- This topic has 895 replies, 36 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Posts
-
@joy-caroline
Oh. My. Word.
That sounds so incredible!! Like, it sounds like a movie or something!! That is amazing!!!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb@joy-caroline
Your story sounds BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Amazing work, coming up with it and sticking with it to the end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Welcome to the forum btw 😃)
what we do in life echoes in eternity
-gladiator, 2000- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
Thank you so much! It would be amazing if one of my books inspired a movie, LOL. One is allowed to dream! Thank you for your kind comment!
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
Thank you for the warm welcome and the encouragement! It’s just what I need to hear. 🙂
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1789
@nova21 Sorry I missed your question… I’m shooting for the end of March, but I don’t know for sure how that’ll look. If I can finish up by then, I should have Bound and Determined published sometime mid-summer.
@jenwriter17 @issawriter17 Y’all are welcome!@joy-caroline AHHHHHHH. This sounds FANTASTIC! I LOVE it and I can’t wait to read it one day! Splendid, my dear. Just splendid! Ah. Yes. So splendid. Very splendid indeed.
(All right. Enough with the splendid. 😉 )
@joy-caroline
Your book sounds awesome. It sounds like something I just read on the back of a dust jacket at the book store!
@KingdomPenWriters.
I’m almost ready to start the second draft of my novel entitled ‘The Snow Warrior’ and (sad but true) after fifty thousand words of writing, I still don’t have a plot. I can’t figure out what my MC’s overall goal is. I mean, I have plenty of subplots, supporting characters, villains, animals, themes, symbols, backstories, settings, character sketches, currency types, and weaponry. But I still have two struggles that I haven’t found a way to overcome yet.
#1. Is as I mentioned, I can’t come up with a good plot. I want to come up with something unique yet classic, but coming up with good plots are one of my weaker points. I have a secondary plot: the MC’s struggle with her faith. But the novel is in a way, an adventure story with few characters and is often ‘person vs. nature.’ So that makes it even harder to come up with a great plot.
#2. I created one of my secondary characters to be a love interest to my MC (which she is indifferent to, most of the time) but I also want him to have a deeper purpose in the story. I rounded him pretty well, but there is something just… missing.
If anyone has any advice to help a writer-blocked writer, I’d be truly grateful.
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
Thank you! 🙂
@abigail-m
Maybe I can help you?
First of all, if it’s any comfort, I know exactly how you’re feeling. Trust me when I say that writing is hard, so that’s normal! But I’d like to try to offer some advice (sorry in advance for a long response…)#1. For your first struggle, this is what I would recommend: let your plot come from your protagonist. Or, more specifically, her inner conflict. That may sound confusing, but let me explain. Think about your MC and ask yourself, “What is her inner conflict? What is her desire in life, and what’s the fear that’s keeping her from achieving it? How can I use my MC’s fear to form the plot?” If you think about it, that’s all a plot is–a character overcoming fear to achieve their goal. And you mentioned something about ‘person vs. nature’, yes? Well, that works just fine.
And another trick that may come in handy is the ‘What if?’ question. Take a look at your world, and then ask ‘What if?’ What if the MC finds the egg of a winter dragon? What if the MC gets caught in a magical snow blizzard, which leads her to (blank)? What if she discovers something wacky about the world she’s living in? Or it could be with nature, too. If that sounds complicated, you can always narrow it down to: what is my MC wanting in life, and what’s keeping her from getting it?
#2. Ahh, love interests. I don’t have too much experience with writing them (yes, my character has a love interest, but I’m still learning how to write romance myself), but I’ll try my best. You don’t want to think of them as ‘The Love Interest’, but as their own character entirely. Think about how the love interest may affect the protagonist, or may affect her desire and fear. He may even shift her goal in some way. Sometimes I try to think of my MC’s love interest as if he were the main character, and what his story would be. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘missing’, so I may not be talking about what you’re looking for. One thing I try to do with romance is give them moments of being happy together, crying together, being vulnerable together, and et cetera. They need to have a reason for liking each other. And maybe your love interest can be a part of a plot twist? That may spice things up.
Again, I’m no expert in writing love interests, so forgive me if it’s not helpful.
Sorry if that sounded confusing at all (or if it didn’t help)! Maybe listen to some inspiring music and think about it, or write about having writer’s block! Or read some writing prompts online. You can watch some youtube videos (I find Abbie Emmons’ videos helpful). You’ll get there! 🙂
Thank you for your advice, it wasn’t confusing at all and it actually helped me see my plot in a new light! Especially about ‘what ifs.’ I have heard about using that to come up with ideas, but never really thought of it that way before. And that is a great idea, having the love interest actually affect my MC’s goals and being part of a plot twist.
Thank you so much:)@abigail-m Yea that’s understandable. To help in-depth I’d need to know a bit more about the story, but I understand u may not want to tell all of that.
So I say just let your imagination do the work! I know, for me, I come up with a lot of ideas while listening to music. Also, talking about it to someone also helps. I’ve found sooooo many times that when I talk to my Bestie about my works I come to realizations and ideas I hadn’t fully thought of yet!
do things that help ur imagination. Read or watch movies. And don’t be too worried about finding The Perfect Plot That Beats All Others because every story is taken. It’s what YOU bring to the table that really makes ur book stand out!
ALSO, girl. *claps* GO YOU ON FINISHING THAT FIRST DRAFT!!! No matter if u rushed it or not, u should feel proud! Celebrate!!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebI don’t know if you’ve ever done NaNoWriMo, but for NaNo Prep, they give a list of different plot structures for planners, pantsers, and everyone in between. The link below is a short quiz which will give the results for the best plot structure for you. Hopefully it helps!! 😃
https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/5d2513fa4fc6b400143e9004#
As for writing love interests, I agree with all of @writerlexi1216 ‘s points, but especially that the characters need to experience things together, and that you, as the writer, need to flush out what they like/love about each other. And read. Reading helps a lot. 😁
Hope this helps! Good luck. 😉
what we do in life echoes in eternity
-gladiator, 2000Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement, I really appreciate it:) I should get back into my reading habit, I had put it off for a little while, but yes, reading does help writing immensely. And you are right, music is absolutely one of the best fuels for writing.
Thank you for your advice:) I have done NaNoWriMo, but the quiz looks interesting, I appreciate you bringing that up, it definitely helps!
Thank you for your advice:) I have done NaNoWriMo, but the quiz looks interesting, I appreciate you bringing that up, it definitely helps!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.