So I write and I can get through the first chapter, but after breaking for the night or something, I can't get back into the story. Any tips on how to overcome this? It feels almost as if I have lost motivation for writing the story but still have a passion for it.
I will gently place my hands on the sides of your face, lean really close, and say, quite loudly, "OUTLINE."
Okay, seriously, apologies to all you pantsers out there, but outlining will save your life when it comes to making story progress and pushing past the initial flare of inspiration. Also all pantsers should be held with the highest suspicion and may be liars. Or wizards. They are probably wizards.
Anyway, it is very normal to start strong and then hit a wall regardless of how much you want to do something, especially just starting out. Finding other ways to keep going regardless is how to keep feeding that urge. Some general tips:
Outline! Know how the next chapter goes? Get it down any way possible, as detailed or as minimal as you want. Whatever keeps the story going.
Worldbuild/Character Built. If you can't go straight, go sideways, filling out the details you'll use later.
Inspiration Hunt. Make that playlist, create that image board. You want to recapture that spark, and it's going to be in the stuff you surround yourself with.
Figure out what works for you. This might take a little bit more time, but when do you write best? Where? How can you replicate the situations that make you write best?
Sometimes you begin a project too soon, and it sputters right out of the gate. This is also very common, and it doesn't mean you're a bad writer, it means you need to shove that idea back to that dark corner of your brain where it can grow like a fungus. My current work in progress is based on a novel concept I had TWENTY YEARS AGO, so trust me - your ideas won't die, they just might take some time to get where they're going.
This is also hard, because you want to be working on something, and not writing is frustrating. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take those old first chapters and go through them, and see which ones have roots and which need more time to grow. Some people work great picking at several projects at once. Some people have to pick one project and stick to it, and you have to figure out whatever works for you.
So, in sum:
Sometimes the best way to write a story is to do everything but writing the actual story
Sometimes ideas need to percolate a bit longer and it's okay to give them time to grow
All pantsers are evil wizards that are not to be trusted
Should I change my profile from the mess my sister set it to many years ago or should I leave it at it’s current eye bleed status? Hmmm.
Other fandoms to the fallout fandom:
Irish people; The faeries aren’t real
Irish people; No fucking way will I go in that faerie ring
The Procgen Mansion Generator produces large three-dee dwellings to toy with your imagination, offering various architectural styles and other options. Each mansion even comes with floorplans:
https://boingboing.net/2019/07/12/random-mansion-generator.html
Time for some kitchen charts to help you adult better ;)
People sometimes send me Asks wanting writing advice. I suck at it. I don’t really know how I do the writing, or how one should do the writing, or what one should do to get better at the writing. All I can ever think to say is “write a lot of stuff and you will get better at the writing.” Which is true, but hardly a bolt from the sky.
Well, as it turns out, I do have one piece of Legit Writing Advice, and I am going to share it with you, right now. If you were in any of my writing workshop groups at a con, you’ve heard this advice already.
Warning: you’re going to fucking hate it. But if you do it, you will thank me.
If you have a piece of fiction you’re serious about, something you might want to actually shop around, or just something you really are into and want to make it as good as you can…do NOT edit it.
Repeat. DO NOT EDIT.
REWRITE.
As in, print out the whole fucking thing and re-enter it, every word (or use two screens). Retype the whole thing. Recreate it from the ground up using your first draft as a template. Start with a blank page and re-enter every. single. word.
I hear you screaming. OH MY GOD THAT’S INSANE.
Yes. Yes, it is.
It is also the most powerful thing you will ever do for a piece of fiction that you are serious about.
Now, let’s get real. I don’t do this for most things. I don’t do it for my fanfiction. But if it’s something original, something I might like to get to a professional level - I do it. You absolutely COULD do it for fanfiction. It’s just up to you and how much time you want to sink into a piece.
You can edit, sure. But you WILL NOT get down to the level of change that needs to happen in a second draft. You will let things slide. Your eyes will miss things. You will say “eh, good enough.”
The first time I did this, on someone else’s advice, I was dubious. Within two pages, I was saying WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS ALL THE TIME. I was amazed at how much change was happening. By the time I got to the end, I had an entirely different novel than the one I’d started with. When you’re already re-entering every single word, it’s easy to make deep changes. You’ll reformat sentences, you’ll switch phrases around, you’ll massage your word choice. You’ll discover whole paragraphs that don’t need to be there at all because they became redundant. You’ll find dialogue exchanges that need reimagining. Whole plot points will suddenly be different, whole story arcs will reveal their flaws and get re-drawn.
You cannot get down to the fundamental level of change that’s required just by editing an existing document. You have to rebuild it if you really want your story to evolve. You will be AMAZED at the difference it will make.
It will take time. It will seem like a huge, Herculean task. I’m not saying it’s easy. It isn’t. But it is absolutely revolutionary.
Try it. I promise, you will see what I mean.
*PSA: Tipsy!Lori wrote this post. In case you couldn’t tell.
I couldn’t make individual gifs of this whole this so MADE A VIDJEW FOR YEW GOIS ! I didn’t know what else to make of my animation, so I decided to make it into a little quick tutorial. Hope it helps!
I mostly reblog writing and art related resources here. BLMMy main account is FoofsterRoonie. My art blog is FoofsterArtAnd my writing blog is Foofsterwriting:)
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