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Hey everyone…
I…could use a bit of help here.
I know I come on a lot about struggling with my WIP…but…I’m seriously questioning right now some things.
I’m not questioning if I’m a writer, or if I should scrap this idea because…well…this story I know is from God, but…
I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake….
Let me explain.
Ive started a new fanfic as most of you know, and I’m currently Pantsing it, and in doing so…I feel so…
Free.
And it’s so easy to write (for now anyway) and maybe it’s just because it’s a new idea and such.
But I found that even my mother gave me this advice, that I’ve put myself in a box with so many outlines and rules and such with my normal WIP that I don’t even wanna work on it.
That being said, I hate “scrapping” even tho I wouldn’t technically be I guess, another draft, to begin Pantsing.
And…it’s hard to now get myself back into the Pantsing mindset after soooo many outlines….ya know?
I’m just…I feel like I’ve made a mistake, and now I’m stuck in this box 😅
I want the same freedom I feel with this fic in my current WIP but not sure what to do.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
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@godlyfantasy12 I think every last one of us have dealt at least with something similar to this. Trust me, I know I have. I took, like, a couple months of a break from writing my WIP because I was stressing too much about it being perfect, about it following all the rules, all that…jazz XD
So I understand, and honestly, I think every writer does.
I think sometimes we get so caught up in the “rules” (and I’m guilty of this too!!) of writing that we forget that writing is fun and a gift given to us by God to be used for his Kingdom and his Glory!
Honestly, as long as the book is good and has a storyline I can follow, I don’t care one bit about if the word count or page count is a certain number, or if there’s specific character arcs, because all I want in fiction is what I’m aiming to write:
Good. Stories.
I know it’s hard to get out of that box of outlining, of plotting, of trying to make sure our books follow all the rules and regulations, trust me, I know, I’ve struggled with this too, but I think it’s important for us to remember that not only is perfection never obtainable by anyone but God, but it’s also important for us to remember that every last one of us has a different story to tell, and that each story is special for it’s own ways, and if rules and regulations are stopping that story from coming out of us, then there’s a problem.
As an example, for my WIP, I wrote a basic, very BASIC outline for it, which I have often strayed away from at times and even changed the times when things happened in my WIP. I know that maybe my book isn’t as “exciting” as many WWII novels because there’s a lot less ACTION than many WWII novels, even ones I’ve read, but honestly, I don’t care.
God’s given me a story to tell, and I know that my book focuses more on internal things more than external, and that plays a lot into the message of the book, and I’m fine with that.
I know it’s hard to get out of that box of outlining, but God will help you. <3 I just want to encourage you that there is hope, and that you CAN get out of that box with help, prayer, and perseverance.
And know that all of us will be cheering you on as you run this race set before you ❤️❤️
@freedomwriter thank you 😊
i think
im going to go with my gut…and do what I think is best here….
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
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@godlyfantasy12 You’re soooo welcome ❤️
Of course, that’s all you can do 😊
@godlyfantasy12 I agree with everything Freedom said; this is something I believe all of us writers go through. I’ll be praying for you girlfriend! Keep pressing on!
follow the one with fire in His eyes
I’m not I’ve had this specific problem but I’ve definitely gotten too caught up in all the rules
For instants, I have an idea for this chapter but it only fills up two pages, well, then I write a scene that doesn’t really matter to the story just to fill up the other pages
I’ve also given up on writing a few times because I thought my writing wasn’t good enough
I think an important thing to remember is just letting loose, after all, we’re teens/kids who have time to rewrite a book as many times as we need. It’s not like we have people putting deadlines on us (maybe some of you do XD I’m not sure)
Do me a favor…. Tell Cress I meant it
-ThorneI agree with what everyone else has said.
Ironically, I’ve had the same problem, just vice versa. XD I found out that I couldn’t pants and needed some type of outline. If you know it’s going to be easier to pants, but still want some structure, maybe do the in between. (‘plantser’ or ‘tweener’) What I did, was do a rough and basic outline of my story, then just wrote. That way, I had something that was guiding me, but still had room to expand the story and try a few things out, without feeling like I was doing something wrong.
If God has called you to write this story, then He’ll help you write it to His glory. 😊 Keep on writing, girl! ❤️
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
I (and OtherworldlyHistorian) have experienced a bit of the opposite experience as in we need rules (or create them) in order to function best creatively. (Hence the chapter-by-chapter outline) However even with rules you have to realize that you have to be willing to change things. I think what may have happened also is that you spent so much time plotting out your story without writing it that (to quote an author I heard in an interview once) “you have taken the fun out of writing”. I personally have done this myself a multitude of times.
(as a side note OtherworldlyHistorian is currently trying to write at least 100,000 words of his estimated 300,000 (based on the chapter-by-chapter outline) WIP over the summer. So he is not going to be on KP much over the summer. As such I have been appointed his task master and press secretary)
I think there’s a good balance between pantsing and plotting, I plot a bit but it doesn’t feel confining. Do whatever makes you feel most creative though! Mine consists of outlines that are a jumble of all the ideas I want. They have a lot of sentences like “Maybe Layson does this next?” Lol. I just work on whatever makes me happy, and write down all the ideas in word documents. I figure they are just brainstorming spaces and I can figure it out another time. I did change my story to have a tenser inciting moment, but you don’t have to change a bunch of stuff. Idk, is this even helpful? Stories should be fun, and if outlines aren’t your thing, don’t use them. You can come up with a general order of events without a rigid outline, and a slight order to events is all that’s really necessary imo. Hope that helped a little!
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
Oh… Storms…
Okay, this might sound a little weird, but I predicted this might happen to you and your WIP. It’s something I’ve had problems with before, and you had a lot of the same stuff happening recently, that you’d posted, and I just said to myself yesterday, ‘this might happen to Godly,’ …and there you are. So I don’t want to be rude or frustrating – please keep that in mind… What helped me personally, was to stop dreaming non-stop about my WIP.
I know, I know, but hear me out: With my WIP, I was super excited at first. I could imagine everything in my head – the emotions, the colors, the songs. It looked amazing. But once I tried to write it, it felt soulless. Whenever I wrote RPs with the characters, or kind-of AUs, they were the most fun ever! But again, the WIP just wasn’t coming.
I think I just adored my story too much to see it below expectations, or to change it for the better.
So I set the story aside. And waited three years. By the time I picked it up again, I was willing to change the world and characters into something new, and a whole lot better. The original, set-in-stone hero could be switched for a new hero with the flick of a finger, if necessary.
Stories, when all is said and done, are imaginary.
We need to understand our characters, but we also need to ask ourselves: are we treating them like tools, or soulmates? If we had a choice between going to a real friend’s birthday party, or inventing a new imaginary one, which would we choose?
If a writer has trouble with these questions, she should maybe set aside the story for a time. Forget about it. Then, there might be more freedom.
Then again, I am totally aware this might not be the problem. Godly, you are a different person than me, and it could just be a plotter vs. pantser problem. I hope it is, and I wish it was the same for me XD
If it is a problem for you, I would gently recommend leaving the inspo pics, the music, and the WIP. The AUs and RPs give you room to explore, so I wouldn’t leave those, since your characters might benefit from some occasional twists and varieties. Kind of like oiling bike gears.
I wish you luck, and all the things. Ara, November, and the rest have brimming potential, and only Godly herself could have thought them all up!
– Whaley
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