"Huh?" he asked.
"It was only a dream," she said. "Are you okay? Here, have some coffee. It must have been a nightmare, but it's all alright now."
And they laughed meaningfully.
The end.
Posted on 08/17/2006 8:36:45 PM PDT by Number57
I've had this story worked out in my mind for going on twenty years. 1989. But now... I am stuck. I started a book based on it, but I'm no writer, obviously. I constantly re-read and edit, and re-read and edit more.
Probably because I've posted part of the story on sites that critique writing.
Anyway. I've hit a wall. A large brick wall. I've since stopped editing my own stuff, but try as I might, I can't write another chapter that I'm okay with. How do you, in your experience, get past it? I'll appreciate any help anyone can offer.
Put it away. Don't go back to it until it 'calls you'
Do you have an outline of the next batch of chapters, and a general outline of the entire story?
If not, write one. Start out with the general plot, and then start adding details of specific events. What you're outlining are ideas. By the time you have an outline you're happy with, writing the story should be easier.
"Wake up, wake up," she said.
"Huh?" he asked.
"It was only a dream," she said. "Are you okay? Here, have some coffee. It must have been a nightmare, but it's all alright now."
And they laughed meaningfully.
The end.
When in doubt, do what Papa Hemmingway did, go camping, fishing or hunting and drink a lot. :)
"It was a dark and stormy night..."
Do you have any idea what's happening *after* the chapter you're stuck on? Sometimes skipping ahead and then coming back to fill in the hole can get the ol' muse started up again.
I have trouble working that way, but it works for many!
Playing stuff in my head works for me. If I get really stuck, I'll go for a long walk and rehash and rehash a scene or scrap of dialog until it starts working.
Write the last chapter... then the next to the last chapter...
Once you see where you want to story to end up, fill in the details...
Writing ping...
Put it down until something strikes a nerve. Or just start writing; striking out on a particular path until the stream starts flowing.
Take a break. When I've produced my best writing, I completely hated everything I wrote by the time I was finished with revisions and editing. Take a couple of days off, make a basic outline, and naturally as you write the outline more and more detail will follow until you realize what it is you want to say.
lol. This thread is starting to sound like a thread for a cure for hiccups
My favorites always begin with, "I never thought I'd be writing to Penthouse Letters..."
"...suddenly a shot rang out. The maid screamed."
"Huh?" he asked.
"It was only a dream," she said. "Are you okay? Here, have some coffee. It must have been a nightmare, but it's all alright now."
And they laughed meaningfully.
The end.
After you come down, please tell us all what your book is about.
TIA
FMCDH(BITS)
Do like the greats... drink heavily, womanize and kill wildlife.
(Note: I am not a writer so I don't do those things)
I 'play' the story in my head all the time... even when dreaming... but when I sit down to add what I've thought of or dreamt of, it doesn't seem to gel with the main plot, and I get really frustrated.
It's not like I'm trying to write the Great American Novel... far from it. It's just another horror story.
"Hillary Clinton was arrested for aiding Al-Queda and sentenced to life in prison. Osama bin Laden when hearing of his lover's imprisonment, committed suicide. Billions around the world cheered. Life is beautiful. The End."
I am a notoriously fickle writer. It might help to know precisely what you're stuck with (plotting, style, mood, character, etc), but a method that often works for me is to stop worrying about it. IOW, to find something else to pass the time and occupy my mind. Then, when the moment is right it seems whatever I'm wrestling over just falls into place and, wham! For me, it's usually when I wake up: It just seems to work itself out in my subconscious.
I dunno if this'd work for you, but it definitely tends to work for me. However, it can sometimes take days or even weeks for the inspiration to strike. More often it's overnight or 2 to 3 days at most. The key, however, is that I never, ever just sit around and stress over writer's block. If I did, I would never unblock.
PS. If you don't read what you write out loud now would be a good time to start doing that. It was phenomenal how much of a difference it made for me when I finally started doing it regularly, and it might get things flowing again for you.
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