Help! I Can't Finish The Book
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 Question of the day: I was wondering if you have any advice to writers who seem to get stuck not at the beginning, but closer to the end. I have written 3/4 of a book as well as 3/4 of a screenplay and I feel stuck as if I have nothing important left to say. I'm not sure if I am bored with the main characters or just feel tired from all that writing and thinking, but I just don't know what to say or do next. Any advise on how to jump start it again?
Yes, one word: conflict. I think the single biggest problem that unsuccessful books have and that aspiring writers fall into is that they haven't created enough conflict in their character's lives, and thus, at a certain point in the book, everything gets so boring that there's not much of a point in finishing it.
When I'm starting a book or feel like I'm stuck at a certain point in a manuscript, I consider all the ways that I can screw up my characters' lives. What's going wrong personally? Professionally? With her friends? With her psyche? With her family? What wrenches can I toss her way as she resolves some issues and has to deal with others. Every time you throw a snafu into the plot, you HAVE to write something because you have to find a way for your character to resolve the problem. Not only will this make your story less boring, but it will actually propel the plot along with actual ACTION. Without conflict, your manuscript will likely fall into the dreaded exposition category in which you're telling us what the character is thinking, blah, blah, blah, without actually moving her forward anywhere. MOVE HER FORWARD. The only way to do this is to figure out where she needs to go and throw obstacles in her path. (I should also add that you may need to go back and tweak plot lines from earlier in the book, as they should culminate/crescendo right around the 3/4 mark of the ms.)
Remember that readers pick up books because they're interested in seeing characters evolve, go from point A to point B and learn something along the way. They are not interested in stagnant, flat, baseline stories - what's the point in reading that? So make your heroine scale some figurative mountains, and I think you'll find that you're able to climb them along with her.
Anyone else have other tips on eking out that last part of the book?
Craft
Reader Comments (10)
I actually found the opposite. I had written, rewritten, restructured, and rethought the manuscript to get my folks to the "knot"--that point of no return, where something had to give. But getting them unknotted (denouement) and to resolution was so hard. It took a completely different way of looking at the story to be able to bring everyone in for a landing.
What about everyone else?
I think "just do it" sort of applies. Because even if the ending you write turns out to be crap, you can fix it. But you can't fix nothing! :P
"You may need to go back and tweak plot lines from earlier in the book, as they should culminate/crescendo right around the 3/4 mark of the ms."
This is what I was thinking.
I sometimes slow down as I near the end of a piece, too, and I've tried to pinpoint the reason why. The best I could come up with is that it's overwhelming. At the end, everything comes together, and it has to satisfy the reader. What do you tie up neatly? What not so neatly? What do you leave open for realism? Did your characters change the way they were supposed to? Was the theme clear from the first page to the last?
I hear so many writers complain about their middles, but I seem to have more struggles with endings than anything else. Not because I don't know how to end it. It's just a huge task, and I tend to slow down, thinking of everything at once. The only way I get through it, is to just write how I feel it should end. Then I go back over it several times, and with each pass, I focus on one specific aspect and make any necessary adjustments.
Hope some of that helps. :)
Did you try setting aside the manuscript for a week, while watching movies and taking long walks, then coming back to it and reading it from page one?
And totally agree w/Allison on conflict. Be cruel to your characters!
A book that has helped me tremendously with plot is James Scott Bell's Plot & Structure.
To jump start yourself how about asking a 'what if'. I mean, think of your character and where he or she is right at that 3/4 mark in the book.
What if...she got a letter from an old boyfriend?
What if...her husband lost his job?
What if...she sang karaoke and was 'discovered'?
Something weird and outrageous might not work but put out your foot, trip your MC and see if she turns around and wallops you, calls the cops or breaks down in tears.
Good luck!
My suggestion: plot. I plot my stories out from beginning to end. I know where everything is going, so I know, think about, develop, and build conflict up before I even start writing the story. Some writers of course can't/hate working everything out ahead of time. It kind of ruins the whole writing process for them. I can understand this. It's biggest advantage though is just this issue. If you've figured it all out ahead of time, there is no getting stuck due to running out of things to say or thinking it's boring or wondering where things are going.
I got stuck at the end with so many knots to untie and was quite distressed when my critique group gave the ending a thumbs down (after months of loving the rest of it). So, back to the drawing board. I found they were right, I could make all the knot untying more spectacular. It took some stewing, but it finally all came together.
I hate adding conflict to my mc's life because I love her sooooo much! HOWEVER... I also want to see her grow and transform. So, I create conflict by making the people around her act in not the most becoming of ways. If you do this, you will cause your mc to have to find her way, and, I believe, that's what makes a good read.
Alison, I think this is the best writing advice ever! Thanks for sharing your secrets with us!
Interesting question and an interesting answer. I didn't strike this problem with my book, but I write in a completely different genre. Like Jim, I plotted out my book, but then I ended up completely shattering that plot in a very short time frame.
I think there is a point where you can write for the sake of writing, rather than telling a story. If that's the case, you need to scrap that Chapter or that section of the story and think about what you want to happen next (as I did many times).