ParanetOnline
McAnally's (The Community Pub) => Author Craft => Topic started by: Kali on April 16, 2010, 09:57:59 PM
-
I am at THAT part of the book. Neil Gaiman wrote about it for NaNo 2007, part of his pep talk.
By now you're probably ready to give up. You're past that first fine furious rapture when every character and idea is new and entertaining. You're not yet at the momentous downhill slide to the end, when words and images tumble out of your head sometimes faster than you can get them down on paper. You're in the middle, a little past the half-way point. The glamour has faded, the magic has gone, your back hurts from all the typing, your family, friends and random email acquaintances have gone from being encouraging or at least accepting to now complaining that they never see you any more---and that even when they do you're preoccupied and no fun. You don't know why you started your novel, you no longer remember why you imagined that anyone would want to read it, and you're pretty sure that even if you finish it it won't have been worth the time or energy and every time you stop long enough to compare it to the thing that you had in your head when you began---a glittering, brilliant, wonderful novel, in which every word spits fire and burns, a book as good or better than the best book you ever read---it falls so painfully short that you're pretty sure that it would be a mercy simply to delete the whole thing.
Yep, that's the part I'm at. He goes on to tell a story about how in the middle of "Anasi Boys" he called his agent to tell her that the book sucked, the characters sucked, the story sucked, the plot sucked, he sucked, and he was going to quit writing this book to start another that someone might want to read or possibly to be a bricklayer. His agent responded, "Oh, you're at that part of the book." Apparently, he does this on every book, he just hadn't realized it until then. So, his agent told him, did every other client she has.
So I'm not giving up. Even though my book sucks, the characters suck, the story sucks, the plot sucks, and I suck. I figured I probably wasn't the only person to hit this wall, and since I have Gaiman's pep talk linked as a favorite for when I need the pep, I should pass it on.
-
Heh. I remember that story, though I can't remember if I read it on his blog, or he told it at the Anansi Boys signing I went to with a friend. Oohhh...kitty!
-
I know this is a bit of an old topic, but I am wondering how many other folks out there experience this... and right from the start? I know I've been doing the whole song and dance about every other day.
From what I've read, it is a VERY common malady, but nevertheless, I'm wondering how common it is here.
-
I certainly have my "this sucks" days.
-
You know what sucks worse than your sucky book with sucky characters and a sucky plot line? Not finishing it so your editor/betas can help with the plotline and characters to turn suck into blow your mind awesome. That would be a tragic suck.
That pep-talkie enough?
-
>.>
<.<
SHUT UP! >.<
*runs away crying*
-
Yeah, aak^3, next time you feel like giving this pep speech, just pass them the box of straws, 'K?
-
I'm thinking I wasn't understood properly. In other words/phrases I'm saying that you're writing it out for the first time and probably looks worse in your own mind than it actually is. Once you've created the rough diamond comes the polishing.
Does this make more sense?
Seriously, I'm not that big of an ass to say that what you're putting together sucks.
-
I'm thinking I wasn't understood properly.
You were. We were giving you a hard time back.
In other words/phrases I'm saying that you're writing it out for the first time and probably looks worse in your own mind than it actually is. Once you've created the rough diamond comes the polishing.
Does this make more sense?
We understood, first time. It was funny.
-
oh good. I was beginning to become distraught with my sucky communication skills.
-
*passes 3aak a Dogfishhead 90minute to practice sucky communications skills on*
-
It was funny. ;D My "runs away crying" thing is usually my jokey response to something I can't refute. Since I was so positive about the direction my novel was heading and even solicited beta readers in this board, only to have my own negativity derail me (that and a first-reader who couldn't be bothered to plow his way through the entire thing)... I sorta took that post to heart! I have no defense against it except *runs away crying* because I SHOULD finish it, I should get more than one disinterested opinion, and I should never let one bad opinion turn me against my own work.
And so I say...
SHUT UP! >.<
*runs away crying*
-
If you ever have a day where you're thinking your stuff sucks or just isn't all that great, read something that you know is poorly written and still got published. Or procrastinate until you forget that you thought it sucked. I don't really recommend that one, though. It ends up being way too much procrastination. :-\
-
Well, I'm not an author, I'm a programmer. But I can tell you that "that part" seems to exist in just about any large project. The part where you've worked on it long enough that you're used to the cool stuff, are just dealing with the flaws, and yet it hasn't come together yet.
It's a pain. The only thing you can do is slog through it.
-
I thought the name for "that" part was writer's block?
From what I've heard, pretty much every writer has had a THAT part experience (why does this sound like we're all members of some exclusive THAT club?? :)) The general advice seems to be "write through it". I recently had a mini-THAT, and I found that just writing helped a lot. It doesn't really matter what you write, or how bad it sucks (if it even sucks at all--writers are infamous for their lack of objectivity towards their own work), because you can fix something that sucks. Always.
What you can't fix is something that isn't there. ;D
-
No, writer's block can refer to any (mostly mental) reason you're stuck. You want to move forward, but you can't. You can't think of how to get your characters out of the situation, you can't think of anything cool, whatever. All you can do is sit there and stare at what you've done and try to carve more words out of your brain with a melon baller.
THAT part of the book is when you're sure it all sucks and there's no reason to go on, and it should all be chucked in the trash.
I think the key difference is the desire to continue. ;)
-
Well, I'm not an author, I'm a programmer. But I can tell you that "that part" seems to exist in just about any large project. The part where you've worked on it long enough that you're used to the cool stuff, are just dealing with the flaws, and yet it hasn't come together yet.
I don't know that it's that much of a "worked long enough" thing; I am having a bit of a "the beginning of this, which I have written, sucks, and the ending, which I am trying to figure out, sucks, and I do not think the middle does but only because I've not thought about it much yet" moment on the newest project.
It is really irritating when various priorities need an atypical lot of your attention and you have to leave a new project aside short-term and the new project keeps popping up new ideas and waving at you and jumping up and down saying "look at me". I could be writing it, but only if I took it out of sleep time and I am underslept as is.
-
No, writer's block can refer to any (mostly mental) reason you're stuck. You want to move forward, but you can't. You can't think of how to get your characters out of the situation, you can't think of anything cool, whatever. All you can do is sit there and stare at what you've done and try to carve more words out of your brain with a melon baller.
I seem to be mercifully free of getting this very often compared to many people.
THAT part of the book is when you're sure it all sucks and there's no reason to go on, and it should all be chucked in the trash.
That, OTOH, is a large part of the working on anything, IME.
-
It was funny. ;D My "runs away crying" thing is usually my jokey response to something I can't refute. Since I was so positive about the direction my novel was heading and even solicited beta readers in this board, only to have my own negativity derail me (that and a first-reader who couldn't be bothered to plow his way through the entire thing)... I sorta took that post to heart! I have no defense against it except *runs away crying* because I SHOULD finish it, I should get more than one disinterested opinion, and I should never let one bad opinion turn me against my own work.
And so I say...
SHUT UP! >.<
*runs away crying*
Duly noted. I'll remember it from now on.
Are you one of those people who plots out your books and makes character sheets and stuff? Or do you write from the hip? Plotting things out might help you fill in the gaps.
Oh, and something I've discovered lately is that jogging while thinking about how you're going to write stuff out seems to help me. Maybe it's the endorphin induced haze? But anyway, a repetitive and mundane task can help bolster new ideas.
-
I usually write from the hip, because past experience has taught me that plotting destroys any urge to tell the story. Like talking about the story with someone. The minute I've told the story, in however abbreviated a form, the minute I know what the beginning-to-end is and put it down in any form whatsoever, I'm done. I'm satisfied that the tale's told.
However, this story has me approaching things from a less... "I really wanna tell this cool story" perspective and more from a "how do I write a saleable novel" perspective. Which has led to plotting things out, but it's been almost no fun to write after a certain point. Which is probably the other reason I've stopped writing it. It's no fun anymore.
-
Here is to suck days. And holy crap neurovore. 22000 posts? Lol
-
I don't know that it's that much of a "worked long enough" thing; I am having a bit of a "the beginning of this, which I have written, sucks, and the ending, which I am trying to figure out, sucks, and I do not think the middle does but only because I've not thought about it much yet" moment on the newest project.
It is really irritating when various priorities need an atypical lot of your attention and you have to leave a new project aside short-term and the new project keeps popping up new ideas and waving at you and jumping up and down saying "look at me". I could be writing it, but only if I took it out of sleep time and I am underslept as is.
I hear ya. Any large project I've ever worked on, while I was working on it, I thought sucked.
I find the best way to deal with the priority trap is to make an effort to do at least *something* on the project every day, even if it's only 5 minutes.
-
I usually write from the hip, because past experience has taught me that plotting destroys any urge to tell the story. Like talking about the story with someone. The minute I've told the story, in however abbreviated a form, the minute I know what the beginning-to-end is and put it down in any form whatsoever, I'm done. I'm satisfied that the tale's told.
However, this story has me approaching things from a less... "I really wanna tell this cool story" perspective and more from a "how do I write a saleable novel" perspective. Which has led to plotting things out, but it's been almost no fun to write after a certain point. Which is probably the other reason I've stopped writing it. It's no fun anymore.
I get this kinda thing a lot. I stopped writing my story for a while because I wrote out a bit of an outline/story arc thing. I got through that by changing my thinking from I already know what's going to happen to thinking that even though I know, I don't know how it all happens, like with the little details, and I have a big tendency to stray and add/subtract stuff as I go.
-
Here is to suck days. And holy crap neurovore. 22000 posts? Lol
I type faster than I talk. it adds up.
-
I find the best way to deal with the priority trap is to make an effort to do at least *something* on the project every day, even if it's only 5 minutes.
I really can't do this. It almost always takes me longer than that just to get into a frame of mind where I can write; nine weeks out of ten I get a few solid hours in Friday night, this is just the third weekend in a row I have had visitors. However, Jean-Baptiste and Canada Day are coming in the next couple of weeks, so i effectively get two extra Friday nights to make up for it.
-
I type faster than I talk. it adds up.
I *don't* want to know what sort of data plan you have for your mobile.
-
I *don't* want to know what sort of data plan you have for your mobile.
I don't do mobile phones; I have relatives who do not understand the concept of "not on call", and not all of them grasp timezones either; people calling at 10 am their time and waking me at 5 am I would rather avoid.
-
I don't do mobile phones; I have relatives who do not understand the concept of "not on call", and not all of them grasp timezones either; people calling at 10 am their time and waking me at 5 am I would rather avoid.
<shrug> It was more intended as a reflection on the venues on where our talking and typing might actually be "scored".
fwiw, I have relatives in GMT +1, +2, +3, +4 , but they all know I won't answer a mobile.