tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post780798702792948783..comments2024-03-29T00:39:54.374-04:00Comments on The Alchemy of Writing: The Mid-Project CrashBryan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09555071335245492790noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-43656376585510432292009-04-06T03:22:00.000-04:002009-04-06T03:22:00.000-04:00Longer projects do stop midway, or even earlier th...Longer projects do stop midway, or even earlier than that. This is because tho I more or less know what happens in the end, I have not much clue how to get there.<BR/><BR/>So the idea gets started, a few thousand words, then I let it stew while I add a few ideas in.<BR/><BR/>For short stories, I have stories at various stages, and usually quite a few incomplete first drafts which I keep re-visiting from time to time, and one fine day, poof, I finish one, then another.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04283371140346602856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-7261842343322378942009-03-31T14:27:00.000-04:002009-03-31T14:27:00.000-04:00That's interesting, Book. I don't think I ever rea...That's interesting, Book. I don't think I ever really start writing anything until I have a pretty good idea about the ending. I guess I'm just not one of those writers who writes blind, and goes wherever the wind takes them. I usually let an idea ferment until the main points are clear. And I think the ending's always pretty clear from the start. I liked endings. I can do endings. Beginnings, on the other hand...Bryan Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09555071335245492790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-46324799897385484602009-03-26T19:52:00.000-04:002009-03-26T19:52:00.000-04:00I think there definitely is something to the mid-p...I think there definitely is something to the mid-project crash theory. I've been in a writing funk for a few weeks now and I've wrestled daily with the concept of forced writing versus that free-flow high energy burst writing that I've experienced in the past. There's always a new project calling my name from just over the horizon, bekoning with a dose of that high energy, but I'm afraid that if I give in to that urge I'll become a perennial starter who never finishes.<BR/><BR/>After giving this much thought, though, I've recently had a revelation that borders upon an epiphany. A lot of my energy gets sapped away because I start out with a clear vision of my world and characters and the conflict, but not the resolution.<BR/><BR/>Perfect example: I'm winding up a rewrite of <I>I Stand Alone</I>. The second half is getting a complete overhaul, mostly because of you guys' comments. But, I made the same mistake when I set out to do the rewrite that I made on the original. I tweaked the world and added conflict but I didn't completely flesh out the resolution. As a result I blasted out the first half in a day or so and then foundered. For weeks now I've moped around this story and just about decided that I must not be a writer because this would make the third short story I started and couldn't finish. Then I had a day off during the week and I got some quiet time to really think about it. I tied Daisey the rabid Jack Russell up so she'd leave me alone and forced myself to fully think the story through. <BR/><BR/>Boom. The energy came back once I had a clear idea of where the story ended. Now I can hardly wait to get the chance to finish it. Once I'm done with this rewrite I'm going to apply the same principle to those other stories sitting on my hard drive.<BR/><BR/>I guess my point is that everyone is going to suffer from a crash at some point. The key is doing a bit of self-analysis and getting to the real reason behind the stall.Bookworm1605https://www.blogger.com/profile/12545092958160012589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-33320103022000876942009-03-26T12:57:00.000-04:002009-03-26T12:57:00.000-04:00Lots to chew on here! Definitely keep stories and ...Lots to chew on here! Definitely keep stories and ideas around, as you never know when they'll come back to life for you. A couple stories about my most recent novel:<BR/><BR/>Story 1) The idea for that story was one I worked out a few years ago. I did some planning, played around with various finer details... but it never came together. I liked the premise, I liked the challenge of it... but I didn't have that jolt of need, that sudden understanding of voice and vision that makes a story suddenly clear. So it sort of fell away, and I basically forgot about it. After the Overly Large Fantasy was finished, I was kicking around a few ideas, mentioning them to my wife... and she brought up that old idea I'd forgotten. And I got that sudden jolt! I could see it, hear the voice in my head, see how I wanted to do it, the POV, the techniques... It was just there. Within a couple days I was writing. <BR/><BR/>Story 2) Midway through writing the book I had knee surgery, which meant a few days away from work and writing. And even when I came back I wasn't about to hunch over the keyboard for a few days. At two weeks I could have written... but didn't. I'd lost the rhythm, the immediacy, of the story. Two weeks became four... It took a decision simply to say "okay, now, back at it." I read what I'd already written, fiddled with a few things, and then, back in the voice of the story, I continued on. Writing went great, and I was soon finished, lickety split.<BR/><BR/>So... sometimes you put things aside, but hold on to them because you never know when you're gonna get back to them. After this novel and the Overly Large Fantasy are squared away, I'm going to pick up and revise a novel I wrote six or seven years ago.<BR/><BR/>Now, having said all that... the last time I didn't finish a story I was writing was probably in the fifth grade when I tried to write a fantasy novel or two (ah, Tolkien and D&D... such cruel mistresses). Maybe I'm stubborn... but I think more of that is simply that I don't rush into writing stories. Usually when I write something it's been percolating awhile. I'm not a good "starter'... I need a pretty strong blast of energy to start something, and if it has that much energy at the start I'm fine. It takes less to continue a story, at least for me. Once I'm inside a story it all sort of flows, and then it's just carrying through and getting it down. I almost always have the basic story idea complete in my head (if not all the twists and turns along the way), so I've never been stopped by a plot blockage either. I've never had trouble finding solutions to minor concerns.<BR/><BR/>So, for me, there really isn't (or hasn't been, so far) such a thing as a mid-project crash (outside externally caused delays). The crash, if anything, comes at the end. Is this any good? What can I do with it? I've put aside completed novels at this stage. But they're there, hanging around. I mentioned the one I want to revise... and there's another that I would like to take the main premise and some details from and then completely rewrite. Another might make a couple short stories... or a novella-ish sort of thing. And my first novel will likely continue to sit on a shelf as a big learning project (though my Mom loves it...).Bryan Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09555071335245492790noreply@blogger.com