The art of the story

getting from one plot point to another.
scenes are easy, but connecting them is so hard

 

do you tend to write lots of short stories? or rather, for you personally, is it maybe coming up with the idea that sparks the "conception of the story" so to speak? if so, when the idea comes, will you typically get to sitting down and writing at length?

 

but what is it about the connecting process? for you, is it a matter of finding parallels between the elements / ideas of a story? what kind of stories do you like to write?

 

do you always define the characters' psychologies? (do most writers do this?) should writers really be on something akin to a personal basis with the characters they create?

 

I'm generally booming with ideas (which can cause some problems if I'm already working one out and a better idea pops up), but that's not the hardest part for me. It's describing what I envision in a way that others understand.

 

It's self-doubt, for me. Strangely, I have a hard time writing when all I can think is "this is garbage, what am I doing" Other problems have defined solutions that I've been writing long enough to have figured out, but I got nothin' for getting past that one.

I do, but then I'm also interested in and study psychology (and play with psychological themes in most of my writing), so it would be weird for me not to. I don't think it's necessary for everyone.

 

Yep, I'm with izzybot on this one. I get excited about an idea and go along with it, having fun, until at a certain point some serious self-doubt hits me like a wall. It's as if a voice inside me starts to whisper, "This is junk. You're junk. You're wasting your time."
Pushing past that and writing anyway is, hands down, 100%, the hardest part for me.

 

That's what it is for me except it comes before I even start. I have an idea that I think is good, then I wait too long to sit down and write because I'm working, doing homework, parenting, being a good husband, cooking, etc and in between the idea and the sitting down, the voice creeps in with "you're wasting your time. You're don't write well enough to frame this story properly. You don't even have an opening line."

 

I do and I don't. I have a habit of wanting to flesh out only my main characters so that they're relatable to the reader as someone who could exist and who makes his/her decisions based on how he/she thinks. An issue I'm dealing with right now is a character making an observation about the acting profession. His POV is that it's all BS but I want him to articulate it in a way to which there's no question about it.

 

Writers block. More of problem for those that write off the cuff, and not so much for those that outline in advance.

 

The one's I liked in the topic and furthermore getting the brain frequency right in order to write and being inspired at the same time. Because I might write a lot but I also delete and re-write a lot in order to bring this "first" mood in which inspired me to do so. Because it's a different mindset when I'm only using my brain, day-dreaming of my story and a different when I'm also using my hands to translate it into something communicative as clearly as I see it. I feel kind of stupid when I'm having this block because the way I see it, it's like getting confused while you are pacing just because you are chewing a bubblegum. Recently though, I've realized that this happens only when I set the bar too high and take my writing too seriously. Maybe, next time I'll try not to take it too seriously and let it flow without having specific demands out of the results. It's good not to overthink things.

Another thing is time. Too much precious time.

 

My bane are transitions within a scene, when i.e. the location changes or my characters simply walk somewhere else. To get from one friction point to the next without interrupting the flow of the scene.

Connecting scenes is easier by contrast, the reader expects a break there to a degree. It is only a matter of knitting them together.

 

Well for me, i found a professional writer that ease my work, and she is really good, super fast delivery online and does almost anything pertaining writing, i have never been happier. You can try her out. Contact me for details.

 

Probably the actual sitting down and doing it. Especially when the financial motivation is at the tail end.

 

Pacing and the passing of time.

They (them bastards again) say don't use padding or filling, but I've never quite understood how scenes and plot points are linked together without doing this. The characters in your novel can't just simply fall from one mishap to another - it would be too relentless, let alone unrealistic, and yet I've never figured out how to bridge these gaps with 'down time' that wouldn't be considered filler.

This is why my novels don't have a plot.

I also find it very difficult not to confuse the passing of time in my writing, to the real passing of time. In other words if I've spent six months on a story, I feel like my characters have been on their adventure for six months too, when in fact the story may only cover a couple of weeks.

 

My first book was autobiographical and was set to a rolling chronology which was easy write because I didn't have to dig very deep at all.
This time, being fiction, it's more of a challenge.
The beginning is covered and will be looped back to at the end of the book and the middle is where I am now. The end I have tucked away in a box in my head and go there from time to time.
As someone else mentioned, the seamless joining of events and plotlines within the book can be daunting, but I'm hoping that the more I write I'll intuitively bring the jigsaw pieces together.
That's the plan anyway.

 

For me, it depends on the story. Usually, my problem is pacing and managing the climax. I'm working on a story right now, though, in which the main problem is finding the beginning. I've tried starting it in about a half a dozen places so far, and none of them are quite right. I'll get it eventually, but it's a bit frustrating at the moment.

 

Sounds like a hilarious intro. I'd like it, but that's just me. As for the dialogue. When something like that happens to me and I'm really desperate to have that line in there I tend to turn it into an ode/reference.

 

wow! so many things - once i heard Quentin Tarantino on an interview relating a story of a conversation he had had between him (as an aspiring filmmaker) and a famous director. he was asking the famous director something to the extent of: "I have the idea in my head, but how does one go about getting that on screen when you've got to deal with the lighting, the cinematography, etc..." and the famous director told him: "Quentin, you have a cinematographer to help you get the shot. You have a whole crew working on lighting the scene. The only thing you have to do is explain to them your vision. Tell them what you see." and Quentin was like: "hey! i can do that..." maybe this applies to writing? just telling (and simply) what you as the writer see?

... anyways, something about that struck me. do you guys use any systems that help you get through some of these challenges in your writing adventures? (perhaps i should ask this in a separate thread?)

 

While reading fiction novels, I have found that for me, usually the story. But, in some cases I find myself keeping reading because the writing style is very good.
For you, what aspect of a novel makes it more addictive?

 

Characters, character interaction, character-revealing details. Also, characters.

 

I don't know, I really find that it's the characters that keep me coming back, not sure if that's something you'd have any thoughts on though ...

Honestly, I don't feel like style has too much to do with the enjoyment for me. Certainly I've seen some memorable styles, but would I remember them / have cared about them if I weren't also interested in the plot or characters? I don't really think so. If anything, a style I find annoying is going to turn me away from a story I might otherwise enjoy, and I'm not going to stick with a story I'm not into for the sake of an interesting style.

But I do in seriousness tend to be more invested in characters than anything. A rather boring or overdone story can be saved by good characters. I don't know how many times I've kept watching a tv show while grumbling "This show sucks but I care too much about the characters to quit now" - mediocre novels are a bit harder to suffer through for the sake of fun characters, but it's still happened.

 

Another vote for characters. They need to be doing something vaguely compelling, and the style of the prose should enhance the portrayal, but the key thing? Characters.