Writing process and writer's block

[magnetarhanggliding]

Hello Lit Authors!

I still consider myself a new writer and I'm having trouble with a story. Which has made me curious about other author's writing processes.

Do many of you use an outline when creating a story? My assumption is that some of you must, given the complexity of your tales.

My attempts at using an outline have been frustrating. Usually I cannot complete the outline. The few times I have, I was so dissatisfied with the outcome that it soured my on the story and I never ended up writing it.

I also enjoy not knowing where a story is going, often ending up in a completely different place than where I had a vague intention of going when I started.

This has now come back to bite me, as I have a story that I am 30k+ word into and have no idea how to bring it to a satisfying close.

I don't expect anyone to have a magic bullet to help me here. I am just hoping that I may be able to glean a nugget of inspiration from your processes and thoughts.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts you may provide!
MH

 

[NotWise]

I don't write outlines. I usually write a synopsis of the story so I know where I'm going with it. I'm not sure that's different from what some people call an outline.

30K words plus is a long way to get into a story before losing track. Even with a synopsis to guide me, it isn't odd for me to write myself into a position where emotional content is not what I want, and I bog down because I can't "feel" the story anymore. Poor dialogue is usually the clearest symptom of problems.

I back up when that happens, delete what didn't work, and try to find a path forward that gives me what I want.

YMMV

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

Even with a synopsis to guide me, it isn't odd for me to write myself into a position where emotional content is not what I want, and I bog down because I can't "feel" the story anymore. Poor dialogue is usually the clearest symptom of problems.

I think this is a great synopsis of where I'm at. I no longer feel emotionally invested in it, and thus it feels listless to me now.

Thank you for the advice and thank you for the reply!

 

[KittyOfSteele]

The thing with writing is that everyone has their own thing, so not every piece of advice should be treated like gospel. Due to my ADHD and my perfectionism (hence I haven't posted in a while, or finished a series; had many struggles last year, including political persecusion), I find it really hard both using and not using an outline because it leads me to procrastinating quite a lot. Not everyone is a plotter. Stephen King is known for being a pantser as he likes to not know where the story leads to. I understand that, but sometimes, I do have things that I want to happen.

I'm a plantser. My outlines are very loose, focused more on goals and milestones for my main characters to accomplish or reach rather than carefully putting a road for them to follow. I prefer for them to carve their own path. The reason for having a loose outline it's because original plans may not come true. Last time I did NaNo, my story exploded into epic fantasy territory, and the more I tried contain it, the worse it got. I don't know if this is the GM/Player in me, but if I'm pantsing or plantsing, I usually grab index cards to keep them as journal, with summaries and bullet points of the story so that I don't lose track of my progress.

If you lost track of your story, may I suggest to go back check up your plot threads and see if they're ready to be solved?

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

I don’t religiously use an outline. I just use it enough to get the brain juices flowing. Then I allow myself the grace to deviate from the outline, knowing it doesn’t have be my bible. Usually though, I have an ending in mind with an outline and it’s a matter of I get there through the unpredictable writing process.

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

The thing with writing is that everyone has their own thing, so not every piece of advice should be treated like gospel. Due to my ADHD and my perfectionism (hence I haven't posted in a while, or finished a series; had many struggles last year, including political persecusion), I find it really hard both using and not using an outline because it leads me to procrastinating quite a lot. Not everyone is a plotter. Stephen King is known for being a pantser as he likes to not know where the story leads to. I understand that, but sometimes, I do have things that I want to happen.

I'm a plantser. My outlines are very loose, focused more on goals and milestones for my main characters to accomplish or reach rather than carefully putting a road for them to follow. I prefer for them to carve their own path. The reason for having a loose outline it's because original plans may not come true. Last time I did NaNo, my story exploded into epic fantasy territory, and the more I tried contain it, the worse it got. I don't know if this is the GM/Player in me, but if I'm pantsing or plantsing, I usually grab index cards to keep them as journal, with summaries and bullet points of the story so that I don't lose track of my progress.

If you lost track of your story, may I suggest to go back check up your plot threads and see if they're ready to be solved?

Thank you for the reply and thank you also for introducing me to pantser and plantser as they were terms I was not familiar with.

I completely agree with your first sentence. I was hoping that having some insight to others processes would give me a bit of inspiration, which it definitely has!

I'll also say that having read your general process (and also looking up plantser), that mine is very similar. I often have a general idea where I want my characters to to end up, and will have a scene or two in mind that I want them to visit along the way. Other than that, I like to see where the story takes me.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I often start with an ending and write until the story gets to the end. I think my personal favorite of my own stories is the one where I literally wrote the climax (pun intended), then a scene in the middle, then filled in the gaps.

So ... write the ending now, then work back, maybe?

-Annie

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

I often start with an ending and write until the story gets to the end. I think my personal favorite of my own stories is the one where I literally wrote the climax (pun intended), then a scene in the middle, then filled in the gaps.

That is brilliant! I am absolutely going to try and write a story that way!

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I tend to write novel-length stories that I do a lot of research on.

I don't outline. I create an organic "storyboard" based upon whatever inspired me to consider the idea for the story. This always starts with the characters; identifying the main ones and their bios, followed typically with a timeline that allows for consistent synchronization of events as they happen. The storyboard sees a lot of changes as the story develops, but it remains the foundation throughout, and can eventually serve in support of future stories.

Mine are not visual storyboards most commonly associated with films and graphic projects, but inspirational collections of key story ideas, concepts, and characterizations that I plan to use. I have a single MS Excel file with tabbed sheets for each story. I find that this makes it easiest for me to organize information, and to search or sort everything.

Where writer's block is concerned, I find that for myself, this is typically less about the idea flow stopping and more about the mind-to-hand connection being shut off for whatever reason. When this happens, I use the voice record feature on my cell phone or computer, close my eyes, and simply dictate what is in my head. The recorded words get converted to text, which can then be moved into the story body.

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

A very organized approach, thank you!

I need to use the voice record feature more often for other reasons too. I can't count the amount of story ideas I've lost because I wasn't near a computer when I thought of them and didn't feel like typing them out on my phone.

 

[SimonDoom]

We're all different. I typically write with at least a rudimentary outline that sets forth the concept of my story, character lists, with some traits listed, themes and details I want to incorporate, and a bullet point sketch of the plot. I almost always know what the ending will be before I write much. That's the way I am. I don't know how else to write. For me the tough stretch, if I have one, is usually in the middle, figuring out how to get from A to B, rather than not knowing what B is.

My stories are concept and plot driven, so knowing the ending, and concentrating on getting there, is a crucial part of my creative process. But you'll find plenty of other authors who find this approach much too confining and use other methods.

You might try it and see how it works. Come up with a concept for a story, figure out what you want the final scene to look like, and then write from there.

 

[gunhilltrain]

That is brilliant! I am absolutely going to try and write a story that way!

I have done something like this, although I usually I have written some of the earlier parts first. You can skip over sections and get back to them later. Just put a note in there describing what you'd probably like to write in that space.

Sometimes a story will have an "epilogue" or, as I call it, an "aftermath" scene. Also, it's alright to have a story that is a bit open-ended and leaves the future partially unstated. Sometimes a sequel will occur to you months or even years later. I hope you don't mind me plugging one of my own stories here as an example.

https://classic.literotica.com/s/trucker-mom-1

The last section is "anti-climatic" - quite literally. As they are driving down the highway near the end, Marion says, "For the moment, we have today and tomorrow. Then we have the rest of the summer. After that, who knows? We'll see where we are by then." So there could be a sequel, but I don't have one in mind right now. The story as is seems "self-contained," and the existing ending may be enough at this point.

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

Sometimes a story will have an "epilogue" or, as I call it, an "aftermath" scene. Also, it's alright to have a story that is a bit open-ended and leaves the future partially unstated.

I feel that the reader's imagination can almost always do a better job of filling in the blanks, whether it be film or print.

Although, I did that on my first story and was fairly well savaged for it by some. Much as you describe, on a re-read a few months later, I found I had more to say about the characters.

I don't mind the plugging at all! I am always looking for new suggestions to read on here.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

I've tried this writing thing a few times. The first, I went with an outline, and I just never felt like I was making progress and soon I just gave it up. This most recent time, I started with a general idea, something fun that I thought I could go with, and the story just blossomed up. I would have a few distinct scenes in mind, some things that I thought I could throw in to spice up the narrative, and eventually it turned into a sprawling world with plots and counterplots, and the like. I can't even tell you how it happened - it was straight up just words coming out of me that gelled into a pretty fun story - at least, the audience seems to like it so far.

I know that's about the least helpful advice I can give, but the only thing I've figured out about my writing is that once I start going, things start coming together. I have maybe two scenes in the 500k+ words I've written since October that I ended up cutting and not using because they never gelled.

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

I'd say my process is fairly similar...except for the part where it comes together nicely

 

[TheWritingGroup]

I've tried this writing thing a few times. The first, I went with an outline, and I just never felt like I was making progress and soon I just gave it up.

Stephen King once said that if he makes an outline, he has to struggle to actually write the story in full. Once the outline is done, he feels as if the story is done and has no motivation.

-Annie

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

I have a story that I am 30k+ word into and have no idea how to bring it to a satisfying close.

Forgive me if I suggest something you've already considered. With this much writing done, I gather that you know your characters pretty well. In the story's situation, what would these characters do? If you know what they'd do, and you don't find that satisfying, I think you have two options: 1) Let the story end in a way you find unsatisfying, but is valid based on your characters' thoughts and actions, and allow the readers to decide if that works; and 2) Go over all of the events in the story and see if changing something would put the characters in a different situation. Either way (or through some other option), good luck.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I feel that the reader's imagination can almost always do a better job of filling in the blanks, whether it be film or print.

Although, I did that on my first story and was fairly well savaged for it by some. Much as you describe, on a re-read a few months later, I found I had more to say about the characters.

I don't mind the plugging at all! I am always looking for new suggestions to read on here.

I see that you already have seven stories here and, by my reckoning, they all have done quite well. (My first 2.75 score was a bit painful. The first negative comment is painful too, assuming you get any comments at all.) So on your work-in-progress, you already have 30k words, which I might define as a novella. You already have one series with three parts, so you can handle that technique. Have you ever written a 30k story before? That can be a bit daunting, and I don't know how many characters and how much plot you've got going with that one. A stand-alone story with 6k to 8k words can work quite well too.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Stephen King once said that if he makes an outline, he has to struggle to actually write the story in full. Once the outline is done, he feels as if the story is done and has no motivation.

-Annie

I guess I don't agree with him. However, he has reached the point where almost everything he publishes is a potential bestseller. So it that works for him . . .

 

[gunhilltrain]

I've tried this writing thing a few times. The first, I went with an outline, and I just never felt like I was making progress and soon I just gave it up. This most recent time, I started with a general idea, something fun that I thought I could go with, and the story just blossomed up. I would have a few distinct scenes in mind, some things that I thought I could throw in to spice up the narrative, and eventually it turned into a sprawling world with plots and counterplots, and the like. I can't even tell you how it happened - it was straight up just words coming out of me that gelled into a pretty fun story - at least, the audience seems to like it so far.

I know that's about the least helpful advice I can give, but the only thing I've figured out about my writing is that once I start going, things start coming together. I have maybe two scenes in the 500k+ words I've written since October that I ended up cutting and not using because they never gelled.

In six years here, I have about a half-dozen stories (including a non-fiction essay) that just didn't seem worth continuing. I keep them around in case I can use some part of them elsewhere. Maybe I've been lucky in that none of those setbacks were "fatal" in the long-run, by which I mean I stopped writing anything.

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

I see that you already have seven stories here and, by my reckoning, they all have done quite well. (My first 2.75 score was a bit painful. The first negative comment is painful too, assuming you get any comments at all.)

The negative comments don't bother me, as I expect them. I event state it in my bio, I know I'm not a good writer, so I expect some hate. If I can bring joy to just a few people, as many authors on this site have done for me, then I consider that job done.

Have you ever written a 30k story before? That can be a bit daunting, and I don't know how many characters and how much plot you've got going with that one. A stand-alone story with 6k to 8k words can work quite well too.

Yes, the second part of the one series I have done so far was 34k words. So very similar.

In the case of the story I am stuck on, it actually doesn't have many characters.

Apologies as I should have added more context to my current dilemma: I do know how I want the story to end, in the sense that I know the final state for the characters. I just feel that the journey there is very linear. There is no drama, no struggle, or anything interesting that I can think of to happen between those two points. I could come up with something rather artificial, but I believe that would end up being worse than the last chapter or two being boring.

Think of a the typical three act movie, except the resolution happens in the second act and the third act is the characters just going about their daily lives for several thousand words. It's not quite that bad...but I still feel it will be anticlimactic for the reader.

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

2) Go over all of the events in the story and see if changing something would put the characters in a different situation. Either way (or through some other option), good luck.

This is most likely what I will end up doing. Time to learn not to get to wedded to what I have already written and be comfortable with changes.

 

[magnetarhanggliding]

I also want to add that I am very grateful for all who have taken the time to comment on my query.

Thank you for the ideas and support!

 

[gunhilltrain]

The negative comments don't bother me, as I expect them. I event state it in my bio, I know I'm not a good writer, so I expect some hate. If I can bring joy to just a few people, as many authors on this site have done for me, then I consider that job done.

Yes, the second part of the one series I have done so far was 34k words. So very similar.

In the case of the story I am stuck on, it actually doesn't have many characters.

Apologies as I should have added more context to my current dilemma: I do know how I want the story to end, in the sense that I know the final state for the characters. I just feel that the journey there is very linear. There is no drama, no struggle, or anything interesting that I can think of to happen between those two points. I could come up with something rather artificial, but I believe that would end up being worse than the last chapter or two being boring.

Think of a the typical three act movie, except the resolution happens in the second act and the third act is the characters just going about their daily lives for several thousand words. It's not quite that bad...but I still feel it will be anticlimactic for the reader.

I can think of some movies that don't have that three-act structure, or not quite anyway, and sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. (I don't know if you've seen any of these). Terence Malick's The Thin Red Line feels rather strange, in that the main battle is towards the middle, and everything after that - a good hour of running time - seems a bit random, perhaps. It probably didn't help that he had to cut so much footage from the final cut, but I found it somewhat baffling. (I don't remember how the novel does it.) Kubrick's Paths of Glory also has the battle nearer the start, but then (SPOILER ALERT!!), there is the second, and real, climax with the execution scene He still has a coda after that, with the scene in the tavern, which I think was a good choice.

So, yeah, endings can be difficult. Maybe you wrote past where the ending should be. Or maybe you need to have an unconventional structure, which might work if there is a reason for it. (Like that is how life really goes, which can be a problem in a series.)

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Without knowing details, it's hard to say what's up. Can you add some struggle to the missing part, since you say that's missing?

-Annie