Friday, October 4, 2013
For the better part of 5 months, I've been working on a shiny idea for a novel. I'm very excited about it, but the road to writing it has had a lot of bumps. I haven't written a single word of it, much to my dismay and stress. You see, this shiny idea is supposed to be my thesis and I have to submit a proposal for it soon. So I'm working on a deadline, and in what I think was my attempt at trying to get something ready in a period of time, I gathered so many ideas that I sometimes feel like I'm losing the focus of what was originally to be.
I think this situation is a combination of deadline stress and my writing process. I need to know what I'm writing to submit a proposal, so I'm in a sort of deadline. But my writing process has added extra pressure; I'm the type of writer that likes to outline and plot beforehand because otherwise, I feel like I'm wandering through my manuscript with destination nowhere as a north. I've always needed to know the key points of my story because it makes me feel like I'm heading somewhere even though the story changes and evolves as I'm writing it. But this hasn't worked much in my favor for this project; I have a notebook almost halfway full of ideas to flesh out my plot, all of them workable and engaging, but none of them definite or not quite tying in with what the shiny idea I had so far.
Stories are dynamic and they change as the writer works and reworks them, but I'm wondering why I haven't been able to get an idea that seamlessly unites all the elements that were given to me. Is it because I haven't found the correct ones? Is it because I haven't worked enough on the others? Is it because this is not the right story to be writing now? I'm worried and terrified of this. I keep getting more and more ideas and trying to work through them, but they keep piling up on the others as I try to merge them with the story and I lose sight of what I'm supposed to be writing. I feel like I'm trying to look through wax paper and seeing just nondescript shapes and perhaps colors. I don't see a defined shape and bright colors. Yet.
Because this is happening; I have a thesis proposal to submit in a few months and I'm determined to make it. I've been trying out several things to address my problem and I feel like I'm on my way to solving it (please, let this be true). So, here's a list of things I do when I'm stuck. It works on most writing stages:
I think this situation is a combination of deadline stress and my writing process. I need to know what I'm writing to submit a proposal, so I'm in a sort of deadline. But my writing process has added extra pressure; I'm the type of writer that likes to outline and plot beforehand because otherwise, I feel like I'm wandering through my manuscript with destination nowhere as a north. I've always needed to know the key points of my story because it makes me feel like I'm heading somewhere even though the story changes and evolves as I'm writing it. But this hasn't worked much in my favor for this project; I have a notebook almost halfway full of ideas to flesh out my plot, all of them workable and engaging, but none of them definite or not quite tying in with what the shiny idea I had so far.
Stories are dynamic and they change as the writer works and reworks them, but I'm wondering why I haven't been able to get an idea that seamlessly unites all the elements that were given to me. Is it because I haven't found the correct ones? Is it because I haven't worked enough on the others? Is it because this is not the right story to be writing now? I'm worried and terrified of this. I keep getting more and more ideas and trying to work through them, but they keep piling up on the others as I try to merge them with the story and I lose sight of what I'm supposed to be writing. I feel like I'm trying to look through wax paper and seeing just nondescript shapes and perhaps colors. I don't see a defined shape and bright colors. Yet.
Because this is happening; I have a thesis proposal to submit in a few months and I'm determined to make it. I've been trying out several things to address my problem and I feel like I'm on my way to solving it (please, let this be true). So, here's a list of things I do when I'm stuck. It works on most writing stages:
- Step back and refocus - You can actually get stressed when you're writing, especially if you're in some sort of deadline. This stress can block your writing and your ideas. Sometimes, you just hit a wall. Either way, you try to force it. Don't try to; stop working on your manuscript for a while. Really. Take a walk, watch a TV show, go out with friends. You need to step back and do something that's not related to writing. This will distract you from your writing problem and once you return to it, you'll be able to look at it with a set of fresh eyes. Chances are you might find the solution faster than you thought.
- Talk about it with your critique partner - A critique partner is one of the greatest helps a writer can have. Maybe you don't have one, and that's fine; but if you have someone who's willing to bounce ideas with you, go to them. Sit down and have a chat. The conversation might bring out ideas that can help you find a solution.
- Read books that show you how to achieve that in your writing - Are you struggling with character's voice? Your antagonist? POV? Craft books are helpful tools for writers. But sometimes, you just need to read a book and see how these wonderful authors achieve that thing that you're struggling with. This isn't about stealing ideas; it's about learning how these authors did what they did.
- Beat it with a toy hammer - Yes, really. Sometimes your shiny idea wants to go all sorts of places at once and you can't split yourself into three. Or sometimes it's digressing and taking you places that don't help with plot. You have to reel it back and keep it in track.
- Do some free writing - Don't push yourself to find an immediate solution to that situation; step back and do some free writing for a while. It will keep the ideas flowing and maybe it'll give you one that will help you.
I hope these tips help you. They have always helped me whenever I'm stuck. I've used some of them in my outlining/plotting crisis and they have given me a few more concrete ideas than what I had when I started. But personally, I think I'm going have to beat my shiny and other ideas with a toy hammer; I'm going choose a few, throw them in there and start writing. I'm going to write the first draft of my thesis during NaNoWriMo. It'll be different from what I'm used to. But sometimes, your personal writing process changes. And sometimes, a novel demands that you write and work on it in a way you've never done before.
I'll keep you posted.
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Good luck on your thesis! I know you're under a lot of stress due to it, but I also know you can do it. ;) I'm gonna take these tips into consideration during Nanowrimo because I'm super scared, to be honest.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I finally got some sort of working idea down, but I need to tweak it. I may work on that this weekend; nano is just around the corner.
DeleteYou can do this! >:) And Rayne and I will be cheering you on >:)
This is a truly fantastic post, Mara! I've always been a messy kind of writer. The two manuscripts I had (which shall never see the light of day because I have some modicum of dignity left) were essentially exercises on free writing. I just sat down and wrote whatever. And the novels did get out of control. Sometimes they went off in directions I never would've expected, and I loved that many times, but most of the time it was messy and unorganized and it led to me leaving both novels without ending them. So thank you for this post! It really helps and I will take all of this under consideration while facing my greatest adversary yet: consistency in Nanowrimo.
ReplyDeleteI know you'll do your best and it will be awesome because being awesome is what awesome people do. And you are awesome. In case it wasn't clear ;) Awesome XD
Thanks! I wrote it and rewrote it, and rewrote it many times. Thankfully from the time I posted this to now I have some sort of working idea that needs some tweaking. I'm gonna post about being ready before nanowrimo kicks in. I'm starting to get worried xD
DeleteYeah, sometimes you gotta steer the writing back on track. There's always revising to be done to make it more polished, but you gotta get to the end first. I know you'll manage; pace yourself, set yourself some sort of daily or weekly word count or some sort of schedule. I'm gonna have to do that to get to the finish line and to maintain this blog. At the rate that I'm going, it's going to die xD
Ahahaha! Thank you for the encouragement! :D