# I might have a problem........



## A_Jones (May 20, 2014)

I have been having trouble writing lately, and I think I know why.   The end of FAE was very exciting, with action sequences everywhere, and dramatic dialogue.  Now everything I write is kind of boring. ......    

Anyone else ever felt this way?

I know the solution to the problem is just to keep writing.  (that is after all the solution to most any writing problem.)  Im just wondering if anyone else ever felt that way.


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## Terry D (May 20, 2014)

Many writers will take a break after finishing a long project. A time to recuperate and recharge their creative batteries. I did this between publishing my first book and starting my second, but I set a time limit and held to it (much like taking a vacation from real world work--there is always that date out there when you have to be back.)


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## A_Jones (May 20, 2014)

its been two months.... I would have thought that was enough time.


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## Bishop (May 20, 2014)

Yeah, two months usually ought to do it.

I know right now I'm a bit tough to motivate too. Mostly because I'm writing a section of my book that, while not boring, is already sort of planned out in my head, so it'd just be going through the motions for the moment.

One thing that sometimes helps me when I feel like I don't want to work on my stuff is to try writing but not working on my stuff. Writing prompt sites like this one and a thousand others might help you to write something, even if it's a microfiction or short story that you're just writing to fill an afternoon. You can also try reading. A lot of the time taking in someone else's work makes me want to work on my own work to see if I can match the quality of writing, or better yet, surpass it.

Sometimes, it does just take the trudge of putting one word after the other. It sucks, but that's the only way to work the rust out of the engine from time to time, ya know?


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## aj47 (May 20, 2014)

This is, in part, what prompted my letter to my muse in Nonfiction.  I feel like nothing I write is ... sufficient.  I did a lot of stuff during April, maybe not a poem every day, but pretty near.  I think part of my issue is my muse is focusing on programming right now and not poetry or prose and that's kinda messing me up.  It's exciting in a different way and tends to suck me in like a whirlpool so that I come out feeling triumphant when it works and dejected when it doesn't.  Right now it's being an intense mental struggle as I try to wrap my head around new concepts.  And so my psychic bandwidth is compromised.

The answer, I know, is to "write anyway" but it feels like I'm Sisyphus rolling that rock uphill.  I do have new stuff, but I am reluctant to post it because of its insufficiency.


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## garza (May 20, 2014)

I'm tired, but I'm old. You young folk have ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE! Now get to work and let me finish my nap.


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## Morkonan (May 20, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> I have been having trouble writing lately, and I think I know why.   The end of FAE was very exciting, with action sequences everywhere, and dramatic dialogue.  Now everything I write is kind of boring. ...... .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## EmmaSohan (May 20, 2014)

Are you saying you have some interesting exciting idea for a new story but you can't get excited about writing it down?


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## A_Jones (May 20, 2014)

I am hungry, very hungry.  I want to write so badly. When I am not writing I feel kinda sick.  But when I am writing I hate what I am doing.    I just want the excitement.


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## Mutimir (May 20, 2014)

Give up. Nobody likes attending pity parties.


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## bookmasta (May 20, 2014)

Mutimir said:


> Give up. Nobody likes attending pity parties.




Um...No. Writing isn't always easy. Nothing worth attaining is easy. Its takes work and a lot of effort to be a writer and to maintain the discipline needed to do so. Unless you're superhuman or an android (both very unlikely), its natural to take a break every now and then. Finding the motivation and reason to write isn't always easy and sometimes it takes a pause between projects to find it again. So to the OP, just know that you aren't alone. A lot of writers go through this. The same happened to Sara Gruen after her book Water for Elephants was published. And what did she do when she lacked the passion to write? She took a step back and focused on other things until one day, when she was gardening, the familiar inspiration took over and she was back to writing.


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## A_Jones (May 20, 2014)

Mutimir said:


> Give up. Nobody likes attending pity parties.



Um I wasnt asking for pity I was asking if anyone felt the same way.  What do you think this forum is for??



Thanks Bookmasta I know what ya mean.  I feel like the only thing I can do is push myself forward and try and drop in exciting things here and there.  I feel that if I were to take any longer of a brake I would have a hard time getting back into the swing of things. Ya know?


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## EmmaSohan (May 20, 2014)

Do you have anything that excites you? A scene? A character? A world?

Can you start your next book with a good action scene or some good dialog?


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## A_Jones (May 20, 2014)

I have started three books.  Two of which I wasnt sure on the entire story plot.  This book I am currently working on I know most of the basis.  Rather it is the most thought up. I tried starting it when I was still writing FAE, during a particularly slow moment in my writing.  I have since started it again several times playing with the main characters age, backstory, the tense.  There are several exciting scenes but I am not really a jump writer.  I have a hard time writing out of chronology.  I am doing the best I can.


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## Cran (May 20, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> I am hungry, very hungry.  I want to write so badly. When I am not writing I feel kinda sick.  But when I am writing I hate what I am doing.    I just want the excitement.


You have become a literary adrenaline junkie, and the comedown after a high is like the withdrawal from an addictive drug. Is there a cure? I don't know. You may have to accept that you will be one of those who creep around the keyboard late at night, hoping no one catches you crafting unattached scenes of high-paced mayhem and high-voltage dialogue, not because you have a deadline to meet, but because they are the cookies you need just to keep going.


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## EmmaSohan (May 20, 2014)

Okay. Obviously, I am just suggesting ideas. Can you start with whatever you're first interesting thing is? And then backstory whatever if and when you need it?

Otherwise, don't you have to think of an interesting start?


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## J Anfinson (May 20, 2014)

*WF Challenges*

Have you tried any of those? Something there might help beat your muse back into submission.


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## thepancreas11 (May 21, 2014)

Yeah, I would imagine everything tastes a little bit sour. It's like graduating. Yes, you're relieved that you've just finished a sizable chunk of your life, a chunk you hope you can parlay into some success going forward, but you still want to inhabit that world you've created, that world you're comfortable with. I've seen plenty of people eaten up by that bug; don't think you're alone.

But consider this: while nothing you write from here on out will be as innocently awe-inspiring and wonderfully curiosity-driving as your first experience, you have ENTIRE NEW WORLDS TO CREATE. Each one with it's own set of rules, each one with it's own sense of morality or theatricality, each one waiting to receive the breath of life. Doldrums come from focusing on what has past, what was and shall never be again (unless you write a sequel). Inspiration comes from thinking about what has never yet been.

When you write, every word may be a struggle, but I can guarantee that when you get into the meet of the story, you will be as lost in it's pages as you were in Fae's.

To start you off, I insist you write some short stories. People may find them frivolous, useless, too small to account for anything, but they deliver the best writer's block medicine I can prescribe. They get you back in the mindset of writing, back in the train of thought of creation, inspiration, curiosity, and a whole bunch of other words that end up on posters hanging up in offices. You create these little worlds and then end them so quickly, you don't have a chance to become attached, and by the time you've written three or four, that sour taste turns sweet.

A., it's only a matter of time before you get back into it.


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## Schrody (May 21, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> I have been having trouble writing lately, and I think I know why.   The end of FAE was very exciting, with action sequences everywhere, and dramatic dialogue.  Now everything I write is kind of boring. ......
> 
> Anyone else ever felt this way?
> 
> I know the solution to the problem is just to keep writing.  (that is after all the solution to most any writing problem.)  Im just wondering if anyone else ever felt that way.



Whenever I feel my WIP is getting boring, I just skip to the next. Then, few days, months later when I came back to that WIP I'm fresh, enthusiastic, with new ideas and approach. Works for me.


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## A_Jones (May 21, 2014)

Thanks every one.  I will act on your advice.


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## aj47 (May 21, 2014)

Mutimir said:


> Give up. Nobody likes attending pity parties.



People generally don't appreciate rudeness, either.

She asked about whether anyone else had struggles similar to hers.  It's not like she's BWC about it.


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## Bishop (May 21, 2014)

Mutimir said:


> Give up. Nobody likes attending pity parties.



*Whaps with a fish* This is no pity party. 

The point of this forum is, to me, threefold:

Sharpen your craft with critiques and feedback from fellow writers.
Share and speak about the craft with fellow writers.
Give Bishop a place to gather his army of sci-fi writers.

This thread is in the second category. The idea is that she's sharing an experience, one that's somewhat difficult for ANY writer, one we can all empathize with. She's not crying, not complaining, not whining. She's in fact asking for advice from people who have been through it before. Which is something any wise person would do. If I was about to become a plumber, I would seek the wisdom of other people who've been through the layperson-to-plumber transition. We've all had writer's block. She wants to know what worked for us so she can find her own way to get through the tough parts.

Also "Give Up" is not advice. "Give Up" is in fact, the opposite of advice. Even if someone was throwing a pity party (which A. is not), saying "Give Up" is about as useful as slapping someone with a fish. It does NOTHING to help them one way or another, and in fact acts as an insult. She has no reason to give up, she's a competent and practiced writer. She has a real chance to make some great works.

So yeah. No one likes attending pity parties. But this isn't one of them, and thinking it is belittles this entire forum.


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## Sam (May 21, 2014)

Bishop said:
			
		

> We've all had writer's block.



Who is this 'we'? 

Please don't presume to speak for others. I have never once had writer's block. I'm sure there are other writers who are the same.


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## Kepharel (May 21, 2014)

Oh dear! It would appear that not even a generic platitude such as "we've all", even when used to provide a collective, supportive, salve to the troubles and tribulations of some poor soul, can escape the wrath and indignation of some on here


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## Bishop (May 21, 2014)

Sam said:


> Who is this 'we'?
> 
> Please don't presume to speak for others. I have never once had writer's block. I'm sure there are other writers who are the same.





Kepharel said:


> Oh dear! It would appear that not even a generic platitude such as "we've all", even when used to provide a collective, supportive, salve to the troubles and tribulations of some poor soul, can escape the wrath and indignation of some on here



As Kepharel said, just trying to make the point that it's a shared, normal experience that is not some character flaw to be disdainful of. If I insulted you, I apologize.


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## Sam (May 21, 2014)

Bishop said:


> As Kepharel said, just trying to make the point that it's a shared, normal experience that is not some character flaw to be disdainful of. If I insulted you, I apologize.



You didn't insult me, and you have nothing to apologise for, but writer's block is most certainly not a normal experience. It may be a common experience, but there's nothing normal about attributing one's lack of ability to write anything to an unseen and unheralded wall around one's brain.


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## Terry D (May 21, 2014)

Bishop said:


> As Kepharel said, just trying to make the point that it's a shared, normal experience that is not some character flaw to be disdainful of. If I insulted you, I apologize.



I doubt if Sam was insulted. The statement is just inaccurate. Many writers have no issue with 'writer's block', and don't wait for a 'muse' to crap inspiration on their heads. Take a break if you want to, but when it's time to start writing again, start writing. It's really no more complicated than that.


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## Kepharel (May 21, 2014)

Setting aside the idea that an experience can be both common and abnormal at the same time, almost a contradiction in terms, what is the nature of writer's block? My perception is the condition is not one of an inability to think creatively in a literary context, rather it is one of a fear of not being able to do so in the future.  In this respect, merely to suggest someone should take a break from writing and it will all somehow come good in the end provides no respite from the fear that the writer is experiencing.  How so?  Because the suggestion is offered as a 'cure' when there is none. So does saying "We've all had writer's block" help in any way? I would suggest that it does. The reason for this is because it provides a measure of faith to the afflicted from someone who has 'been there' and survived to tell the tale while conceding that there is no panacea, no magic pill to be had for the condition.  Sometimes a little faith and reassurance is all you need.


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## Cran (May 21, 2014)

As I understand it, there are as many reasons someone may get writer's block as there are writers who get writer's block. 

But, as I understand it, writer's block is not the issue for A_Jones at this time; A_Jones is writing, but not excited about the results. That's not writer's block; that's passion hangover.


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## Kepharel (May 21, 2014)

Googled dictionary definition of writer's block:

"A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing."

As I understand it A_Jones is unable to continue writing.  She says this implicitly by acknowledging advice that she knows she should just keep writing.  It is an ergo moment that any fruitful continuance of her work has eluded her through sheer boredom.  A lack of passion is preventing her from continuing, hence 'writer's block'


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## A_Jones (May 21, 2014)

Bishop said:


> Give Bishop a place to gather his army of sci-fi writers.



Now that is indeed exactly what I thought WF was all about.   Thank you very much Bishop for your words!  


No, thank you Sam but Cran is right.  I am not having an issue with writing.  I have been writing my usual amount of words a day, the issue is that usually when I am not writing, I am constantly thinking about what I am writing and how much I want to write more of it, and when I am writing I am in the zone completely excited about what it is I am saying.   But right now the words seem dead and boring and bla.   I stepped away for a few hours yesterday and then came back to read what I wrote and the mood that I was trying to create was dead on and the writing quite good... but while I was writing it I was bored out of my mind.  

Cran is right, I think I am an action scene junkie.  I want the thrill of the chase, and the snarky dialogue.  But I will continue to write what I am.  Not everything can but fun and fast...


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## Sam (May 21, 2014)

I've written over a dozen thrillers. I know the thrill of an action scene as much as anyone, and I understand the lull of an slower one as well, but I've learned a few tricks over the years to get past that or learn how to deal with it. You're welcome to PM me if you want, or I can share here; either way works for me.


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## A_Jones (May 21, 2014)

Go ahead and share them here so others may benefit from them as well.


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## Sam (May 21, 2014)

The problem, as you've mentioned, is that you are addicted to writing the heady scenes of relentless and all-out action or dialogue. The other parts that don't live up to that same exhilaration are going to be, by extension of that, boring or less thrilling. Is there a way to negate that feeling? No, but there is a way to make those scenes less boring or more thrilling while not sacrificing the required break in the aforementioned relentless action. 

The first thing to understand is what all great thrillers have in common: pacing. If you write a story with relentless action and conflict-laden dialogue exclusively, you run the risk of exhausting a reader. There are necessary, almost essential, breaks in every thriller you can find. They're interposed between chapters of heavy action or dialogue and are usually only a couple of pages long. But they serve as a mile marker where a reader can slip in his/her bookmark and take a breather for thirty minutes. These are the scenes that I believe you are tripping over. You call them boring because, well, that's technically what they're supposed to be. But it doesn't mean they _have _to be. Take, for instance, the critically acclaimed Steig Larsson trilogy opener _The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. _The first fifty pages are action- and dialogue-heavy chapters documenting how Mikael Blomkvist becomes déclassé in the eyes of his company and the media when he loses a libel case, before being advised to take a step back from the limelight and serve a three-month prison sentence. The next few chapters, however, are heavy on exposition and introduce the character Henrik Vagner, who wants Blomkvist to investigate the 20-year-old mystery of the disappearance of one of the esteemed Vagner family. These are breather chapters in which we see Blomkvist meet the family members and begin to formulate opinions of who they truly are, whilst also gathering information on what their thoughts are about the disappearance and Wagner's sudden desire to re-investigate the incident. But they are fascinating because, while not being at all action, they begin to sow seeds of intrigue in the reader's mind. Each family member dislikes another family member. All of them have an opinion of what happened the young girl who disappeared, but Blomkvist has to consider them conjectural until he finds some evidence to corroborate them. The chapters take place over months and years, but as a reader we are never bored. Between the action of the investigation, there are numerous chapters which involve Blomkvist talking to Wagner, or canvassing the family, but they all are wonderfully detailed and thrilling. Why? Because the conversations are equally, if not more, thrilling than the actual investigation that Blomqvist conducts by himself. 

The way to make breather chapters less boring is to give them a purpose beyond being mere breather chapters. If you're writing a story about a man and woman on the run from the government, for instance, your breather chapter could be a lieutenant sitting in the police station brainstorming where your characters are and where they're going next. He relays that information to the ground team who are in active pursuit, but he never engages in any action. Why is this not boring? Because the possibilities for that storyline are virtually endless. He finds out there is someone inside his police station trying to aid the characters. He discovers a discrepancy in the official report and investigates further, soon learning that the man and woman have been set up; he questions his captain about this and is summarily suspended for two weeks; on the way home, two government vehicles pin in his police cruiser and all his documents are confiscated and he is warned to never speak of what he saw ever again. He locates the only living relative of the man, his 90-year-old mother living in a home, and proceeds to the address, where he attempts to disabuse the old lady of her steadfast belief that her son and his friend are innocent, in order to have a bargaining chip to use against him. All of these scenes are potentially thrilling if written in the right way, but they don't contain the kind of hitherto relentless action that your scenes with the man and woman on the run will. They are breather chapters, but they are thrilling because they introduce something known as third-person limited omniscient viewpoint. The reader knows that the lieutenant is a threat to the safety of the man and woman, but the man and woman don't. Nor does the narrator. Nor [potentially] does the ground team. So when you're writing it, the thrill is derived from the anticipation of what happens next. If the mother calls the son and asks him to come to the home (or another location) the son has no idea he is walking into a trap. But you do, and your reader does, and so you've taken what originally started as a simple breather chapter and turned it into a twist, an intriguing sub-plot, and a subsequently thrilling write. 

Thrillers are all about finding ways to keep thrilling not only yourself but also your readers. It reminds me of one of my favourite lines from the television series _Castle, _when Richard Castle is asked why he decided to kill his main character Derrick Storm. _"You want to know why I killed Derrick? There were no more  surprises. I knew exactly what was gonna happen every moment of every  scene._" What might have been a thrilling scene during your first novel has become mundane now, because the surprise factor is gone, so you have to find a way of thrilling yourself again. Another way of doing this is to introduce multiple characters and multiple points of view. If you're writing from one viewpoint and one character, you will eventually become bored through sheer rote. If you're writing a sequel with the same character, there's even more likelihood of this happening, so I personally make a habit of having at least half a dozen supporting characters. I've had as many as twenty, but handling that number of characters is not for everyone. As long as you can introduce something new to juxtapose with the old and familiar, you should be okay. Finding ways to make these characters real and not just caricatures for your main character to bounce off is the hard part, and giving them a purpose that ties in with the overall storyline of the novel is equally so, but the rewards from this approach are many and varied. Once you establish continuity of chapters (i.e. when to switch from character to character) you should find yourself beginning to enjoy the process again, because now you're not only ramping things up with the main storyline, you're also finding ways to keep yourself entertained with sub-plots (if more than one is too much to handle, that's fine) that will at their conclusion have played a vital role in the grand scheme of everything. It's also something that can expanded to become a twist, or a shock, that when worked into the storyline in a way that makes in believable will give you a whole other avenue to consider. 

Action does not have to be thrilling, and thrilling scenes do not have to be action. Once you figure out how to go about making that a reality, you should be on your way.


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## Cran (May 22, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> Cran is right, I think I am an action scene junkie.  I want the thrill of the chase, and the snarky dialogue.  But I will continue to write what I am.  Not everything can but fun and fast...


Which of course does not mean that we shall balk at pushing the limit of how much fun and fast we can slip between the covers.


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## Kepharel (May 22, 2014)

A lot of levity in your posts lately Cran...U won the lottery or something?


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## Cran (May 22, 2014)

Kepharel said:


> A lot of levity in your posts lately Cran...U won the lottery or something?


More like a return to normal after quite a few months of everyone - my doctors especially - thinking my use-by date should be brought forward. Now, they are thinking it might even be pushed back a bit from the original estimate - which, yeah is as good as a lottery win for me. That, and the new drugs are _really_ good at controlling the pain levels without over-fogging the brain.


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## Kyle R (May 22, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> ... when I am writing I am in the zone completely excited about what it is I am saying.   But right now the words seem dead and boring and bla.   I stepped away for a few hours yesterday and then came back to read what I wrote and the mood that I was trying to create was dead on and the writing quite good... but while I was writing it I was bored out of my mind.



I'm willing to bet three horseshoes and a pair of pliers that your problem is a *lack of conflict* in these scenes that bore you, mostly because that sounds to be precisely the problem you're dealing with, and partially because I feel like making a strange bet.

It's really quite simple (and fascinating) how dramatic fiction works. Scenes with conflict tend to be interesting. Scenes without conflict tend to be boring.

Those scenes that excited you, the action sequences you mentioned, they were wild and intense and engaging, probably because they were ripe with conflict. But action isn't the only kind of conflict. Anything can be conflict, as long as the main character of the scene has a goal. Whenever something opposes his/her pursuit of that goal, that's conflict right there.

The problems can come when:

A) *We don't give our character a scene goal.* Without an objective to act toward, our character will whip and jostle but end up going nowhere, like a flag in the wind, buckled to a pole. Any actions will appear as a form of story movement, but upon further inspection, the reader will get a sense that nothing's really getting done.

or

B) *We don't generate and explore conflict*. Without obstacles and antagonists to push back, our character's scene progress loses its dramatic punch. Readers love to see things get difficult. The longer you go without making this happen, the quicker their interest wanes.

Giving your character(s) goals will give your scenes purpose and direction. Identifying and lathering on the conflict will give your scenes claws and bite.

It's not action you love—it's conflict. The trick is recognizing the difference. :encouragement:


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## A_Jones (May 22, 2014)

Very true kyle thank you!! It is easy to forget how to get started when for the last year all I have been doing is finishing up an end.


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## W.Goepner (May 22, 2014)

Bishop said:


> As Kepharel said, just trying to make the point that it's a shared, normal experience that is not some character flaw to be disdainful of. If I insulted you, I apologize.



RETRACTED!


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## A_Jones (May 22, 2014)

Come on guys, besides the person you told me to hive up, I like you all and I appriciate all of what you have said.  You jave been helpful.  Please do not use this thread to attack each other.

- - - Updated - - -

Come on guys, besides the person who told me to give up, I like you all and I appriciate all of what you have said.  You jave been helpful.  Please do not use this thread to attack each other.


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## W.Goepner (May 22, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> I have been having trouble writing lately, and I think I know why.   The end of FAE was very exciting, with action sequences everywhere, and dramatic dialogue.  Now everything I write is kind of boring. ......
> 
> Anyone else ever felt this way?
> 
> I know the solution to the problem is just to keep writing.  (that is after all the solution to most any writing problem.)  Im just wondering if anyone else ever felt that way.



Yes I have had this, quite often before the story is finished, because I have seen the end in my mind, and cannot figure out how to get it there.

Yes, writing is the best way to get over this. Just remember that FAE started out slowly, It took a long time to climb to its pinnacle then climax. Every thing for a while will be anti climatic. After all you raised a brain child to adulthood.


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## Sam (May 22, 2014)

Once again the argument from personal incredulity becomes the basis for someone's entire argument. "I can't imagine this could ever be true; therefore it must be false".


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## Morkonan (May 22, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> I am hungry, very hungry.  I want to write so badly. When I am not writing I feel kinda sick.  But when I am writing I hate what I am doing.    I just want the excitement.



Everyone is equally capable of writing garbage... The probabilities of actually doing this decrease in direct relation to achievement, modified by experience... The trick is to write enough garbage, without attempting to publish it, so you can get it out of the way, in favor of giving the good stuff higher probabilities for showing up.

In other words - Be proud that you have written garbage during these latest sessions. It's fine. You'll never stop writing garbage, it's part of the nature of writing. However, the more garbage you write, the better the chances that your capabilities for writing "The Good Stuff" ™ will emerge and bear fruit. 

Revel in your failures. Seriously, do it. Laugh at it. Write a couple of paragraphs, poking fun at your own mistakes and lousy characters or plots. Be at peace with your failures - Not every manuscript is worthy of the Pulitzer or Nobel. That's why those are prestigious awards and not something you can buy at Wallmart.

Directly, seriously, and approaching your problem with a reply meant to help you find a solution - You can not "hate" what you're doing where actual "writing" is concerned. Athletes exercise and you must view these sessions as writing "exercise." You might learn some new moves amidst the flurry of tangled limbs and painful sprains - That's what exercise is for! Do not approach everything you write with the intent to create a masterpiece - It won't happen. Instead, judge your success by the product that you end up producing. If you don't produce anything worth pursuing, then file it or throw it away and start over. There is no shame in that and writers are constant generators of garbage. But, that's their intent, you see? You don't approach a writing session looking for an immediate reward. It's not going to happen that way. Instead, you approach a writing session in order to hunt for that one golden nugget that you can mine around to expose the whole vein. Sometimes, you find it, often you don't. But, don't hate the process of actually looking for it! If you never look, you'll never find it.

Keep looking. Keep writing. Recognize the exercise for what it is and come to be at peace with the process, understanding that many rewards have to be taken as they come, if at all. As it is, learn to recognize the small rewards, those that come with a well-crafted line amidst the garbage. Save that line, brush it off, store it lovingly and then move on, recognizing that it's often the little things that matter the most. One day, you'll find yourself writing "not garbage." Enjoy the surprise.


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## A_Jones (May 22, 2014)

Yes!  Thank you.  This is very true!


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## W.Goepner (May 22, 2014)

Sam said:


> Who is this 'we'?
> 
> Please don't presume to speak for others. I have never once had writer's block. I'm sure there are other writers who are the same.



I will say this "If the shoe DOES NOT FIT, do not wear it." There was no need to personalize this.


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## W.Goepner (May 22, 2014)

A_Jones said:


> Come on guys, besides the person you told me to hive up, I like you all and I appriciate all of what you have said.  You jave been helpful.  Please do not use this thread to attack each other.
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> Come on guys, besides the person who told me to give up, I like you all and I appriciate all of what you have said.  You jave been helpful.  Please do not use this thread to attack each other.



Sorry, I rise to a bait not meant for me to take. 

The one that said to give was out of line for sure. 

Please forgive my transgressions.


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## W.Goepner (May 22, 2014)

Morkonan said:


> Everyone is equally capable of writing garbage... The probabilities of actually doing this decrease in direct relation to achievement, modified by experience... The trick is to write enough garbage, without attempting to publish it, so you can get it out of the way, in favor of giving the good stuff higher probabilities for showing up.
> 
> In other words - Be proud that you have written garbage during these latest sessions. It's fine. You'll never stop writing garbage, it's part of the nature of writing. However, the more garbage you write, the better the chances that your capabilities for writing "The Good Stuff" ™ will emerge and bear fruit.
> 
> ...



Holly... WOW! If this is not inspirational I do not know what ever could be. This is meant for everyone, I hope. Because I now can see why I have some twenty odd WIP and only one complete, or under evaluation. The only argument I have is the hate, it is not actually a argument but a understanding. I personally do not hate the work I have done, and not finished or continued with, I hate the fact I am having a difficult time making it go again. If I am not mistaking, A_Jones "appears" to feel the same, frustrated with the seeming lack of progress. Not to be speaking for anyone, just an opinion.


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## W.Goepner (May 23, 2014)

Sam said:


> Once again the argument from personal incredulity becomes the basis for someone's entire argument. "I can't imagine this could ever be true; therefore it must be false".



This particular discussion was about A_Jones and the feeling they have with what they write not being exciting at this time. A time of climatic joy upon finishing a great piece work. (Which I might add I am all a quiver to finish reading.)


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## Morkonan (May 23, 2014)

W.Goepner said:


> Holly... WOW! If this is not inspirational I do not know what ever could be. This is meant for everyone, I hope. Because I now can see why I have some twenty odd WIP and only one complete, or under evaluation....



Yes, it's addressed to anyone that is getting discouraged with their exploration of ideas and the quality of their current attempts at writing. It's "is what it is" and nothing more. All those bits and pieces of gibberish that you were attempting to organize into The Next Great Novel are nothing but exercises on the road to writing that novel. Blockbusters are rarely planned, they just happen. There's no "formula" for writing a best-selling story, many computer programmers have tried and simple AIs have even worked on the idea, without success. 

Every page you write has a non-zero probability of being crap. But, they also have a non-zero probability of being The Next Great Novel. If they're crap, it's par-for-the-course and don't get discouraged because of it - Everyone produces crap. 

How many times have you heard of an award-winning novelist being embarrassed by their early work? Well, there ya go. Some novelists have even become outraged at the unauthorized releases of old manuscripts, simply because they know that they were... crap. Between the Pulitzer or Nobel and your desk lies a forest of garbage and worthless ink that you're going to end up having to wade through... or not.


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## W.Goepner (May 23, 2014)

Morkonan said:


> Yes, it's addressed to anyone that is getting discouraged with their exploration of ideas and the quality of their current attempts at writing. It's "is what it is" and nothing more. All those bits and pieces of gibberish that you were attempting to organize into The Next Great Novel are nothing but exercises on the road to writing that novel. Blockbusters are rarely planned, they just happen. There's no "formula" for writing a best-selling story, many computer programmers have tried and simple AIs have even worked on the idea, without success.
> 
> Every page you write has a non-zero probability of being crap. But, they also have a non-zero probability of being The Next Great Novel. If they're crap, it's par-for-the-course and don't get discouraged because of it - Everyone produces crap.
> 
> How many times have you heard of an award-winning novelist being embarrassed by their early work? Well, there ya go. Some novelists have even become outraged at the unauthorized releases of old manuscripts, simply because they know that they were... crap. Between the Pulitzer or Nobel and your desk lies a forest of garbage and worthless ink that you're going to end up having to wade through... or not.



I can say, it is nice to see an encouraging post, of how or what it can take, or what one can do, to get beyond this. 

I do not believe any of my WIP are crap, they sound good to me. I have ran into that one place of, where to go from here to get to there, issue. I had someone suggest for me to write what I know I want about the piece. Then read it from beginning to end as it sits. If this process works as is should, it will force the mind into that, something is missing thought mode, then the, how to fill that missing part comes into play. I have as yet put it to the test but it sounds like it should work. My problem is I know the end, but not how the end comes. The end is the end as we all know, it is how that end is achieved, which stalls me.

My, "To touch a Dragon", is one such piece. I know I will have the MC and the dragon together but How to put them there and for how long is the issue. If I have them come together just at the end it could be a short story or a long struggle. If I have them come together in the middle or earlier, then the end has to have a reasonable conclusion. I picture them walking off together in a blissful union either way.


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