest of the series? I WANNA WORK ON…
and so…I need some help.
I HONESTLY don’t know what to do to change this book to make it more…enjoyable. More…
Me.
I think…it needs an upheaval…
Keep some of the main story…but otherwise??
But…I don’t even know totally how to do that with this one because it feels so far into it now….
But I just cannot seem to work with this book…it won’t work or come together.
This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve redone an entire plot/book before…but last time it was different. I already had the idea and knew what needed to happen, knew it would be better for it.
This time it’s just the fact that I’m STUCK with this book…like a wall, but not with a scene…with the ENTIRE BOOK….
so yea…ah…
idk…
any advice? 😅
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebJune 11, 2023 at 2:00 pm #147316It seems like you might need to either re-do the entire first book (which sounds like something you have already tried and is also probably going to be a bunch of work) or change the series to start at another book. From stuff you have said on KP I feel like the second one is probably a better idea. You seem to have a lot of ideas for later books and with a basic understanding of your series structure I think it might be possible for you to change one of your other books to be the beginning. You might have to change the dominant POV away from Ara and November though as the original first book would just become their backstory. If you don’t fully understand what I am saying I can try to explain my advice/idea better.
Through darkness,
light shines brightestJune 11, 2023 at 4:13 pm #147330So… totally redoing the whole first book sounds like a lot of work. And it is… but it may be worth it in the end. Here’s a few ideas though.
You could always just start writing the first book from the very beginning, but instead of trying to stick with the outline you have, just write. Pants your way through the first draft and ignore your outline, just following your ideas that you have. I’m not sure if this would work on not. It depends on if you have an outline and if your comfortable pantsing.
Another idea is you could just not write the first book yet. You could start on the second one since you feel more inspired to write it. If I were in your position, this would drive me crazy because I like writing in order. XD But I don’t know how you like to write, so this may work for you or it may not. If you go with it, then you may find new ideas for the first book as you write.
I don’t know if any of my random thoughts have helped you at all. XD If I come up with anything else I’ll let ya know!
I’ll be praying for you! 🙏🏼 Keep on writing! ❤️
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
June 11, 2023 at 7:01 pm #147348I felt that same way, I just could not write anything that seemed good in my book and everything I wrote seemed dumb or boring (Im just writing one book, not a series) So I got a bit mad and to stay motivated I started to write right in the middle, where I wanted to start because I just knew what was going to happen. Then from that piece I am writing/ planning the beginning and end. It might work the same way in a series to, start where you want to and from that you learn what can happen in the first, second, third, etc book! Hope that helps!
- This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Allison.
"Would you kindly...?"
June 11, 2023 at 7:04 pm #147350Also, if you want to rewrite, save all of your old book and start again. Then you can take pieces from your old book and put new in, I find that the easiest. Or you could add new parts to your old book!
"Would you kindly...?"
June 11, 2023 at 7:17 pm #147351Oh my word you just described my problem XD
I have so many fanfics which are so much fun to write but my actual WIP I find a little boring
I’m thinking about taking the advice of starting on the second one XD and then coming back to the first
Also, I just added a character to my book and I found that helped
Do me a favor…. Tell Cress I meant it
-ThorneJune 11, 2023 at 7:55 pm #147353Ooo I think @otherworldlyhistorian had a really good idea. I’m not sure how your series is formatted to work, but if possible I would totally agree that maybe you should make a different book the “first” one in the series. There is such a thing as a prequel, so you could totally come back to your current first book and work on it later, after the rest of the series has been established.
Writer’s block happens, and ikkkk it’s so FRUSTRATING. But sometimes it can’t be helped, and there may even be a good reason for it. It may give you time to work out loopholes you didn’t realize before, you never know 🤷🏽♀️
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.
June 12, 2023 at 10:13 am #147383NOOOOO everything I wrote was deleted! ARGH! I was so happy cuz what I wrote actually made sense which is not common, but now it’s gone!
Let’s see if I can try to rewrite this…
SO, I agree with what everyone else was saying! Kind of piecing together what different people said, something that might be helpful is to skip over the first book and start writing the second one, third one, or wherever you’re at in the series.
This could be helpful as you know where you want to go but writing what leads up to it just doesn’t seem that exciting or engaging. As you work on where you’re going with this story you might begin to realize that what leads up to it needs to be edited, changed, or even completely scrapped.
What I wrote before had a lot more but it seemed to leave my brain immediately after typing it. 🙄
I rolled the log over and underneath was a tiny little stick and I was like, "That log had a child
June 12, 2023 at 4:01 pm #147439@otherworldlyhistorian @esther-c @euodia-vision @starshiness @smiley
thank you all so much for your help!! 😭 y’all have some great advice!! I’m gonna try to see what I’m gonna need to do but this advice is awesome, thank you all so much.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebJune 12, 2023 at 5:57 pm #147483@godlyfantasy12 Ofc! best of luck writing!
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.
June 12, 2023 at 6:41 pm #147497❤
I’d say go ahead and start on the second book if that feels best to you.
Also, like other people have said, loosen up the first book’s outline! You don’t have to necessarily follow every plot point. Feel free to ramble and get a feel for the voice.
Speaking of rambling, write about things that interest you! Obviously Ara and November interest you 😂 But find those little details to get passionate about. Like if they’re in a mysterious library, or if they’re joking around about something as random as the kind of shoes they’re wearing. If something catches your eye, and you start daydreaming about it, explore it thoroughly in the story – even if it isn’t necessarily important.
Kinda like when I’m writing Seb and Marcel (my comfort characters). 😂 Why did Marcel think of a fedora-wearing, juice-box-obsessed cartoon when he looked at Pax? …I dunno. But it was fun!
For me, it’s random jokes or nonsensical metaphors. If I include those in my scenes, I’m happy.
If you make every moment into something fun and engaging, you’ll have fun too.
Which doesn’t mean there can’t be serious moments…
And this advice is more for the hands-on individual scene writing…
But ya know, you get my point 😉
#ProtectAdolinKholin
June 13, 2023 at 11:51 am #147552So glad all of us could help!! ❤️
Oh my word. That advice on making scenes fun and stuff… I am so going to have to keep that in mind for my writing. 😂
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
June 13, 2023 at 12:05 pm #147554I’m glad that helps! I just think it’s important to have unique voice that you enjoy writing, cuz otherwise, it’s hard to feel like you’re being heard 😘
#ProtectAdolinKholin
June 13, 2023 at 12:13 pm #147558June 14, 2023 at 1:10 pm #147719@godlyfantasy12 I’ve been like that before! I still get like that sometimes, actually. And this is with fanfics!
I did what some of the others are advocating. I wrote one of the others first.
I’ve noticed we writers rarely start the story at the beginning……We find a scene in the middle and work from there. So you might want to do that if you’re really, really stuck.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
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