The Roadblock
Monday, February 22, 2010 So remember how thrilled I was with my new manuscript and how I was loving every second and how words were flying out of me before I could even think of them? Yes, well, as in most things in life, all good things must come to an end. :)
And so I've reached that inevitable point in the ms in which the writing process has become, well, I suppose "less fun" is a nice way to put it, while "torturous' would be equally appropriate. As the manuscript stands, it's 41k words in - nearly halfway to my end point - and bam - I've hit a wall.
The reason I'm blogging about this isn't to make you feel sorry for me (though you're welcome to, hee!), but rather because I think this is the point at which MANY aspiring novelists also hit walls, and this is also the point at which many people step away from their manuscripts never to return again. In other words, writing half of a book really isn't too difficult. Writing the entire thing - nurturing it in the way it deserves, going back and pulling it apart and putting it back together, trudging on when the going gets tough - is. It is very, very difficult, and overcoming these roadblocks is what often sets published writers apart from unpublished.
So, to that end, I'm spending a lot of time thinking - not writing - but thinking about what I can do to pick the momentum back up. What problems can I create for my heroine? I'm feeling like things have gotten a little stagnant in her world, so what can I do to shake that up? How can I veer her life totally off-course? By doing this, I'm going to be able to create some movement, some quantifiable action that will help get me (and her) back to where I want to be. This is where you have to dig deep, force yourself to keep going even when you feel like hitting your head against a wall. Because this past week, that's what I've wanted to do. (Well, really, what I've wanted to do is spend the day procrastinating by surfing the web from 9-5, but figuratively speaking, I've wanted to bash my head against a wall.) This is the hurdle that I promise you EVERY published writer has had to leap over.
I wasn't expecting this. I was expecting for this book to be 100% smooth sailing, but now that I'm here, I'm realizing that these hurdles are going to make this a better book. I've re-evaluated a plot that I'm going to go back and tweak, I've added in another character to complicate relationships. I'll keep mixing and adding in ingredients until the dish is finished. I'm under contract - I don't have a choice. :) But if you hit this wall, act like you don't have a choice either. It's a lot easier to step away at 40k words and never come back to a manuscript that's giving you problems. Of course, the bigger problem with that is that the manuscript will never be the one that might take you from aspiring to published.
So keep going. I'm going to be doing the same.
Craft
Reader Comments (13)
Allison,
Great post, and so timely for me. I'm one of those people who have abandoned an alarmingly high number of manuscripts, usually around the100 page mark. I only just recently finished a first draft, thanks the the Nanowrimo and even then, at just over 50,000 words, enough to win, but still not fully finished, I'd set the storoy aside so I could look at with fresh eyes, and just read it through this weekend. I think I put it off this long because the doubt had settled in, and I was fairly sure it was beyond saving. I was pleasatly surprised to see that it wasn't as bad as I'd feared, and I'm excited to dive back in and fix the rough spots, flesh out different areas, and make th ending much stronger.
Have to say, it's so much more fun to work on a story that is at this stage, because I think there's hope for it, and it took me quite a while, but I did finally figure out that it's apparently quite normal to have these mood swings of euphoria and despair about your WIP, and that you just have to push through and finish regardless.
Ugh...so sorry about the many typos in that last comment, I should have used the preview feature to edit first.
Typing words or writing down the words is but one part of "writing." Sitting and thinking about the writing and what to write is STILL writing. If we think in these terms, we are almost always writing. The "typing words" will return soon enough.
I've hit that point often with my stories, so one thing I'm trying with my new WIP is to outline. I don't think it will *eliminate* roadblocks, but I think it will lessen their impact (at least on a still developing writer like me). But check again in a few weeks, haha, and we'll see how it's going.
Good luck! I do feel bad for you, just because I understand the frustration, but I'm not too worried. You're obviously good at pushing yourself and writing your way out of these things! :)
Thanks for this one, Allison! I agree completely. . . and I find it interesting that nearly every successful movie has a dramatic moment at around the halfway mark that acts as a catalyst for the remainder of the film. (I'm sure there must be a term for this in literary criticism.<g>) In my own novel-in-progress (at only the 14,000-word mark at this point), I've already planned a revelation for the halfway point; that's not to say I won't run into the very same kind of roadblocks along the way, but it's at least *one* hurdle that's being navigated before the fact. - Bob
Every book has that moment where everything comes to a stop. It's the worst feeling, and for me happens somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way through. I'm at the beginning of a new wip now, and so the happy juices are, for the most part, flowing. However, I may try outlining, something I've never done before, and see if that propels the story in a more orderly fashion.
I also love what Dwayne said. The time you spend "thinking" about your wip is, in fact, "writing" time. Whether you're putting words on a page or figuring out characters or plot lines in your head, it's all part of the writing game.
And, Allison - I have total faith in you. I've read your work. I know you can and will create another little masterpiece. ;-)
Allison, your posts always make me nod in recognition and usually laugh. My first book is coming out this July, so I've been working on the dreaded second book, and I'm finally over that hump you describe (I'm on p. 230--hurrah!!). Mind you, this is the third, yes, third, book I have started since I finished the first one. Fortunately (and unfortunately, I suppose) I am not under contract. But you are sooo right that even when we are sailing along through pages 1-100, thinking this is going to be the piece of cake book, the one that spins out of us like cotton candy, we are STILL going to hit that wall. Do we get temporary amnesia or something? Is this why women are able to have more than one baby, because they forget about the morning sickness and fatigue and brain melts?
The halfway point always seems to be the time the "shiny new boyfriend" of an idea rears his deceptively attractive head. Sometimes we have to take that guy on a date to figure out if we've really got something better there or if the old shoe idea that feels like it's been chewed up by the dog just needs some more love and care and a lot of polishing. Anyway, I'm mixing metaphors terribly, but I appreciated your post, as always. God speed with the new work-in-progress!
Allison! OMG! not sure if you'll remember but the same thing happened to me about 3 or so months ago and guess what I did? In addition to bashing my head which explains why I am the way I am today - I asked Allison for advice!! You told me to add conflict to my character. Well I thought "who cares what really happens next" but then something hit me over the head (again) and I came up with a good conflict. Now three months later I have finished my draft!! I gave it to a friend to read and I couldn't believe that she liked it! I have some things to fix and some things my friend said I should add, but I got through that head part, like you mention above. So thank you!!! In this case you should take the advice you gave me. You've been such a help to so many people. I honestly don't think I could have gotten over that 40k mark without your great advice. I wish you great success in getting your 4th book completed.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. It is great advice to try to stir things up for your character when you hit a block. That makes a lot of sense...when you get bored with it then the reader will too. Thanks for the post and insight.
I think this post resonated with a lot of us. I had my first major crisis at 10,000 words and now that I am past the 20k mark, I am trying to figure out how I can take my enthusiasm and momentum and sustain it. In other words, try to outsmart the doubt and fatigue.
So what do I do? Lots of walking for thinking time, switching up my writing routine, and setting aggressive new goals for the WIP. Of course, staying up until 2 AM watching the Real World/Road Rules Challenge on my laptop last night was NOT a helpful step, but hey, I am not perfect.
"But if you hit this wall, act like you don't have a choice either. It's a lot easier to step away at 40k words and never come back to a manuscript that's giving you problems. Of course, the bigger problem with that is that the manuscript will never be the one that might take you from aspiring to published."
SUCH excellent advice!
Dwayne makes a vital point. Many of us feel that we are not really working unless we are madly scribbling away. Thinking time is essential.
I hit a wall with Chapter One! Seriously. Took a MediaBistro course which was GREAT but I think all the pressure to produce SOMETHING had the opposite effect. I ended up HATING my outline (I'd never outlined before) and think I must start almost from scratch again.