McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
THAT part of the book
Kali:
No, writer's block can refer to any (mostly mental) reason you're stuck. You want to move forward, but you can't. You can't think of how to get your characters out of the situation, you can't think of anything cool, whatever. All you can do is sit there and stare at what you've done and try to carve more words out of your brain with a melon baller.
THAT part of the book is when you're sure it all sucks and there's no reason to go on, and it should all be chucked in the trash.
I think the key difference is the desire to continue. ;)
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: kyoryu on June 12, 2010, 07:14:13 AM ---Well, I'm not an author, I'm a programmer. But I can tell you that "that part" seems to exist in just about any large project. The part where you've worked on it long enough that you're used to the cool stuff, are just dealing with the flaws, and yet it hasn't come together yet.
--- End quote ---
I don't know that it's that much of a "worked long enough" thing; I am having a bit of a "the beginning of this, which I have written, sucks, and the ending, which I am trying to figure out, sucks, and I do not think the middle does but only because I've not thought about it much yet" moment on the newest project.
It is really irritating when various priorities need an atypical lot of your attention and you have to leave a new project aside short-term and the new project keeps popping up new ideas and waving at you and jumping up and down saying "look at me". I could be writing it, but only if I took it out of sleep time and I am underslept as is.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: Kali on June 12, 2010, 01:20:21 PM ---No, writer's block can refer to any (mostly mental) reason you're stuck. You want to move forward, but you can't. You can't think of how to get your characters out of the situation, you can't think of anything cool, whatever. All you can do is sit there and stare at what you've done and try to carve more words out of your brain with a melon baller.
--- End quote ---
I seem to be mercifully free of getting this very often compared to many people.
--- Quote ---THAT part of the book is when you're sure it all sucks and there's no reason to go on, and it should all be chucked in the trash.
--- End quote ---
That, OTOH, is a large part of the working on anything, IME.
Aakaakaak:
--- Quote from: Kali on June 12, 2010, 01:43:00 AM ---It was funny. ;D My "runs away crying" thing is usually my jokey response to something I can't refute. Since I was so positive about the direction my novel was heading and even solicited beta readers in this board, only to have my own negativity derail me (that and a first-reader who couldn't be bothered to plow his way through the entire thing)... I sorta took that post to heart! I have no defense against it except *runs away crying* because I SHOULD finish it, I should get more than one disinterested opinion, and I should never let one bad opinion turn me against my own work.
And so I say...
SHUT UP! >.<
*runs away crying*
--- End quote ---
Duly noted. I'll remember it from now on.
Are you one of those people who plots out your books and makes character sheets and stuff? Or do you write from the hip? Plotting things out might help you fill in the gaps.
Oh, and something I've discovered lately is that jogging while thinking about how you're going to write stuff out seems to help me. Maybe it's the endorphin induced haze? But anyway, a repetitive and mundane task can help bolster new ideas.
Kali:
I usually write from the hip, because past experience has taught me that plotting destroys any urge to tell the story. Like talking about the story with someone. The minute I've told the story, in however abbreviated a form, the minute I know what the beginning-to-end is and put it down in any form whatsoever, I'm done. I'm satisfied that the tale's told.
However, this story has me approaching things from a less... "I really wanna tell this cool story" perspective and more from a "how do I write a saleable novel" perspective. Which has led to plotting things out, but it's been almost no fun to write after a certain point. Which is probably the other reason I've stopped writing it. It's no fun anymore.
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