Writers block...sort of.

[Frontierzone]

Here's the next excerpt from Beginnings. Problem is, it's bland. Also, the grammar stinks. Any help, including nitpicking and niggling, will be appreciated. In other words, rip it apart, Chris and pyanfaruk.

The rest of the press conference was handled by NASA Director Adam Ellington. He outlined a plan to have the Space Exploration Vehicle Christa McCullough refit for hyperspace displacement by decade’s end. In fact, the refit was already underway, in anticipation of Dr. Brown’s experiment. Helen had already seen to it. She had many high connections on Capital Hill, and they owed her family favors, which she didn’t hesitate to call in.

The McCullough was, in fact, ready in just three years. On July 4th, 2027, the SEV Christa McCullough was launched from Moon Base One. Her crew consisted of John Aldrich, pilot; Mary Sanders, co-pilot; Alexander Petrov, biologist; Nathan Edgers , geologist; Andrea Simpson, astrophysicist; Brian Cox, astronomer; and Haley Miller, MD. They made the trip in record time, due to the improvements made to the Hyper Drive Displacement Coils. On July 6th they were in orbit around Alpha Centauri IV, preparing to land.

Here's where the writers block has come in, full blast. My brain seems to have gone fthtttt!

 

[Talysia]

I hate writer's block. When it strikes me, I usually end up jotting down notes on a piece of paper about what I could write next - the odd idea here, a possible outcome there, that sort of thing. If that doesn't give me any ideas about what to do next, then I'll put it down for a while and do something else.

I don't critique in the usual sense - ie, grammar, spelling etc - but I can at least give a few opinions about style and ideas. I think your idea is good, but I'd like to see a bit more description. Maybe that's one of the preferences I've acquired from writing fantasy rather than sci-fi, though!

 

[Frontierzone]

Thanks. Taken within the context of the whole, however, the details came earlier. This is leading up to a tragedy, in which the McCullough is destroyed by an as of yet unknown attacker. All seven astronauts are lost. But, I'll try to flesh things out.

Maybe I need to build up to the launch, describe the anticipation, etc. My mind is on too many things right now. Ugh! Three days off, and still too much to do! I'll think about the details.

 

[Talysia]

I rather thought that the description may have come earlier, being such a short excerpt and all. I do like the idea of building up anticipation to the launch, too. That way, when news of the ship's destruction breaks, the reader may have more of an experience when they get to that part. Still good so far, though!

Good luck!

 

[Saltheart]

Whoah, lucky for you I found a part of the problem a few days ago, and now it's back to a daily quota of 2,000 words per day.

Okay, if you're typing your first draft, turn off the grammar and spelling checkers. All the way off. Yes, off. Both. Part of the problem is those darn underlines. How can you possibly expect to dump you thoughts on paper if you stop every now and then and look back for errors?

Secondly, and this is the most important for ever finishing, keep writing your first draft without ever looking back. Not even for a second. Only look at the last point so you can continue from there, nothing more. If you do this your story should be done someday. Very messy, may not even look as much a story as a blog on MySpace, but done all the same. Even if halfway through you figure out the perfect intro or something, don't start over, don't look back, don't edit anything - just note it down somewhere and finish the draft.

If done correctly, you will feel like burning your first draft because of how hideous it is, and now you can tell a bazillion things that suck in it. That's good. And now that you finished your first draft, you have an idea what you don't wan't to do. Now write the second draft with that in mind.

Continue this cycle forever and ever and eventually gazillion becomes less than one. Best of all writer's block is not excuse for not working. It's a brute force way, but it's working for me. With every cycle my story gets tighter, and I don't feel like I wasted time with outlines and those things.