Hi, so, I'm somebody who writes without a plan. There are different stages to my drafting and each stage becomes more elaborate than the next. But I always try to write as general as possible as I tend to fall in love with parts of my text if I work too much on it and then I cannot change it. I try to make every aspect of the story open for change because I want to have a free mind when I write, which is why it's so fun and liberating to write in the early stages of the draft because it hasn't become anything yet. But when I have managed a plot, and I know what's gonna happen, I get stuck. I write one word at the time, not worrying about the before or after, but then, when I'm finalizing my story, I must work the opposite way because I've work so much on the story that it becomes impossible to not consider what I've already written. I have several stories where I have reached this far and abandoned them in the hopes that I will get better and figure things out next time. But I realise now that if I don't overcome this hurdle, I will never finish anything. Is there anyone out there that can relate? Any advice? Or should I just keep fighting until I find the way that works for me?
If you've tried pantsing, and yet you can't finish anything, maybe you should try plotting for a change.
I think you've answered your own question. If you can't finish a story, stop pantsing. It works for some people but it absolutely does not work for others.
I, too, run into similar problems. I've tried plotting and doing a full outline, but usually at some point I just start going off the cuff (which is fun and rewarding when the story starts writing itself), but the next thing I know I've gone away from the outline and it's in a whole other state. Other times I've reverse-engineered my own work, where I wrote out a draft, then dissected it and THEN put together an outline/further character development before the second draft. This of course leads me to wonder if I even have a story in the first place - like the short I'm currently working on. Holy moly it feels all over hell Endings are always challenging for me. Sometimes they just appear right away, other times I have no clue how to end things...like the story mentioned above.
Maybe your in the middle between a panster and a planner. Try free writing the characters but find a template for your plot something very basic and skeleton so it wont drain the creativity. Maybe the Snow Flake Method as it has several stages that get more intense and detailed. You could plan as many stages as you like just so you do have something to follow and something to work towards. Even if you just know your ending that can help. Or you could free write the beginning, maybe up to the Inciting Incident then stop and begin a plan and ask what if. What is this happened? And follow that course of action in a plan. Then ask what if something else happened instead and follow that possibility. Hope that helps
I had similar problems before, but when I try to define a premise, in as few words as possible, it all becomes clear what the story is about and I don't deviate from that. Also, I love not knowing how its gonna end! It makes it so exciting to continue working on the story to see the ending. I have, on the other hand, immens problem to decide how its gonna start. I think the trick is not to think too much about it and let the story play out itself, but my issue is that I do that so well that when the story is clear, I don't know how to go on from there, to finalize.
One thing you can do is to freestyle the interior of scenes while having their beginnings and endings already plotted. That will allow you piece a story together with an outline but still explore the details. Which kind of reminds me of this . . . But it does allow you to move through a functioning story.
I don't think I did a good job explaining myself because that's the opposite of what I want to do Trying to piece together the story from an outline is my idea of hell! Perhaps, instead, I should try and write the story as finalized as possible from the beginning? Then I wouldn't have to go back and rewrite, only add to the existing text. Like, write in Narrative form, then add scenes and dialogue afterwards...
As far as falling in love with what you've written and 'can't change it,' the simple answer to that is distance. Trust me, if enough time passes by and the bit you've fallen in love with doesn't seem to fit any more, you WILL be able to change it. In fact, you'll be glad to see the back of it, because it badly affects the story flow. However, while you're still flushed with having written, you won't want to get rid of any of it. Instead, you'll tinker and tinker and tinker at it, and drive yourself bananas. Don't be afraid to overwrite, and beware of trying to write 'in general' out of fear of having to change stuff later on. It's far easier to remove stuff later on than add in what you've just skimmed over. In fact, the more detailed and specific you can be—in everything from description, to dialogue, to plot events, to emotional content—the more you'll give yourself to work with. When it comes to reading an MS for feedback, I find a common problem is that the story moves too quickly without enough detail to make it rich and interesting. The story needs to be fleshed out. I rarely read an MS where I think ...hey, you need to cut this stuff OUT. I'd say the important thing is to keep going and don't give up. I don't mean you need to sit and pound the keys every day, but do resist the urge to start something else. Just keep thinking about your story. I guarantee if you keep yourself from getting distracted by other stuff, the problems and snags that are holding you back will clear, all by themselves. You'll suddenly sit up and say, HEY! I just figured out what would make that character's motivation clear! Or HEY, so THAT'S why my character started on the journey in the first place. Or HEY, I finally know where the two of them have met before. All these kinds of problems suddenly solve themselves, if you back off a bit and let the ideas cook in your subconscious. It's one of the main reasons I balk at the oft-given advice that you need to write EVERY DAY, and churn out a certain number of words EVERY DAY, or you'll never be a writer, yadda yadda. That's one of the quickest routes to writer angst that I can think of. Sometimes writing isn't the answer, because it can just deepen a problem you're having. Thinking IS the answer. Thinking is what produces a new persepective, via the 'Eureka' moment. Eureka moments will rekindle your enthusiasm and unblock the pan.
