#wrex wreplies

[wrex-writes]

Hi Wrex! I'm trying to write a novel and I find myself unsatisfied with what I write for previous chapters so much so that I can't write the next chapter (becuase I'm obsessing over how "bad" my other chapters are?). Do you suggest going back to re-write those chapters or powering through and write the next ones? I know I'll end up obsessively trying to fix the chapters no matter what I do, so I'm in a bit of a bind....

I don’t know if this will work for you, but I’ve had some luck splitting the difference, as it were. I’ll explain: what I do is, I reread the early parts and make lots of revision notes, decide what I don’t like and what I plan to change...and then I don’t make those changes, I just proceed with writing the rest of the story as if I’ve made them. Basically I’m imagining better versions of the early parts that don’t yet exist, so it’s a little bit of a mental trick I play on myself, except not really, because I will eventually make those changes - they exist, I just haven’t executed them yet. 🙂

I dunno, does that sound like it could be worth a try?

[wrex-writes]

Hello! How do I make character creation fun again? I get so focused on the details, "character x's arc needs to show this theme, this is their Lie, the Lie becomes this Truth, flaw flaw flaw," the kinds of things that would make a reader want to stick around and read about. I feel like none of my ideas are ever good enough for what I want. It boggles me down but I'm too anxious not to plan and I'm too anxious not to over-plan. I hope you're doing well!

I would say, don’t start with a character’s qualities - start with how they’d act in specific situations. If you make this behavior unexpected, BAM, you already have an interesting character. Then you can work backward - who is the person who would do this? etc. 

The key is, make their actions BIG - even if you tone their personality down later, exaggerating them in this experiment will give you more information.

You can play with the situations too - doesn’t have to be something ordinary like getting yelled at in a parking lot (although it could be!) It can be specific to them - the kind of situation only THEY would get themselves into. Or something broadly related to your story idea.

You don’t have to put whatever comes out of this in your final story. It’s just an experiment to define your character.

And most importantly...don’t, like, think about this too much. Think of your situation, and then think of something someone might do that is Very Much Not What You Would Do, something that would startle you and make you curious. 

You may have to do this several times to get the character you want. But basically, this is a way of creating characters that surprise you, which will make them more interesting to you. 

This does mean relinquishing control. Just remember you can always throw them out and start over. In general, though, I think to get through your troubles, you are going to have to plan less - to loosen your grip a bit. Once you get used to the uncertainty, you’ll be amazed by how freeing it is! 

(I actually wrote a post about this a while back, as well as a follow-up on a similar topic.)

As for your ideas not seeming good enough for what you want, let me ask you first: how do your ideas begin? Are they interpersonal situations? world-building stuff? imagery? character ideas?

[wrex-writes]

@the-dude-of-hyrule replied to your post “Getting” yourself to write”

I just need to know what to do when I have all the ideas and the desire, but the day job leaves me physically and mentally exhausted. And on my day off I have to just stare at the TV like a zombie trying to build up the energy to go back.

This is a tough one... the toughest one of all, really. How does one write when one just does not have the bandwidth?

The only idea I have for this situation is to write just a little bit at a time. Like, maybe ten minutes every other day? And use that time for doodling, not intense, goal-directed writing. Don’t think about your huge project and how far you have to go. Do small things, little scenes or scraps of description, short sketches related to your project, anything that doesn’t consume a ton of mental bandwidth and allows you to be creative and free for those ten minutes.

Maybe by doing this for a while, you will build up stamina. Or maybe not. Either way, you will write something, and no writing is ever wasted.

Good luck and don’t beat yourself up!

[wrex-writes]

hi wrex! longtime fan of the blog here, ty for your continued support of us fellow writers! today's question (if any of your followers have advice it would be welcome too): how do you shape up a story (fanfiction tbh) where the plot is mostly 'these characters are Experiencing Emotions' instead of something more concrete? I have a lot of ideas but most of them are like this and it's very difficult to put them on paper

A good question. Possibly the question! I think about this all the time because yeah, a lot of my ideas start that way too. One approach might be to think about, given the emotions your character is feeling (or that you want them to feel), what situation would most stir up those feelings? Or to put it in a less pleasant way, what would be the worst-case scenario for them? (A crowded party for a character with social anxiety, that sort of thing. That example might have virtually nothing to do with what you’re doing, but you get the general idea.)

Followers, any input?

[wrex-writes]

hi wrex! I've been having a problem when writing longer stories that I'll have no issues in the beginning and "early middle", and then suddenly I'm overwhelmed by possibilities and can't continue. like I'll suddenly notice just HOW many options I have (it's writing! I can make anything happen!) and I can no longer choose. I find this gets even worse with outlines because an outline is so little and things could change so much in the draft than I can't possibly decide now. do you have any tips?

Hm, let’s see. I think the first step is simply to write the ideas down in list form. In fact, I’d recommend trying to generate as many ideas as you can. Get those possibilities out of your head and onto the page. That way, you can 1) consider them more objectively, and 2) clear them out of your mental machinery, so to speak. 

(That’s a metaphor, obviously, but I find that unarticulated ideas feel as though they’re literally gumming up the works in my head. If I don’t write them down, I can neither accept nor reject them, and they just float around up there half-formed, blocking the way for other, possibly better ideas.)

What you do next kind of depends on how the list-making turns out. The list of ideas might really crystallize/clarify things for you. Or it might not. Once you have your list, though, you can start asking yourself questions like “what is this story really about?” which will help narrow your options down.

And of course, always remember you can go back and try something else. It’s a huge pain in the ass, of course, but if you start down a path you don’t like, you are allowed to change your mind. 

Does that help?

[wrex-writes]

just thought i'd share one of my tricks: listening to asmr writing/studying videos really helps get me in the mood to write. i've also started writing longhand in one of those cheap $1 notebooks, so even if i mess up or whatever, it doesn't feel like i lost anything.

Oh interesting! re: asmr. Is it like having company? :)

(And yeah, all my notebooks are cheap cuz otherwise I’m afraid to write in them!)

[wrex-writes]

Hi Wrex! How do you come up with plots/character motivations that encompasses the length of a novel? I feel like my ideas aren't long enough for a novel, and sometimes I just can't come up with an idea at all. Sometimes the idea doesn't sound interesting enough to write about too

Well first, let me ask, do you have to write a novel? Some ideas just are not novel-shaped, and that’s okay.

(Second, do any of my followers have criteria for deciding if an idea is suited for a novel vs. short fiction? I wouldn’t know where to begin.)

And finally, I did hear a really good idea about building plots. I think of it as the Oh No Wait principle of plotting. Basically you start with a character and their goal, and then you introduce more and more obstacles between the character and that goal. I think of it often when I write now, just as a way to keep myself from stampeding straight to the end.

[wrex-writes]

asmr anon again. i'm someone who needs noise when they're working, but music is too distracting (i'll spend more time daydreaming than writing) which is why i started listening to ambient tracks and asmr writing videos. they also, just like you said, help me feel a little less alone when i'm working, like there are other people around me doing the same thing.

A great tip, thank you! Yes, it can be hard to strike a balance between distracting noise and silence, which can be its own kind of distracting, and those are great suggestions.

(It’s funny re: the “feeling less alone” thing - I’ve been painting lately, and sometimes I put on an art instructional video - not for the instruction, just for the comradery!)