Starting Over...
Hi,
Writing a new book is like starting over. You're nervous. Unsure. Hesitant. Even with a road map, you're still not quite sure where you're heading with this. Well, perhaps you might not be.
But I am.
I'm returning to a story I started in 2008/9 and then left for a while. I tried to pick it up again in 2011 but had to abandon it for a year. The road map pinned to my board has faded. The story is a huge mush of fuzz. Now here I am, in 2013 trying to pick up from where I last left off.
Trying is the key word here.
So where do I start?
At the beginning? Of course, right? The only thing I have going for me right now is the main character. She lives and breathes with me everyday. Funny thing is her plight has suddenly become mine! Anyway...
Well, here's the problem. I'm reading the story from the beginning but am mentally *locked* in the time-frame where I paused mid-way in writing the first draft. That's about 1/2 way through the story. At the time I had to pause to complete the research, understand what-on-earth the story was about and more. The pause became a huge interval and I now find myself locked in 2 time spaces.
1. Where I last left off, mid-way, writing the original draft.
2. At the beginning - trying to remember what the details of the story and secondary characters are.
And I'm stuck in both places.
What on earth should I do?
Writing a new book is like starting over. You're nervous. Unsure. Hesitant. Even with a road map, you're still not quite sure where you're heading with this. Well, perhaps you might not be.
But I am.
I'm returning to a story I started in 2008/9 and then left for a while. I tried to pick it up again in 2011 but had to abandon it for a year. The road map pinned to my board has faded. The story is a huge mush of fuzz. Now here I am, in 2013 trying to pick up from where I last left off.
Trying is the key word here.
So where do I start?
At the beginning? Of course, right? The only thing I have going for me right now is the main character. She lives and breathes with me everyday. Funny thing is her plight has suddenly become mine! Anyway...
Well, here's the problem. I'm reading the story from the beginning but am mentally *locked* in the time-frame where I paused mid-way in writing the first draft. That's about 1/2 way through the story. At the time I had to pause to complete the research, understand what-on-earth the story was about and more. The pause became a huge interval and I now find myself locked in 2 time spaces.
1. Where I last left off, mid-way, writing the original draft.
2. At the beginning - trying to remember what the details of the story and secondary characters are.
And I'm stuck in both places.
What on earth should I do?
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Anju,What helps me in going back to a story where I had to pause writing is to re-read and get back into the head of my main characters. Once I have their voice firmly in my head and I refamiliarized myself with the situation they are in, then I can restart writing.
This works for me because I am propelled forward by the character. I have been unable to write from outlines, which would be surprizing for most people who know me since I'm a compulsive list maker.
I recommend getting recquainted with your character and then listen for them to tell you what they would do.
Candice wrote: "Anju,What helps me in going back to a story where I had to pause writing is to re-read and get back into the head of my main characters. Once I have their voice firmly in my head and I refamiliari..."
Hi Candice,
Thanks so much for stopping by to help me out. That's precisely what I did yesterday... re-reading what I wrote. I only managed to get through 1 chpt all day because - I couldn't get into the head of my main character. I understand that now from having read your suggestion.
I can't write from outlines either... I need to get in the heart of the character. So I'm hoping this will happen today.
Also, I'm thrilled to hear from you because I'm returning to the same manuscript we critiqued at your place when the CoLoNY chapter met for a critique meeting once - back in 2008/9 I think!!
I will try to listen to what my protagonist has to say and perhaps re-read - without being in editing mode - to her dilemma. I'm 50,000 words into the manuscript already... but gotta pick up the pieces and start over. THANK YOU!
Anju,Sorry to hear about the problem. My recommendation is like Candice and others have said, get into the head of the main character again. The problem is that you are in the same place again and it sounds like it's hard to distinguish between yourself and the character. So, how to get into the main character's head again is the real question. I use outlines, my own variation of them, all the time. However, they don't help you get into characters' heads-at least they don't for me. For me, they help me stay focused and keep working toward a goal. To find your character again, I'd recommend writing the introduction to that character. Have her doing her actions, mulling over her problems, and considering the various avenues she could take. Have her mugged, confronted, or whatever she's dealing with initially. This may not be the first chapter, but will probably be close to there. Having her deal with the main issue should force your mind into her predicament. You can always come back and rewrite sections later, write the intro leading up to it, or whatever, but at least by that point your mind will be back in the game. Just something I've done that has helped before. Hope it works for you.
Weston Kincade
www.authorwakincade.blogspot.com
Weston wrote: "Anju,Sorry to hear about the problem. My recommendation is like Candice and others have said, get into the head of the main character again. The problem is that you are in the same place again and..."
Hi Kincade,
Thanks for joining my plight and I'm plugging on with getting back in the character's head. Funny thing is... I started this book waaaaaay back and just last year an Indian movie was released where the main character's plight is my character's plight. I was stunned when I saw the movie and couldn't get over how the themes are so similar even though the stories are vastly different. I'm planning to watch the movie this week, once I'm more firmly engraved in my character's POV, and then move forward. Thanks for helping me out!
Anju wrote: "Weston wrote: "Anju,Sorry to hear about the problem. My recommendation is like Candice and others have said, get into the head of the main character again. The problem is that you are in the same ..."
Wow, I hate it when that happens. Sometimes, you can just get beaten to the punch. It happens. Hope it's different enough for you to still write the book. Keep at it.
Thanks for your comment.
I am thinking hard.
I stopped - was forced to, actually - because of a job I had started at the time. AND I was in the same situation as my protagonist - funny enough!
Now, I'm re-reading and I'm back in my protagonist's position again. So not sure whether there's something hidden in all this or what? Still, will think about what you said :)