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| by Chris Robley |
It just occurred to me that I've never really talked about my WiP on the blog. If I had the plot developed, I might discuss it, but I'm nowhere near that stage yet. At this point, I've got the premise, characters, and some mental notes on scenes, but less than 1,000 words. I try to decide on several backstory details every day, and I think this is the best way to approach this story. I want to start from the beginning and see what happens. However, before I get very far, I'll have to do quite a bit of research. (The setting's Paris, 1945.)
My biggest issue with stories is always conflict. I'll create a couple characters I love to death, but there won't be any inherent conflict in the premise. Plausibility, sure. Originality, maybe. Gut emotional appeal, for me. It's not that I hate to torture my characters as much as I hate to give them faults. I guess it's because they're so often based on me, and I hate to acknowledge my own faults.
If you've seen my 2010 NaNo badge in the right column, you may be wondering how I managed it. To write a story in a month when I'm so lost in the current WiP. You'll wonder more when I say I've been reshaping the current idea over and over since December 2010 - right after NaNo's end. The current WiP, of course, barely resembles my original ideas, but the truth is I've barely written anything for the project in over a year. I'm finally happy, even proud, of the premise, but the pages are still blank.Just to confuse you a bit more: I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo 2010 on October 31st - only hours before it began. Most writers will already have a detailed outline prepared - no one will concoct and write a plot in the same month.
But I did it. The girl who'll take a year to create a decent premise. I wrote a 51,000-word novel in a month, with no preparation beforehand.
The secret? The majority of it was based on my own life. The conflict was easy - my life was full of it. I was angsty, I had questions, and Tumblr for any extra inspiration if necessary. The story was asking to be written, and easy to complete.
So today I was flipping through a few books on the art of the novel. Lately I've been feeling pretty horrible about the prolonged block - and pretty hopeless about my writing. But then, about an hour ago, I had a revelation. It suddenly struck me how I'm going to make my way out of this maze - what direction my story's got to go in.
I began with a list of everything my protagonist wants. Everything she believes in. Then, I began to write ideas for scenes which would undermine those beliefs. Various obstacles she'll have to face before a plot twist and resolution. And I made them various, not just one that escalates.If you've been reading this thinking, "Well, yes," I'm not surprised. An hour ago, the time of my revelation, this seemed... well, like a revelation. Now that I consider it, I realize it's nothing I haven't been suggested before. It's odd how tired old lessons can just inexplicably click.
I'm not quite sure what lesson I mean to teach. Maybe it's that, no matter how stressed you are about a block, there's hope around the corner. Maybe I gave some helpful advice on plotting, or perhaps you found my story interesting. Or maybe this post is just a challenge to myself, to write this story.
What writing challenges do you face?
