{"id":786,"date":"2016-11-09T08:09:12","date_gmt":"2016-11-09T13:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/?p=786"},"modified":"2016-11-09T08:09:12","modified_gmt":"2016-11-09T13:09:12","slug":"fickle-or-faithful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/09\/fickle-or-faithful\/","title":{"rendered":"Fickle or faithful"},"content":{"rendered":"

To continue the trend of the last two posts, here\u2019s another word question. As you probably know, English is an enormous language, because it has its roots in several other languages and it\u2019s still happy to accept word immigrants. We writers have a dizzying number of choices for almost anything we want to say. So it always surprises me when I stumble across a word that has no synonyms, like shrug<\/em>, which I\u2019ve been worrying about overusing, because my characters seem to do it a lot. My question for this post is, What other unique words have you happened across? Or, if you know a one-word synonym for shrug, what is it?<\/p>\n

And to all of you working feverishly on your NaNoWriMo projects: Best wishes for smooth sailing and great progress!<\/p>\n

Onto the post, which also maybe useful for you heroic NaNoWriMo people. On June 22, 2016, the Florid Sword wrote, How do you stay interested in a story? I have trouble finishing my books because I have a grand idea that works and I write feverishly and then- I get a new idea for the same book, usually involving a new character or a new subplot. And I start over. Either that or I write the first three pages and then lose interest and move on to something else. Needless to say, it\u2019s annoying. Does anyone have any advice about how to stay on a story without changing the plot or losing interest?<\/em><\/p>\n

Several of you weighed in.<\/p>\n

Martina: I would recommend using a motivational sort of tactic to keep yourself on a story without losing interest or changing the plot. There are a lot of good websites out there (Write the World\u2013 for young writers\u2013 NaNoWriWo, Camp NaNo, etc. A quick Google search will bring up tons of options) that you can use to link in with fellow writers and share your story with them. On many of the websites, they have a deadline for you to complete your project by, and occasional prompts to jumpstart your writing. I find that having other people motivating you and holding you to your word makes it easier to stay on task.<\/em><\/p>\n

Christie V Powell: I have a box of stories from high school in my closet. Most of them are unfinished (but they are super fun to go back and read). Almost all of the stories that I did finish were ones that I outlined. I had to know where I was going and a couple of steps on the way, so that I desired to get there. Otherwise I lost interest and filed them away. I know it\u2019s not for everyone but that\u2019s what worked for me.<\/em><\/p>\n

As far as not changing the plot, is that a bad thing? Even we outliners know that our plans are flexible. If we follow where the story wants to go, it\u2019s not going to go exactly according to plan and that\u2019s okay. Instead of starting all the way over, make some notes (in the margins, or a separate document, or in a different text color), about what you\u2019re going to change when you go back and edit. Then keep going.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ellen: Create a lot of suspense and laughter. That will make it a lot more interesting. I have written a few stories myself, and some are very long. Think of what you would do in the situation. Sometimes I even play a game out of my books. Sometimes I write a story out of a fun game. If you happen to lose your interest, draw some pictures for it. Maybe even draw some pictures for what\u2019s going to happen next. I am sure you are a great writer, you just need to not only catch your reader\u2019s interest, catch your own interest. If you want to change the plot, you can, but don\u2019t erase the rest. Create a new book and maybe even connect the two, like have the different characters meet.<\/em><\/p>\n

These are terrific!<\/p>\n

I love the motivational suggestions. I belong to a poetry critique group that meets every other week, which forces me to come up with a poem. If we\u2019re sharing our work, our fellow writers can help us move forward in our story when they say\u00a0what interests them, because we may not always be the best judge of where the excitement lies. If they\u2019re fascinated by this character or that event, we may discover a fruitful direction to take our plot, one that interests us, too. Also, as we write, it\u2019s cheering to think, Oh, boy, Megan is going to adore this.<\/em> Or even, Megan is going to hate this<\/em>\u2013because we\u2019re anticipating a response. Many of us read to be read. An audience is a great goad.<\/p>\n

And Ellen\u2019s ideas are reminders that playfulness is a big part of creativity. When our plot has knotted up, we can act out the problem. Surprises may result. Or we can bring in our other talents. Ellen draws or invents games. How about a computer app game (way beyond my dinosaur capabilities)? Some of you make maps. How about a diorama? In my case, a poem may help. Often, entering another artistic realm can free and reinvigorate us.<\/p>\n

And Christie V Powell\u2019s ideas are, as usual, spot on. I agree that abandoned stories are not a tragedy\u2013especially not if we save them. We can enjoy going back to them later and meeting the person and writer we used to be, and they may even suggest new work.<\/p>\n

I half wish I\u2019d abandoned Stolen Magic<\/em> after a year or so. I mean, I\u2019m happy with the way it finally turned out, but I might have written three other books in the time it took me to write the one, so I don\u2019t think it\u2019s terrible to fail to complete a story. And when we\u2019re in the early stages of our lives as writers, we\u2019re trying things out. We can let something go without a backward glance. If we turn out to be writers in the long haul, we\u2019ll start finishing our work when we\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

And, I agree again that it\u2019s fine to change a plot. We can\u2019t know when we start what discoveries we\u2019ll make as we write or what new ideas will crop up. My outlines, as I\u2019ve said here many times, are either minimal or nothing, though often I have a fairy tale in mind that I\u2019m following and filling in with detail, and\u00a0I, too, find it helpful to have an idea of the end I\u2019m writing toward. So that might be another strategy to use to help stick it out. Before we start writing the actual story, when we\u2019re thinking or outlining or writing notes, we can consider how we\u2019d like it\u00a0to come out\u2013which may change, as everything else can\u2013but having a sense of the ending can give us something to aim for. When I wrote Ella Enchanted<\/em> *SPOILER ALERT*, for example, I knew I wanted Ella to end her curse herself, but originally I thought that Hattie, rather than love for Char would provide the solution. So, our idea of the ending doesn\u2019t have to be fleshed out, but it probably should be a little more than wanting it to be happy or sad\u2013although I suppose that can work, too.<\/p>\n

Another strategy, which probably won\u2019t work for everyone, to help finish a story is not to jump instantly into the writing. Jot down some notes first. We can let the story roll around in our brains for a few days or a few weeks before we get going. We can let other approaches develop. We can even wonder in this early stage if this is the story we want to write. I usually stick to notes until they bore me and the pressure to write a beginning scene becomes intolerable. Also, even though I haven\u2019t finished Ogre Enchanted<\/em> yet, I\u2019ve begun to speculate about the next book and to start daydreaming.<\/p>\n

Here are five prompts:<\/p>\n

\u2219 In this post, I express\u00a0doubts about this approach, but try it out anyway. All you know is the ending has to be happy. Put your MC into a miserable situation. Pick a few of these and pile on some of your own: Her family and friends have been wiped out in some horrible, painful way; she\u2019s hated by everyone she knows; she\u2019s imprisoned and has just been sent to solitary confinement; she has a dread disease with little prospect for survival; she is haunted by the ghost of a former dictator. Think of a few more before you start writing. Write the story and\u2013believably\u2013bring it to a happy conclusion.<\/p>\n

\u2219 Now, all you know is that the ending is sad. Your MC is the most fortunate person on the planet. Pick some of these and make up your own: He just won a major award that comes with a big cash prize; his cancer is not merely in remission, it\u2019s cured forever; his family is well and healthy; he lands his dream job or gets into his dream school; everyone loves him. Make it all fall apart. To add to his misery, make some of the trouble be his own fault and make some be caused by betrayal. End it tragically.<\/p>\n

\u2219 If you have abandoned story fragments, go through them. Look for things to admire. Choose four fragments, any four. Jot down ideas that you can use again. Think about how you might cobble together an MC and other major characters. Write a new story that combines elements of the four, but if you wind up using only three or remembering parts of others or bringing in entirely new threads, that\u2019s okay, too.<\/p>\n

\u2219 Pick one of your abandoned stories and think about how it might end. Write the ending as a scene with full detail. Type \u201cthe end\u201d under it. Walk away.<\/p>\n

\u2219 Picking up the last prompt. If you want to, wait a week and return to the story and fill in three scenes leading up to the ending. Consider it finished\u2013unless you want to work on it some more, but I think you can declare victory.<\/p>\n

Have fun, and save what you write!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To continue the trend of the last two posts, here\u2019s another word question. As you probably know, English is an enormous language, because it has its roots in several other languages and it\u2019s still happy to accept word immigrants. We writers have a dizzying number of choices for almost anything we want to say. So […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[93],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":787,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions\/787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}