Kissing Frogs
The good news is I wrote over 4,500 words today. The bad news is they weren't written on the Na No Write story.
I'm afraid it's official. That story is defunct. When you start to dread having to spend time with your characters because they're so BORING, a writer has to know when to throw in the towel. Writing that story was like having Coldplay stuck on rotation and taking valium at the same time. Did I say BORING? No conflict, no fun. No possibility of anyone getting into a disfiguring car accident. In short, a pointless meandering of words that was just going nowhere.
The 4,500 word beginning of the new story, however, is promising. I won't say too much because I make these things up as I go but already there's a missing person, secrets, threats of physical violence and sexual tension you can fry and egg on. I now realise this is the story I should have been writing in the first place, that was why that pushy character was being so pushy. This is not a woman who waits around for things to happen to her.
Writing three chapters before I realise a story isn't working might not be the most efficient way to work, but there's not much I can do about it. Starting a book is how I get a feel for the characters, in lieu of doing something more logical, like researching or writing an outline. Some of those stories are bound to fall by the wayside.
I guess it's like kissing the occasional frog before you get to a prince.
Sami
I'm afraid it's official. That story is defunct. When you start to dread having to spend time with your characters because they're so BORING, a writer has to know when to throw in the towel. Writing that story was like having Coldplay stuck on rotation and taking valium at the same time. Did I say BORING? No conflict, no fun. No possibility of anyone getting into a disfiguring car accident. In short, a pointless meandering of words that was just going nowhere.
The 4,500 word beginning of the new story, however, is promising. I won't say too much because I make these things up as I go but already there's a missing person, secrets, threats of physical violence and sexual tension you can fry and egg on. I now realise this is the story I should have been writing in the first place, that was why that pushy character was being so pushy. This is not a woman who waits around for things to happen to her.
Writing three chapters before I realise a story isn't working might not be the most efficient way to work, but there's not much I can do about it. Starting a book is how I get a feel for the characters, in lieu of doing something more logical, like researching or writing an outline. Some of those stories are bound to fall by the wayside.
I guess it's like kissing the occasional frog before you get to a prince.
Sami
You had to try write the story before you could know it wouldn't work. Who knows, maybe when you've put some space between it an you, you'll find the book is not quite so fatally flawed as you now believe it is.
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If you've ditched the story of which you posted an excerpt on the NaNo site, then I'll going to feed my NaNo to the paper shredder. I loved that... but glad you're now feeling better about it all.
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Perhaps it's only temporarily ditched while I get the other one out of the way. Then I'll be able to think of something to make that story a bit more exciting. It will probably sit on my computer doing nothing, like all my other 'stumps'.
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Hi Sami,
All writing can be resurrected. That's my famous quote.
Remember Nora Roberts quote: You can always fix a bad page, but you can't fix a blank one.
I have added another 2.000 to my NaNo so I'm happy.
Suz
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46. Once you realize you get aren't getting anywhere with the book you are writing now, its better that you put it aside and start on a new one which you rightly did! Sometimes, they just need to be put aside when in the middle of writing something else you get the perfect story for the one you kept aside, out of the blue! It has worked many times for me and it will, for you too! But as you rightly said, you have to occasionally “kiss a few wrong frogs before you hit upon your prince charming!!”
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