# I feel like I'm at a dead end with my stories



## DondreKhan (Dec 30, 2013)

The big project that I've been working on is a series of short stories about Kevin (a total weirdo) and his obsession with one of his close friends.  I feel like I'm at a point where I'm writing "Kevin is obsessed with Alex, m'kay."  I realize that I need to break it up with plenty of fun scenes from their lives, like going to parties and stuff, but I don't want to get too off topic.  Tons of parties and antics won't make for a readable story.  I don't want the story to end up turning into Big Bang Theory.  I think that I have potential for a story about a creepy guy and a close female friend who tries to help him despite his weird obsession with her and other, really, really weird things that he does.  I've been seeing a lot of nerd/nice-guy misogyny and general stupidity lately, at it could be making me emotionally charged on the subject.  Writing about emotionally charged issues is a great way to write stupid ramblings, and is even what Kevin does in the story.

I've posted some of my stuff here before.  Do you think it's a good enough idea to continue with?


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## Folcro (Dec 30, 2013)

It all comes down to this: Did you enjoy writing it? If so, there is every possibility that your audience will enjoy reading it, regardless of the structure. A story can be episodic, so long as each event contributes to the plot. This is actually very often done well in character studies (The Prince of Tides, The World According to Garp, etc.) Each event, as in such stories, does not have to move the plot along per se, so long as it has meaning and is enjoyable to read at the time.

Again, if you enjoyed or are enjoying writing it, I can assure you--- you have very very little to worry about.


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## stellar (Dec 30, 2013)

You could always have Kevin get the girl, get married, and write about their children.


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## DondreKhan (Dec 31, 2013)

stellar said:


> You could always have Kevin get the girl, get married, and write about their children.



By get the girl, are you referring to Alex?  I think that would be very improbable, even if she didn't already have a boyfriend, her history with Kevin would make any sort of intimate relationship unlikely.  The main drama starts in late high school when Kevin begins writing a story about a girl from Germany named Katrin (already similar to Kevin) who is like him.  Alex is also from Germany, and Kevin writes a lot of weird stories about Katrin.  He also writes weird stories about how Russians should be punished for what they did to the Nazis.  Alex is also half Russian and in some ways anti German.  Kevin ends up writing a lot of really, really weird stuff about Katrin and weird allegories to Germans and Russians.


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## TheGreedyimp (Dec 31, 2013)

If you're having trouble continuing, you could take a break from writing it. Though I wouldn't recommend an extensive break, that would lead to your work becoming stale. When I'm stuck on something, I just start writing a short story of a completely different topic. As soon as I'm either done with the short story or gain some inspiration for my previous work, I return and restart.


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## DondreKhan (Dec 31, 2013)

TheGreedyimp said:


> If you're having trouble continuing, you could take a break from writing it. Though I wouldn't recommend an extensive break, that would lead to your work becoming stale. When I'm stuck on something, I just start writing a short story of a completely different topic. As soon as I'm either done with the short story or gain some inspiration for my previous work, I return and restart.



That's true.  It does.  You also lose motivation to work on it.

The problem here is that I feel like I'm writing about getting laid a lot with this series of stories.  It feels like there's been a lot of virgins popping out of the woodwork lately.  They rub me the wrong way too, even the guy I'm trying to help out.  (I am not trying to "get him laid" if that's what anyone is thinking.  I find that misogynistic and I don't do that.)  They're a bunch of nice guy PUAs and they don't understand why they don't get laid.  They also don't ever seem to get that having had sex once doesn't make you not desperate to have sex and that their desperation will only find some new focus.  I even had one manchild tell me after I told him about when I was raped that at least I'm not a virgin.  He can be such a douche sometimes I'm not always sure why I'm helping him.  I have a character based on him.  He's really creepy.

I don't want this to end up going in the direction of Big Bang Theory where it feels like talk about nerds getting laid all the time.

I think that I have interesting potential.


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## Jeko (Dec 31, 2013)

> I realize that I need to break it up with plenty of fun scenes from their lives



You don't, actually; there is no 'need' in storytelling.

And yes, you should always continue with what you've started.


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## escorial (Dec 31, 2013)

stick at it an see what happens


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## DondreKhan (Jan 1, 2014)

I guess I can continue.  I feel like I should watch where it goes because I don't like the idea of constant virgins not getting laid and "fun fact: girls can have a hard time getting laid too."  It's even about how Kevin ruins a story because he just makes it one big rant about stuff he's overly passionate about.


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## Kuro (Jan 1, 2014)

From what I'm seeing, it sounds like it's the whole "Kevin is obsessed with Alex" plot that is getting old. If that is the case, why not introduce some conflict or change things up a bit to make the story more interesting?

If you're just tired of the story in general though, I see nothing wrong with writing something new. I wouldn't make a habit of it, but sometimes it's just time to move on.


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## thepancreas11 (Jan 2, 2014)

When I get tired of writing, I start new projects. I find that when I get my creative juices flowing, I can go back to the original stories with a new take. The key is to always write, if that's what you like to do. The more you do it, the better you'll get, and the better you'll feel about your writing. Some of the side projects I've started have never amounted to anything, really, but they at least keep me focused towards my goal. That's another thing: have a goal in mind. At some point, your characters should have an ending. Write with the idea that they will meet some sort of conclusion along the way. It's great to have reoccurring characters, and some may seem like old friends, but at some point, all stories draw to a close.

As far as your stories go, you refer to your main character as "weird" a lot. Everything he does follows a "weird" pattern. It's a word that usual carries a negative connotation, so be careful with that. You want a protagonist that is flawed, certainly, but you don't want us to hate him. More so, you don't want to hate him. If you've gotten to that point, I would say, yes, do move on to something else. The way you feel reflects the way you write.


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## Citizen (Jan 3, 2014)

I feel your pain.  I get flashes of ideas and some times I write them down and friends give good reviews.  Then every thing goes dead quiet.  Perhaps it is because I have not gotten in the habit of writing.  But this is about you.  Sounds like you have a good idea going.  Keep plugging away.  The world is waiting for you to finish.

Citizen


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## DondreKhan (Jan 3, 2014)

I'll keep it up then.  I'll keep working on the story.

One of my problems is that the story topic hits close to home.  I'm part of the gaming nerd community, and we have plenty of weirdos.  I also have had problems with desperate guys, having met several recently.  One I'm trying to help, and another is an &*% who I'm trying to keep under control.  Plus I have a loathing of immature boys who are desperate to have sex who act like it is a cure for all of their problems.  No matter how many people tell them that their desires won't change their problems, they don't seem to understand.  Plus many of them are misogynistic.


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## DondreKhan (Jan 5, 2014)

I think I should focus also on how Alex feels inadequate and also feels like no one else is interested in her, which is what Kevin fears and is desperate about.


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## ConnorCarolina (Jan 5, 2014)

It all depends on what kind of story you're trying to tell. What theme are you trying to get across to the reader? Why should we stick with Kevin and Alex throughout the stories/novel? What intellectual or emotional impact do you want to leave on the reader after they've finished it? These are all questions that you should consider, but for now, I think the best option is to just write. That's what I do. There is no force or entity in the world that insists that your stories have to be written in a certain way. The first person you should write for is yourself. If you don't like it, put it away for awhile _after_ you have a finished draft or drafts. You may come back later and realize that it has potential.


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## Crossfire (Jan 30, 2014)

I think part of your problem is that obsession alone is not a plot.  What happens to the characters?  What does that obsession lead him to do ultimately, and how does she react?  Does he end up raping her, marrying her, stalking her and destroying her life?  Does he follow her, quietly unseen, every day until finally he holds her in his arms the day she breathes her last?  (Okay, that last one was my little tangent, sorry.  Back to your story.)  

How do the characters grow and change throughout?  What do they overcome or fail to overcome?  What realizations do they have about themselves\each other\the world?   The fact that he is so taken with her is his motivation, but it's not a plot by itself.  If you try to make it *the* plot, you will end up saying the same thing again and again.  

One more tip: Obsession usually starts out mild.  If you allow it to, it will grow out of control. Watching it get worse might make for a neat story.  Remember, the obsessive personality will rationalize the behavior.  "I'm not obsessed, I just care about her a lot."   "I have to follow her home, she could get hurt." You get the idea. It builds until he stops it or some external event ends it (or he goes off the deep end...).  If you feel like quitting, then quit.  If not, the story could still be saved.


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## The Tourist (Jan 31, 2014)

I'm not a big fan of "fish out of water" stories.  Yeah, it's nice to see the geek get the babe, or a lowly employee get even with his boss, or some wienie stand up to a bully.  Heck, even I liked the movie "Wild Hogs."

The problem I have with the plot is that it's like a one-joke TV sit-com.  It's not a satisfying story to depict the probable outcome as it would unfold in the real world--that being the geek gets his head beat in, fired for insubordination and then dies a virgin.

The plot only works if the lead/geek wins the quest.  And most of us can see that coming from the preface.

I think your frustration is in the attempt to put lace panties on a pig.  You've painted yourself into a corner with the hackneyed genre, and it's stifling your creativity.  You see, feel, and hear all of the potential plot endings and now you have all of this time and energy into stoking the boilers of The Titanic.

I don't think the answer is the ending.  Perhaps you should re-imagine the opening premise.


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## patskywriter (Jan 31, 2014)

Try removing Alex for a while and see what happens. Explore Kevin's reaction(s): Will he try to trace her whereabouts? Obsess on someone or something else? Run off the rails? Join a cult? Get better grades?

(And if you're wondering how to make a high school girl disappear for a while, have one of her parents get diagnosed with cancer. Alex can live with her aunt while her parent receives chemo/radiation treatments.)


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## DondreKhan (Feb 1, 2014)

I don't think that Kevin would ever rape Alex, but my German teacher suggested a situation where she ultimately thinks that he does.  After college, Alex is at a party and by coincidence, wakes up naked with Kevin after not actually doing anything together.  He swears that he did not have sex, which he did not.  Two weeks later, Kevin is drunk with his friends and two girls when one of the guys asks him how many times he has had sex.  He yells out the number of times, and the guy asks who he was with and the girls suddenly seem interested.  Kevin says it was Alex, and everyone is surprised.  After that Kevin starts telling people that he had sex with Alex.  Eventually one of her friends tells her that Kevin has been telling people that, expecting that it was just part of his weird obsession.  Alex thinks that he actually did have sex with her, and she outs all of his online personas and publishes all of the bat**** insane stories that he wrote about her and spends several days crying in her room.  It is important that she trusted him completely; she knew him very well and knew that he would never do anything bad, but she thinks that she was wrong.

Another thing I've been planning is for Kevins obsession to lead to trouble with the police.  During freshman year in college, Alex goes missing for several days.  After Alex is missing, Kevin was the last person that she was seen with, and he was trying to convince her to have sex.  Heinrich mentions to the police that Kevin had an obsession with her and that he wrote weird stories about a girl like Alex who is raped by a close friend who considers himself entitled to sex.  Heinrich tells the police of the extent of the stories, and that Kevin has a "boner for Germany" and wrote weird stories about Germans wanting Russians to be raped because of what the Soviets did for revenge to the Germans.  The police end up taking Kevin in for intense interrogation.

In high school, Alex does stuff like set up a proxy server for Kevin to use so that she can monitor what he does.  At one point, she catches him going to rape support forums for what he claims to be research, and which she makes him stop immediately.  She could also create various keyloggers and screen recorders.

There's also no possibility of Alex actually having sex with him, so it takes away that in terms of predictability.


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## Da_Geroto (Feb 5, 2014)

You gotta find the end, If you start to force every possible situation on a story, it would be dead end


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## Phoenix Raven (Feb 8, 2014)

This reminds me of the problem I was having with my novel. When I write I don't feel like I'm writing and creating an original story, I'm merely recording what my characters tell me to record. My characters are alive and real in my head and they are the ones telling the story, while I write it down for them. For over three months they stopped talking to me. I was frustrated and angry with myself because I thought I was being stupid and lazy. Turns out doing nothing for three months was the best thing for my novel. One day I began reading it from start to finish and was disgusted. It was terrible, but had potential. I began some heavy editing and in doing so my characters came back to life and starred talking to me again. Turns out they just wanted me to read it with a fresh mind, like someone reading it for the first time. I saw the story objectively and was able to correct alot of nonsense.
Maybe you just need time away from the story sometimes?


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## DondreKhan (Feb 9, 2014)

Characters coming alive too much is where I start to get concerned.  It can lead to being "in your head" too much.  If characters get to that point, I drastically cut back thinking about them.  I do think that letting them play themselves out as if they are autonomous or you're watching a play can be beneficial for making things flow and be realistic.  I also suspect that it can also lead to massive tangents and was the downfall of a certain writer I know who will not be mentioned.

This also explains Alex's character:


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## bazz cargo (Feb 16, 2014)

The other thing to keep in mind, a lot of stories get partly written backwards. Later incidents can require a rewrite of earlier chapters. 

Another thought that crossed my mind is the background circumstances. Relationships can be complicated by time, money, peer pressure, ambition, family pressure, psychological problems, even the weather and so on. 

You have a huge canvas and a vast selection of characters, good luck
Bazz


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## DondreKhan (Feb 17, 2014)

One of the ideas that I have been thinking of is possibly having a single version of Alex, and having her be something like a girl version of the fedora wearing niceguys.  If you need to know what that is, check here: http://niceguys.sashaweb.net/  She wouldn't be quite as bad as them, but she would be awkward, interested in nerd stuff, have an incorrect idea of how to get guys, and not have the best ideas and routines for making herself attractive.  The purpose would be to show that it isn't only guys who have those problems, and that they persist even after her first time.


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## Mutimir (Feb 17, 2014)

My only issue right now is figuring out why Alex would put up with Kevin. All I know is that he's a weirdo. The way I see it here is Alex is the victim of some weirdo's obsession. I think you need to have Kevin to have some sort of redeeming quality in order to make it seem believable. Even if it's something simple as loyal to his friends or a hard worker. Anything.


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## W. Dallas (Feb 21, 2014)

Often a change of setting introducing new characters and situations can help.  Try bringing new characters that conflict Kevin's obsessions.  This is a method used in countless episodic series whether written stories or tv.


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## Jake Creamer (Feb 22, 2014)

I think that Bazz and W. both offered some really good techniques to help you refresh your desire to write the story. 

If you know what the end state must be, then you can "backward plan" what needs to happen to make that end state occur...break that down into scenes, and then write the scenes. It could be just what you need to help break up the doldrums. 

I think additionally that W.'s suggestion could go a step further. Maybe try taking your characters, and writing them into a radically different setting. What if instead of a nerd in the 21'st century, Kevin was a monk of the 14th century, and Alex was a young lady he tutored, kind of an Abelard and Heloise setting? It might help prime the pump!


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## erinranning (Mar 9, 2014)

you need to decide on the key events that will make up the through lines for each story. and make sure they relate to the overall scheme of your series. if they're quite short stories, work on one key change to start and one key change to climax, followed by resolution. all other sideplots or deviations must not stray too far from the line between these points - it's not real life, but rather fiction, so everything must stay close to that principal through line that is the main point of each story. The through line and its conclusion is the reason we read, not to experience random, unrelated parties in the life of the MC.

Having said that, choosing to set the main plot in an interesting place / event / with interesting people is a great idea, rather than including those place / people / events at random.


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## Sage Celestine (Mar 9, 2014)

While comedy is nice, it might be that you're thinking to much only in terms of comedy. I feel like a story should have balance in comedy, romance, and drama regardless of how short or long it is. For example Kevin might just be doing these things with Alex because he finds them entertaining but then eventually comes to realize that he has fallen in love with the beautiful dashing rogue Alex. Or vice versa.


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## Carlos Danger (Mar 10, 2014)

Take a break for a week. Write something else. Think about your story for a bit. Then come back.

Writers block is annoying, and it comes and goes.


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## (s)aint (Mar 13, 2014)

I usually listen to the most vile music I can think of when I need to write something.


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## DondreKhan (Mar 15, 2014)

One problem I have is that I'm having a hard time thinking of anything that isn't related to these characters.  Specifically, Kevin's obsession or Alex's fixation that she would be like him if she had never met Heinrich, which causes her to try to pair up every awkward guy or girl who she sees.

I think breaking up the scenes can help, and then connecting them together once the events have been established can help get the story to come out.

I think I could change the setting, and I'd be interested in that.  I did create a character who was supposed to be similar to Alex in WWII (to fit it into the story) but I could actually take the characters and put them into that setting.  I could also have Alex's grandparents in WWII and compare that to Alex and Heinrich in Afghanistan.

I'll make sure that I add the romance and the drama to the story, to make sure that it isn't just comedy, because that can turn out really badly.  Also, "Alex beautiful."  You keep using that word.  I don't think it means what you think it means.


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## thepancreas11 (Mar 16, 2014)

Inquistor, I hate to be that guy, but you're doing an awful lot of thinking here. Are you actually writing while you're thinking? You've been at a dead end with your one story for quite some time now. It's time to poop or get off the pot, sir. Personally, if you're struggling with this story this much, get off the pot. It's time to move on. Shelve this and come back to it later, but you're just doing a disservice to yourself posting regularly here and not producing. Post something new in the fiction or prose writer's forums, and I would be glad to read it and give you an opinion, but it's time.

I want to see as many successful writers as I possibly can. This constant back and forth with yourself is not helping you. Getting critiques on your writing will help you. Focus on that instead.


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## DondreKhan (Mar 17, 2014)

Yeah, I noticed that.  It was actually part of the problem.  I was hung up on the Kevin being creepy stories because I felt uncomfortable writing about sex.  Anyway, I have something now.  It's about Alex dealing with people making fun of Heinrich.


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## A_Jones (Mar 17, 2014)

This was posted a while ago and there are a lot of posts I dont want to read.  But I do have an opinion.  If someone else said this sorry.

The filler of a story not only helps tell the story but also drives the message you want to tell home.  Every word you write needs to bring you closer to your message.


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## TMFlynn (Mar 18, 2014)

I haven't read your stuff but it seems like you have an interesting perspective on the material. You are writing from the inside of a subculture so you know the ins and outs and can make it authentic. You'll be able to get the voices down, so it is just about making the situations compelling. It is a good thing to be aware of what you don't want to do so you can avoid Big Bang style tropes. As some of the other posters have noted, if you are spinning your wheels with it, throw a spanner in the works. Create some new conflicts. Add a couple of new characters. Shake up the status quo. Your story has a world of possibilities to explore.


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## DondreKhan (Mar 19, 2014)

Good advice.  My experience inside the awkward/geek/nerd subculture helps a lot getting the feel and dialog right.  A lot of the people at school talked about "friendzoning," and a few of them understood that it was misogynistic nonsense (for those not familiar, people who claim to be friendzoned are upset when girls want to be their friends because they view them as vending machines where they insert kindness coins until sex falls out) and pointed it out.  '08-'09 is before the friendzone concept really came into being, but what is happening with Kevin and Alex is really the same sort of thing.  Kevin is really nice to Alex and hopes that she will take his virginity as a reward, and doesn't understand why she rejects him when he is willing to satisfy her when she is frustrated that her boyfriend is more interested in playing World of Warcraft then being intimate.

I like that you mentioned the Big Bang Theory problem.  I've watched it and I've found it funny because of the nerd antics, but it feels like it's written by people who haven't actually been part of the nerd culture.  They get too focused on the nerd interest in sex, which doesn't really exist for nerds who are sexually active.  They're trying to have the characters be like Kevin when they wouldn't be.  The Howard types would be such blatant pigs.  More often, the creepy types just do things like try to flirt with girls at inappropriate times, like on Facebook.  Not only is it just a bad time and place, but I think online flirting raises the question of whether the guy is really a basement dweller who never goes to parties and drinks or smokes and who never would get attention IRL.  I don't think there are many characters who are as extreme as Raj.  I have noticed quite strong latent homosexuality in male nerds, such as my friend who kept chanting the name of another male friend in a game of Kings where one of the girls made a rule that using someone's name required kissing them.


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## DondreKhan (Mar 21, 2014)

I just posted the first half of a story here:
http://www.writingforums.com/threads/145961-Formal-college-party

It should develop the characters at least.


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