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What do you do when you hit the wall with a plot line?
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Belle
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Jul 27, 2015 09:41AM
I know how this needs to end but I can't figure how to get there. I have found in the past that sleeping on it helps and it is clearer in the morning but sleeping is not helping right now. What do you do for inspiration?
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Hi Belle:I gather that you are writing from the seat of your pants as opposed to working off an outline. The latter keeps this from happening. Here are some things that work for me. I read a number of the preceding chapters to get in the flow of the story and then I try to outline the next four things that have to happen. If I still can't come up with much I go talk over the story with my good friend and fellow writer. Sometimes, just talking to him makes the solution pop into my head. Sometimes he comes up with the answer.
One last thing, ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen now?" Then make it happen.
I hope this helps.
Josh
I don't do well with strict outlines. I have an outline of major events but everything else is rather fluid and can change. What I am wrestling with right now is coming up with a heroic act for someone. I need to ingratiate him with someone's parents. I guess he could rescue him from a burning building keep him from drowning but there has to be something a little more creative. My husband is my sounding board and good with creative ideas but we are both coming up short.
Well, I should add that it is 1862 so if he gave him a kidney he'd have to eat it. :) That would make a good current day storyline, though.
Back in 1862 there were packs of wolves, bears, mountain lions, venomous snakes, apache...depending on the location of course. Or maybe he was going to be killed over a game of cards.
No, if you are not an outliner then outlining will do you no good at all. Things that do work include:Push the ms into a drawer (or the file into Dropbox) and forget it for as long as necessary. Take out once a year and look at it, then put it away again. I have had novels spring to life after 20 years in the drawer.
Find large group of tolerant readers (hi, Philadelphia SF Society!) and recount the entire plot to them up to the dead spot. Invite suggestions. Lubricate with beer and pizza if necessary. All of the ideas without exception (the arrival of Cthulhu, really?) will be spectacularly unhelpful. But it will clear the underbrush in your subconscious and then you can make it go.
Pick two random characters, and shove them in bed together. I had an acquaintance who got a gig ghost-writing ethnic epics. You know, those three-volume things with an overarching title "The Sicilians." (In volume 1 the two young people arrive from Salerno and live in the slums of the lower East Side. Vol. 2 is devoted to their children who fight in WW2, go to college on the GI bill and then work for either the Mafia or IBM. In vol. 3 the grands do coke on Central Park West.) He frequently ground to a halt and had to get it moving, because he was on deadline. This did generate plot ramifications like topsy.
Put the work down and find something =entirely= different to read. A history. An epic poem. A biography of Charlotte Bronte. It has to be a different genre, a different period, if possible a different medium entirely. Read it from beginning to end, every word. Now: Can you combine this with your work? Clearly Charlotte Bronte will not fit into your Vietnam veteran novel. But can you steal something and work it in?
Find a plot doctor. Ideally this is someone who knows the genre intimately, and has many miles on the odometer, an editor or writer. This always works but is difficult to achieve; most people like this won't do it for free. I have sat at parties with friends of George R.R. Martin; they knew he needed them. ("He's written himself into a paper bag and it's dark in there," was the diagnosis.)
When the storm hits, the fire erupts, or the crash happens, hero's are made.The unexpected, which could be something as benign as an argument, can often explode into a monumental moment.
Walls are only an impediment when they cannot be scaled.
I use outlines, and I never get hung up on what to write next, but sometimes I get hung up on how to convey it.
Belle wrote: "I don't do well with strict outlines."Outlines are more a hindrance than a help for me, too.
I hit a snag in the middle of writing The Asphalt Carpet. Right smack dab in the middle of the story. I had my main character get mugged and then befriend a security guard in the bus station in Chicago. It felt forced and awkward. Then I had him meet a cocktail waitress and make out with her, but things that happened between them took away the impact of the last few pages and made what I thought was a good ending seem redundant and unnecessary. So, the waitress was removed. I had Daniel befriend a group of Japanese tourists and follow them around in a drunken stupor, but it just seemed weird.
I skipped that section and moved on. When I finally came to the end, I backed up and tried working that section again. It still didn't work.
I put the story aside and worked on something else. A few days later, I knew what I wanted in the middle and returned. I got him drunk again and put him in a nasty little hotel room, gave him a golf club and had him chase cockroaches through the night.
It worked.
Hi Belle:It's me again, big mouthed, Josh. I didn't realize what you were trying to do. Sometimes we look for things that are too dramatic, you can sometimes solve this problem with something simple. Consider giving the parents a pet they are crazy about, have them lose the pet and your hero find it. Or save it from drowning, freezing to death, starving, etc. Or perhaps he stops someone from abusing their horse.
Good luck!
Josh
Violence is always good. Remember the goal is to make your characters suffer. A good wide streak of sadism is good for an author.
I appreciate all the comments and keep them coming. Let's flush this mush out of my brain. It is giving me a lot to think about. Also, I really can't just set it aside and take a break for long. It is the sequel to my first book and my readers are already cranky so I need to finish this second half.
Belle wrote: "I appreciate all the comments and keep them coming. Let's flush this mush out of my brain. It is giving me a lot to think about. Also, I really can't just set it aside and take a break for long...."I am a firm believer that there are no firm rules in writing. But, I do believe it is in your best interest and in the interest of your book to get it done when you get it done. Your readers should appreciate that you want to get it done right instead of getting it done fast.
I write a few notes on setting, a few characters, and their opening situation, then go back to write when I can. The story goes where it goes. For walls, I leave the storyline alone for a while and get back to it.In the 1860s helping someone survive a fever, a near-drowning, or many other situations would be considered heroic. Helping find a child lost in a heavily-wooded area, foiling a kidnapping, finding a lost sum of money...
Belle, you are asking for a specific solution without providing the specifics of the environment - so basically throwing darts in the dark. Without reading your book (just from the cover and synopsis), is it safe to say that the Civil War plays a significant role in the setting? If so, there are many possible scenarios you could play on for heroism. One that has not been suggested yet might be providing shelter to a family of runaway slaves.
I have been deliberately vague because of spoilers. I would be happy to explain more to anyone who is interested. Just PM me.
I can't work from outlines either. Every time I've tried to, the characters have done unexpected things that have meant re-working the outline for the rest of the story several dozen times. I find I get more writing done if I just listen to the voices in my head, rather than if I try and tell the voices what to say and do.When I write myself in to a brick wall, I read the last few scenes or chapters - depending on the length of the piece - then go do something else that will allow my mind to work on a solution while I do it. Housework or walks often work well. If that doesn't work, I go and work on another writing project for a while. Usually, by the time I return to the story I was stuck on, I've got a head full of ideas, and just need to see which ones the characters will co-operate with.
I'm a firm believer that a story takes as long as it does to write, and is as long as it's supposed to be when it's done. So, I never give out possible release dates until I'm almost ready to pre-release the story, and never even attempt an estimate of how long it will be.
Belle, Sometimes changing the POV character helps get me unstuck.
Not to sounds boring or cliche but I simply walk away from the computer for a while. I'd rather take some time away thinking things over then sit there trying to force myself to think when the idea may just be premature.
I was getting stuck on my current work and started sharing it chapter by chapter with my primary critique partner and it has really helped. She can see the directions the plot is going , the mysteries, the questions, all the things that get fogged over to me in the middle of the process. I revised a major chapter thanks to her input and feel unstuck. I can recommend this approach if you have such a good partner.
I am happy to say my head is less knotted today. I hit the wall a few times with my first book and it always eventually resolved but is frustrating while it is happening. I appreciate all your learned responses and special thanks to Charles, who popped up a lot of great ideas via email.
Random number generator time. When I write myself into a wall I whip out plots unlimited and get the dice rolling. Sometimes the sheer absurdity of plots I have rolled gets the brain juices flowing.
Or be an evil god and randomly kill off someone without explaination.
After deleting a couple hundred emails from politicals (only an estimated 10,000 to go) it will take a shot of wodka to get over the wall.
Hi Belle,I have been where you are. Not too long ago, actually. I use cribnotes, but I do not usually use outlines either.I have used a variety of ways to get myself unstuck when it happens. They have included bouncing ideas off of trusted friends, re-reading the last few chapters, listening to music, going to a place with water (I have found creeks, lakes, fountains to be very cleansing and inspirational), or doing something totally unrelated.
I keep hitting that wall with my head - one of two possible things happens then:Variant 1:
The head is damaged to a point where the plot line matters not and all I can do is get myself to the ER
Varinat 2:
The wall collapses and I can see a little path running into sinister shadows. I take a deep breath and step inside
Hi gang. My two cents for what they're worth....When stuck for plot, I do two things:
1) I agree with taking a nap. The other day my wife caught me laying down with my eyes closed and accused me of falling asleep. I told her I was NOT napping, I was getting Lucca out away from the spies and out of trouble. Yeah, she looked at me just like that, to.....
2) PLay the "What If..." game. I go back a few paragraphs and start asking, "what if this happened? Okay, now what if this happened? Don't be afraid to go crazy and write down dozes of alternatives, not worrying about if they work. Then you can go back the next day and re-examine them. It's surprising what you'll find.
I write horror suspense, so if I get stuck, I'll watch a movie that's similar to my plot/story and get some ideas. That always seems to help me. I don't outline either. I've tried and will lose interest doing that. It doesn't mean an author is wrong in doing it that way, just the way that works for them. We're all different. I get an idea, setting, and just go with the flow. I trust that deep part within me and just write from my subconscious and then edit with my conscious. But try watching a movie in your genre, and I'm sure something will spark an idea.
I'm with Wayne on this one.My method would be to go someplace other than where you write. Take a walk. Ride a bike. Go to the gym. Just do something physical that doesn't require a lot of thinking.
While you're doing all that, daydream about the story. "What if" scenarios are great ways to shake a story up, surprise yourself and your readers.
What if one of the "good" characters is actually a "bad" character? What implications would that have? What would their motives be? How would they manipulate the protagonist to achieve their goals? Re-examine in your mind all the interactions they've had with the protagonist, but look at them in the light of that fundamental twist.
Try out all the crazy scenarios you can. Minor characters, for example. Some of them may not be minor after all. Seemingly background institutions (a business or religion or government agency...any institution of power that's mentioned in the story) could come forward in the plot as major antagonists.
Shake things up in your mind. None of these wild ideas may stick, but often times these kinds of mental games can put a new idea in your head, or make you reinterpret things you thought you had already sorted out.
Mental blocks are a common occurrence in any activity that requires focus, planning, development, and a satisfactory end result. Any leader, manager, contractor, scientist, educator, provider or writer will so testify. The time-proven corrective action is the same in all cases.Step away from the issue and force your mind and body to relax. The military refers to it as R&R (rest and recreation). Humans have a habit of sometimes having more confidence in their physical and mental capabilities than common sense and logic warrant.
Once the extraneous physical and mental demands that do not require immediate attention are set aside, we can focus more clearly and effectively on the issue that does, develop a remedy, and resolve it.
