1. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    So beyond stuck

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Lea`Brooks, Dec 1, 2015.

    I'm so fucking stuck, it hurts. Literally. My brain hurts. Like, migraine status.

    I'm writing a fantasy. If it were up to me, I'd have three books. But I don't know if I'll have enough content to fill them, so I may have to do only two. I've already written the first book. I'm in the editing process. I've already printed it out and read it entirely and made notes as I went. But I noticed some inconsistencies, so I'm trying to work those out now before I continue. The problem is, most of what I need to work out won't be revealed until the next book, which I haven't planned yet. So I decided to mildly start planning out the second book, to make sure I have a solid idea on where it's going, so I can insert clues into the first book.

    And that's how I became so fucking stuck. Because the inconsistencies that I've found don't seem to have an easy fix. I've asked several people for help (see this thread), but even that hasn't helped me. It's starting to feel like this series will never -- ever -- EVER -- make sense or come together.

    Anyone have any advice on how I can get unstuck? Obviously talking it out with others doesn't help. Their ideas are so different than mine, so what they suggest just won't fit into my world. My husband is usually the person I talk to about this (he's given me quite a few great ideas), but even he doesn't know how to help me at this point. Backing away from it doesn't help, because then I just forget everything and have to go back through my notes and just get confused all over again. Starting over from scratch isn't an option, because I've already written 102k words, and I really don't feel like taking another three months to do it over again.

    Help. :cry:
     
  2. A.M.P.

    A.M.P. People Buy My Books for the Bio Photo Contributor

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    I had a similar problem when working on my novel.
    At first, just like yours, I planned three but soon realized I could fit it all in two volumes.
    During the first draft edits, I realized dialogue and certain reveals/scenes didn't fully work with what was coming up next and certain motives were just an awkward reach.

    So, what I did, is that I knew exactly where each character ends up and how they end up there.
    So, as I edited page by page, I worked on the parts that didn't make sense in the long run (even some names that just magically were shared between multiple characters >.>) and slowly everything became more cohesive that toward the end it all worked together.

    I even had to add three chapters so far and I'm pretty sure the two after that will have to be completely rewritten as they no longer work.

    I think, if I figured your issue correctly, is that you may need to rewrite sections and chapters (or add/subtract) to make it work.
     
  3. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    I don't have an easy answer. But maybe start at the beginning and follow the inconsistencies through? Hear a lot of music? That always joggs my brain into overdrive?

    Sorry for not having an anwer :(
     
  4. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    My issue isn't really my writing. It's the plot as a whole, spanning across the entire series.

    It's so hard to explain without giving you the issue. :( But that can get confusing and take a long time, and I'm kind of tired of explaining it over and over. See the thread I referenced in my first post if you really want to know the details. But essentially, I need to figure out a way to trap a God. Twice. And nothing I come up with makes any sense. There's always a glaring hole. I feel like I'm missing something. Like it's right on the tip of my tongue or the front of my brain, and I just can't access it. That's why I thought talking it through with someone else would help get it unstuck, but so far, it hasn't worked.

    And unfortunately, it's crucial that I figure this out before I finish editing my current book. Because I need to make sure the books connect properly. And if this first book gets published with a shitty idea, then I'm stuck with that shitty idea and have no way to fix it and make it less shitty.

    This book is too hard. :cry:
     
  5. rose macaskie

    rose macaskie New Member

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    I remember, that when i was at school, writing essays, I felt that everything should fit and be real but reading and whatching television critically, has brought me to the conclusion that often things in quite well accepted works dont fit at all. Maybe you can make lots of interesting points without making a classic plot structure, in which everything is strictly worked out to its really real seeming or logical end, can say what you want to say in a crazy plot. Raymond Chandler said that every time he did not know what to do he got someone to take out a gun. It is easier to work if you are not trying to be perfect and in the end, later on in life you find you clean up on things you could not manage in the begining. Suppose you should be able to catch millions of Gods, you just have to imagine they have some weakness, break, the Gods are all powerful rule. What else can you do if you are to trap Gods?
     
  6. rose macaskie

    rose macaskie New Member

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    Its easy, religions do it all the time. God is all powerful so could not he stop me going to hell. No because it is you that choose. if he is good and all powerfull could he not make me want to chose what will make me happy? NO he has to give the devil a chance ot tempt you. That is not logical it what religions say is our lot. I can laugh at the religious endlessly. They always have an arguement for anything, for God being good and for a good God letting people burn endlessly.
    If your God is a fantasy God, take out a gun . Guns dont kill Gods but he doese not like the vibration of shots, surrond him in a ball of guns. I cant do this for myself only for others. I cant find a way to kill gods if that is what i am about except when indignation about the religious fills me but not for a story. You could trap him in a room. Gods can get through walls but this Gods does not want to reveal that he is God. What is the psyclogical rule that stops me thinking of ways out for myself in inventing stories but allows me to answer other peoples problems about how to catch gGods? Heaven only knows. I do not know all peoples other ideas for their books other ideas that maybe make it hard for them to decide how god should be trapped. It is a rule, I can do things for others i cant do for myself, that is my experience. I dont understand it but it happens. Write answers for a friend of yours not for you. I think the real plans of others to trap gods help to think of our own plan, because you turn down other peoples or in some way accept theirs a bit changed. If everyone writes their own ideas you will think of your ss the rule of group work. It has to do maybe, with your psycological ease with god trapping, or that psycologial ease comes when you work in a group, not with your creativity.
     

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