Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related trouble moving forward

Does anyone else have this issue? I like to have a few stories going at once. Usually one screams out louder than another and I'll go with that one until it's done. However...right now I have a solid ten page chapter one written for not one but five different stories and I can't seem to move forward on any of them. I keep reviewing what I've already written.

Any advice on how to move forward?

Joan

feel free to send my way for some input!

I find that putting together an outline of the story helps a lot. That doesn't mean that I have to stay with the outline, but it always helps me to have a beginning, a middle, and an end, even if they aren't in sharp focus.

If you have a starting point - and you obviously do, given that you've begun so many stories - you need to have an ending point. It may be as vague as "Clark and Lois overcome the bad guy's plan to keep them apart and come together." Or it might be as specific as "The bullet intended for Lois' left eye was deflected at the last possible nanosecond by Clark's right thumbnail." The object isn't to write down everything that happens but to draw a general road map to get from the beginning to the end.

If you don't have an ending point, you can just write whatever comes into your head, and some writers work well that way. I can't. I need a guideline - the outline - to tell me when I've wandered too far off the road.

You may also find, however, that the wandering storyline is more interesting than the outline you started with. There's no problem with setting aside the original idea and substituting the new path. Just remember that you need an ending. The middle - the angst, the action, the villain's dastardly plan, the bump in the road, the fly in the soup - all help to build that bridge between the beginning and the end.

If you're looking for something more meaty, I suggest you check your local library for books in the "Elements of Fiction Writing" series. They are not, by any means, the only source of good information and training on writing, but they're specific on themes like plot, scene and structure, description, and there's even one specifically on beginnings, middles, and ends.

And when that gets overwhelming, pick up a copy of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves." You'll laugh as you learn more about punctuation and grammar than my 11th-grade English teacher ever knew. (She wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean.)

ETA: I forgot to mention that yes, most writers have the problem you've described at one time or another. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with you or with your stories. It just means that there are other things you need to do to move that elusive process forward.

I know that problem very well - though I hardly write the storys down until I know how to fill more than ten pages.

When the seperate storylines in my head just won't end up as a complete story, it usually helps me to combine story A and story B and make one story out of two. Maybe two of your stories could make a perfect match, creating a whole new story that you could finish...

Terry had great advice. Let me also add that you don't have to write the story in order. When I wrote 'Foreshadowing' I started with the scene where Superman rescues Lois from the muggers, then I went back and filled in the back story of how she got in that situation in the first place. With 'The Man Under the Suit' I had the last scene written in my head long before I ever knew what was going to happen in the middle.

Unlike a lot of authors on these boards, I don't wait until my long stories are finished before I start posting. I need the feedback and the pressure of a posting schedule to keep me motivated. I've even been known to take requests of what the readers would like to see happen (like Lois and Martha meeting or seeing Ellen's reaction in Man Under). However, I do have at least a vague idea of where a story is going before I start posting, and I am committed to finishing it. It becomes frustrating for the readers if a lot of stories get started and never finished.

Good luck!

Another thought is to post chapters of the stories you have the completed the most on and maybe feedback will lead you further on. It is good though to have at least a vague idea of where you might end up.
Also, for beginning writers, doing variations on the stories in the series are a good way to go. The scripts are on the beginning page of this board.
Good luck & hang in there.
regards
Artemis

I've seen a couple of pros say they sit at the keyboard and copy a story that they hate. This convinces the muse that not coming up with ideas doesn't get them away from writing, it just means writing stuff they don't like.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm just frustrated that I can't seem to focus on one longer story to develop it and complete it.

That's a good idea to try to outline my ideas more, Terry , to see if one story will open up more as details appear. Like Happy Girl has suggested, I've tried just writing down scenes, in no particular order, just to get things moving too. I like that approach. In the past, I've posted longer stories as chapters as I've written them, as Artemis and Happy Girl have suggested. Sometimes that works well, sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately, none of my stories will mesh well, as Bakasi has suggested, some being for different fandoms. Dcarson I think I still like the ideas, I just need to get over this hump. I may try Bellarase's suggestion and get some input from one or two people to try to jump start me. Then try to focus only on one project for several weeks, instead of jumping back and forth.

Thanks so much for your helpful input!

Joan

Joan,

A variant on dcarson's suggestion: I have also read that some pro writers set aside writing time each day. They make themselves sit at the typewriter/computer for the alloted time, whether they feel like it or not. They have a choice between writing and just sitting there being bored stiff. The threat of boredom gets their muses going.

I have never tried this approach, since:
1) My schedule is such that I only have time to write on a hit-or-miss basis.
2) My stress levels from RL are such that I see no reason to add to them with something that is supposed to be a fun, stress-relieving activity.
So I, personally, only write when the muse strikes and I have the time -- That's one reason why my stories are all so short. (Even the "long" story that I am working on now will probably only be a two parter.)

Joy,
Lynn

Me too - I'd happily read some of what you have to give feedback on stuff you're not ready to post on the boards!