A Goodreads user
asked
Veronica Roth:
Hi Veronica! ! I was wondering how you manage to find a good idea for a book and then how to take it into words (how you execute it) wether you plan it all out or see were it takes you. I find when I am writing I can never find the right ideas and get stuck in tricky parts in the story and can’t tell what is relevant to the story or not? How to keep the book going?
Veronica Roth
This is a tricky one, because what you're describing (not finding the right ideas, getting stuck in tricky parts, etc.) is just how writing feels a lot of the time, no matter how experienced you are. The specific nature of the problems you run into will change with each book, but you will still run into problems.
A lot of people struggle with the idea of writing vs. the reality of it. That's okay; it's hard, with a solo activity, to know what's "normal" and what's not. But the reality of writing is that it's often frustrating and difficult. I am, for example, constantly writing the "wrong" ideas, at first. I've gotten better at stopping myself right when I realize an idea is wrong and going back to the last point at which the story worked, but I have not stopped writing the "wrong" ideas a lot of the time. I've gotten better at thinking my way through the tricky parts so they don't derail me for too long. I've made my peace with the idea that a lot of what I write will end up being irrelevant to the story, and I'll have to pare it down later.
So, basically what I'm telling you is: you're doing it. You're doing the thing! Yes, the thing is annoying sometimes. It is also, in my opinion, an extremely rewarding process. But I won't leave you completely without practical advice, so, here are some thoughts:
- Make a list of all the scenes you have ideas for. Then try to isolate which scenes on your list are absolutely necessary to get your story from A to B. These aren't necessarily your favorites or the most fun scenes-- they're the plot-moving ones. Try to fill in the gaps between them. That's a pretty good basic outline that can guide you through the writing process.
- If you find that writing with an outline sucks the joy out of it for you, toss it. There's no rule that says you need one. But if you decide to toss it, know that you will likely have to do more exploring than if you had one. And that will mean cutting, trimming, or changing a lot of your work at the revising stage.
- When you hit a tricky part, put on a song that reminds you of the story and take a walk. Try to visualize the tricky part you're stuck on. That's what I do, anyway.
- Try to explain your story to a trusted friend. This will be tedious for them, so consider buying them a coffee in exchange, or something. The exercise of trying to tell your story out loud or in an email or whatever is extremely helpful for identifying areas of confusion or weak points in your story, but for some reason it only works for me if there's an actual person on the other end of it. Give it a whirl.
I hope that helps.
V
A lot of people struggle with the idea of writing vs. the reality of it. That's okay; it's hard, with a solo activity, to know what's "normal" and what's not. But the reality of writing is that it's often frustrating and difficult. I am, for example, constantly writing the "wrong" ideas, at first. I've gotten better at stopping myself right when I realize an idea is wrong and going back to the last point at which the story worked, but I have not stopped writing the "wrong" ideas a lot of the time. I've gotten better at thinking my way through the tricky parts so they don't derail me for too long. I've made my peace with the idea that a lot of what I write will end up being irrelevant to the story, and I'll have to pare it down later.
So, basically what I'm telling you is: you're doing it. You're doing the thing! Yes, the thing is annoying sometimes. It is also, in my opinion, an extremely rewarding process. But I won't leave you completely without practical advice, so, here are some thoughts:
- Make a list of all the scenes you have ideas for. Then try to isolate which scenes on your list are absolutely necessary to get your story from A to B. These aren't necessarily your favorites or the most fun scenes-- they're the plot-moving ones. Try to fill in the gaps between them. That's a pretty good basic outline that can guide you through the writing process.
- If you find that writing with an outline sucks the joy out of it for you, toss it. There's no rule that says you need one. But if you decide to toss it, know that you will likely have to do more exploring than if you had one. And that will mean cutting, trimming, or changing a lot of your work at the revising stage.
- When you hit a tricky part, put on a song that reminds you of the story and take a walk. Try to visualize the tricky part you're stuck on. That's what I do, anyway.
- Try to explain your story to a trusted friend. This will be tedious for them, so consider buying them a coffee in exchange, or something. The exercise of trying to tell your story out loud or in an email or whatever is extremely helpful for identifying areas of confusion or weak points in your story, but for some reason it only works for me if there's an actual person on the other end of it. Give it a whirl.
I hope that helps.
V
More Answered Questions
❤️Holly❤️
asked
Veronica Roth:
Hi Veronica, Have you ever considered writing a fluffy, sweet book? Maybe a less serious topic than your previous books. I adore Divergent and Carve the Mark! But I'd like to see how you would use your style of in-depth, raw writing to write something super cute. I think it would be fun to push boundaries. What do you think?
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