Discussion on writers block...

[Madbomber]

Hey all, since this is a forum to discuss writing, I'd thought I'd ask for everyone's input on writers block. To be honest though, I'm not even sure that that's what it is with me. I started a little story called A Circles End a while back (okay, so it was back in 2001) and the first chapter, by far the largest, just seemed to flow out of me like an open water tap. I wasn't even sure where to take the story after the first chapter and I didn't really think about sharing it at first, but after I got it all out of my system, I continued writing it and let the story take its own course. After a while though I seemed to dry up, like someone was turning off the water. I managed to put out a few more chapters over the next year or so, and then I pretty much stopped.

 

I had about twenty or so chapters. I kept wanting to come back to it, but I didn't know where to go with it. I didn't want to force it either, cause up until that point it had a life of its own. I even had points in the story where I reread what I had written and said to myself, "Huh, I didn't expect that." At one time I even got an idea for another story and stopped writing ACE to work on it. I only got out three chapters of it, which I was pleased with, but found that I was unwilling to leave my first unfinished. Over the past couple years though I only wrote a few more chapters (it stands at 25 currently, with 26 about half written).

 

I got out of the army about a year and a half ago and started working and going to school full time, add to it all the normal family stuff and I pretty much had no free time. Well, I finished my degree program for the time being and am in a position right now where I have a lot of free time on my hands. I have gone through and read all 25 chapters so that I could refresh my memory and I sat down a few nights ago with the idea of continuing chapter 26 where I had left off. I got a couple more paragraphs into and had to stop. It's just not there. I'm not sure what's wrong really. I don't know if it's writers block, or if I've just run out of ideas, but I can't write. I know that I am almost finished with it. I can feel the end of it, but I just don't know how to get there. I have these fascinations sometimes when I tell myself I can publish it someday with a little more work, (it doesn't really go along with the theme of most stories posted on Com's site and the library, for those of you who haven't read it) probably fattening it up a little in the beginning and middle, but at this point I don't see how.

 

So, here I sit, with plenty of time on my hands, and no inspiration. To continue my analogy, it's as though my well has dried up now, and I need some way of drilling the hole a little deeper. It pains me to leave it unfinished, and I also want to continue with my other story, The Light. Any inputs and criticisms to the story (it's no longer posted on the net) for those of you who have read it in the past, as well as solutions to my problem, would be greatly appreciated.

 

This forum looks really nice and I'll do my best to participate in the future. I've been around Mr. Comicality's site and the library (briefly at the shack, but I didn't stick around long there) for years now. I remember when he had like four or five stories posted on his web site (and he actually e-mailed people back *ehum ehum*). As to the posts recently about proofreading, I wouldn't mind lending a hand there if its needed. I do have a college edumacation now and all :graduated: .

 

All right, I'll stop there. Looking forward to hearing from you all. Later, Me. :nuke:

[GREEN]

Hi Madbomber

 

I read both of your stories. I thought they were both really good. I was very sad when you stopped writing them. A Circles End was definitely up there with gfd, and the light had a lot of potential. The cool thing about them is that they felt like a very well written TV show or movie. You had me coming back for more each week. As I remember ACE was set in the gfd world or something like that.

 

About the writer's block I dunno as I'm dealing with that right now with one of my stories. It all comes down to inspiration I guess. I'm sorry that I couldn't be more helpful in that aspect.

 

I hope you do continue these stories maybe post them on the net again. Feedback will always inspire.

 

Green

[reapersharvest]

I say just force yourself to write more and more, even if it's crap, at least you're thinking about it and getting a writing mode where an idea could easily pop int your head and you can take it in a whole new direction.

[JamesSavik]

Comicality wrote an essay on the subject for the Gay Authors Newsletter:

 

>>>"Ohhh Nooo!!!! Not The Deadly Writer's Block!"

 

I am suffering from it myself. If you guys figure it out, let me know!

[Comicality]

"Mr. Comicality?" Hehehe! I feel so important!

 

You know, I honestly think that there's a certain anxiety that builds up as you continue to write a particular series. It's like...once you have a stable foundation for your characters, and have pretty much defined who they are as a person...it gets increasingly difficult to actually USE that knowledge for something when creating new chapters. I think, if I hadn't tried weaving in a lot of different story plots into "New Kid" (with Randy's Dad, or Ariel, or Tyler, or Sam and Matt, and the rest), I would have gotten bored with the story a long time ago. But by having two or three 'storylines' going on at once, I can talk about Tyler and Ariel when I've run out of things to do with Ryan ad Randy at the moment. And vice versa. Same with a lot of stuff that I write. It gets harder each time to meet whatever expectation the readers might have and still be true to what you want to do with the story.

 

How do you get past the writer's block? Try this....sit down, and read your own story from front to back. Just read it as it is. Take some notes on details and stuff that you want to remember, make a character list of all your characters and what they look like (Just a brief description and all), and then think about ideas that you have for an ending. Write them down. Out of order, on scraps of paper, whatever. Whenever you get an idea for an important scene or conversation or plot twist...write it down. And then, when you have all of that written out where you can visually SEE it, try to connect those scenes with something significant. Like....say you have a big showdown in a train yard. Who's there, what's happening, and why? Once you have that scene in your head, you can think about what comes before and after it, until it connects to something else. Does that make sense? Who knows? I'm rambling.

 

Anyway, just remember to let your thoughts flow naturally. Force yourself to 'start' if you have to, but after that, just let the thoughts come to you. I've found that when I start a brand new story or series, it's usually because I have a specific feeling or emotion that I wanted to get out of my system. Whether I was upset, or hurt, or just plain horny...whatever. And that triggered emotion doesn't last forever. So, when it's gone, I find another one to help me write more. Whatever was going on in your life at the time to inspire those original old chapters, might not still be a factor for you. You may have grown and changed a lot since then, and trying to recreate that 'old you' might be difficult to do in a story. Not to mention that you lose some passion when you're trying to move backwards with your writing for the sake of completing it. So, try to use what is going on in your life NOW to add to what is there. You might be surprised at how easily it connects.

 

I usually have to 'remix' a lot of my old stories when I go back to them after a long hiatus, because they don't sound like the current 'me' anymore. So, try it out. I hope it helps.

[lurker]

I haven't read your stories, Madbomber, so I'm speaking from a more general sense here.

 

I suspect that the gay online fiction world is full of unfinished stories somewhat like yours - you started at one point in your life due to some inspiration and after some time, you didn't have the time and/or inspiration to keep the story going.

 

Here is my controversial proposition: Maybe the problem is that your story IS finished, to some extent. Having not read it, I don't know if that's true or not.

 

What defines where a story ends? There are stories where the author slaps on "The End" or the barely less subtle paragraph at the end explaining "And then they were together for another 20 years and had blah blah blah, but they never forgot this story."

 

Does an official ending really work for the reader? To be honest, if an author has to TELL me that the story is over, then there has been something missing in the story telling/crafting. Not every story ends with complete resolution, but as a reader, I should KNOW that the story is ending. This should not be a shock. A well-crafted story is built upon a certain amount of conflict and when that conflict is played out, then the story is over.

 

I know that writing styles vary widely. Some people like to have every detail plotted out in advance and others prefer to be more flexible to follow where a storyline may go. But there is such a thing as too much free-form.

 

There are a great number of aspiring authors who are inspired to write - they come up with a character, a scenario, etc. - and just start writing. I would posit that while many people can be writers, not nearly as many are focused on being story-tellers. The talented authors are the ones who have honed the craft of storytelling.

 

Writer's block often happens when there is a disconnect with the writing (or writing process) and with the story that the writer is trying to tell. Sometimes, the problem is that the writer may not KNOW what story he is trying to tell. Or his writing may have deviated from the story he is telling enough that he now feels trapped and unable to continue in the path he feels that the story needs to go. Or the story he was trying to tell is ALREADY TOLD and the writer is stuck trying to continue when the true underlying story is finished.

 

If you are simply more interested in working on ANOTHER story, that doesn't really seem like writer's block to me. It just suggests that your muse is lit in a different direction. Go with where your creative energy takes you!

 

But for anyone who has systematic problems 'finishing' stories - and always is more inspired to start something new - then that indicates a problem with crafting a story so that it has a natural beginning, middle, and end. There are questions you can use to focus your writing on this core story-telling point, such as: What is this story about? What does this chapter do? What conflicts must be resolved before this story can end? etc.

 

Happy Writing!