WIP feels unexciting now.. Help!

[mithril]

Hi folks

I haven't been able to do anything at all writing related (including thinking up ideas and world building) since the last few months now due to real life intruding. The only exception has been being able to devote a very small amount of time to the chrons (mostly lurking )

Fortunately things seem to be about to settle down somewhat finally and I read through the research and ideas I had noted down about the WIP. No spark of interest whatsoever!

What do I do? I tried remembering and recreating the bits I was particularly excited about.. Nada. Also tried just writing random scenes and after 3 sentences I get the feeling that I'm writing an encyclopedia (spelling?) entry or a report.

Does ths mean I just need more time? Or should I start a completely new project? I am inclining towards starting something new but am also worried that the interest will again go away if I have to take a few months break again...

Last time I starting with the world building stage, so I'm hoping that if this time around I experiment with the 'build the world as you write' style, a break (if it happens) won't derail all interest...

What do you guys suggest? Also any suggestions about how to keep something WIP related going when things are too hectic to carve out some dedicated time would be hugely appreciated...

 

[Kylara]

Try grabbing your characters and writing a few very short short stories with them in, it'll help you get back into your characters and give you something new to play with, but it works ultimately as a training exercise in your character voice...you can try the same with your world, write a few short pieces from random places/people that you create (brand new) in the world you had already made, it should help you move back into your world, and might give you some new ideas or characters to play around with. And then try to combine the two - maybe a backstory idea, or a discussion about the world, or anything really; it doesn't have to go into your WiP but might help you to get drawn back into your world by using your characters to explain certain things - you are combining the characterisation and the world building. (eg - instead of writing: big black mountains act a border for side of country X; describe and explain it all with your characters, so character Y is telling character Z about the mountains, or they are arguing about them or visiting them or something).

Good luck and I hope you get back into your WiP!

 

[Darth Angelus]

I can only relate to your issues to well.

I would not give up on that world so early. Granted, if you don't find your work exciting, chances are the reader won't, either, but one can suffer from temporary lack of interest. Maybe you should just give it a little more time, rather than give up because you are bored after a break. It is possible that small things can be modified to revive the work.
Then again, if it seems totally dead, even after you have given it some more time, perhaps it is best to start over.
I wouldn't recommend a "build the world as you write"-approach, as I think it can lead toall sorts of problems. Plan things ahead, at early stages, as you will get the time so spebt back several times over, I think, in later editing stages.

Then again, I this is just how I think it is. I am no expert, so take my advice for what it is. I am sure more experienced writers will come along and give their input. But this is how I would approach it.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Identify the characters you're most interested in, then transplant them to a different scenario. With this sort of problem it's often a "mismatch" of character and world that's causing the block, or so I've found.

 

[Bowler1]

Fortunately things seem to be about to settle down somewhat finally and I read through the research and ideas I had noted down about the WIP. No spark of interest whatsoever!

There is nothing wrong with lurking, even if it is with intent!

After a break, getting back into the groove can be difficult. I think you need to be doing some writing each day, even if it's only 20min editing. Posting on Chrons at least gets you thinging about writing and the technical aspects again, so start posting and typing. Go over you're WIP and start editing, this might help. If your WIP is no longer doing it for you, start something else. This is for fun, you don't have a publisher on your back and you can always return to your WIP. Enter the 300 & 75 word competitions, remember to vote for me and you'll be fine.

Just write/type, and you'll soon settle back into the routine again.

 

[The Judge]

I think it's possible to fall out of love with one's work. You then need to analyse if it's only a passing phase or whether you're better off striking out into new fields -- and only you can answer that one.

I'd suggest that you give it a little more time in order to see if the spark re-establishes itself. Don't try and write as such, but just day-dream around the most "sexy" scenes again -- I put that in inverted commas, because those might not be scenes to do with romance, but simply the ones which, as you say, excited you most when you were first thinking of the novel, so a big space battle, or a new environment, or a political conversation or whatever. Don't push it and don't do any writing, just float free in that world and let the characters do and say what they want.

If that doesn't get you anywhere, then I'd leave it and go to something new, at least as a break. I do the worldbuilding-as-I-go, and while it has its disadvantages, it does mean I can start writing relatively quickly, which might be a real help to you here.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Yog-Sothoth]

Try rereading the whole body of work and also do an excercise where you interview your main characters, this might sound nuts, but it works. It's no different from you shipwrecking on a unknown island and then be rescued a considerable time later.

The life you know and enjoy today would be very different, maybe not as exciting either. Your mind ages, and certain real life issues can knock the innocence and excitement - that drove those plot points - out of you, so you need to reconstruct those happy emotions.

Mind you, in my case the lack of excitement for the old material helped me shape the story into one that is better and more mature, and one which I'm statisfied with, despite long absences from the WIP at certain times.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Hey Mithril,

Firstly DON'T PANIC

I think Bowler's and the others advice was really good - take your mind off the block you have right now and do other writing related tasks. I personally would suggest something with a bit more meat - how about a 1,500 word short story, something that might just take a few days or week or so - find something that does interest and excite you. Finish it and prove to yourself that this was just a blip and that you can complete.

You need to see if you have lost faith in your WiP however, this is serious, if you can't, I doubt you will ever finish it or do it justice. If you can't work up enthusiam after doing other things then perhaps you should 'pack it away in boxes into the attic'. (Personally the fact that you've left it a few months and you're not raring to get stuck into it is a bad sign - but it may be just this week is being a bit of a bitch)

I think the key is to keep doing writing regularly - of course I have no idea what stepped in and made you stop; there will be loads of situations, serious or not that do and will intrude in a writer's life and sometimes there's nothing that you can do about it.

One of the attributes required of a writer is to maintain enthusiam in their projects - particuarly the long-term effort that is required to write a novel. I'm getting round to writing scenes that first sparked and enthused me over one and a half years ago, and I can't wait to get stuck in! (I'm even getting excited about getting stuck into the second draft, even though I'm only half-way through the first, which even I find a little puzzling).

 

[Brian G Turner]

I think it's common to go through multiple projects before you settle on one that you absolutely cannot let go off. I figure it's a natural part of the process of developing as a writer.

 

[mithril]

First of all you guys are awesome. Seriously.

Looking through the replies I can see now that I do have a few options left. I was seriously wondering if this writing thing would just turn out to be a flash in the pan

I think the main problem is that though the world building aspects of the WIP had been fleshed out reasonably well, I hadn't come up with any characters.. (How stupid does that sound considering that a novel will always be first about the characters ) So I have notes on the magic, the main country, the government, the society, even a bit of the religion.. but no characters to play with. And now when I read it back, it reads like a textbook. I could write about more new places etc, but I think it'd be better to start the story before it does end up becoming a textbook... Next time I'm definitely not doing that much of a world building without inventing a few interesting characters at the very least

So as a first step I'll try getting back into the day-dreaming mode. And maybe not worry about the 'world' that's been built so much... As Stephen suggested, maybe a change in scene would do my muse good

@Bowler - I need to get heaps better at writing (and characters) before I venture into the shark infested waters of the 300 and 75 word challenges You are all brave sailors...

 

[Bowler1]

@Bowler - I need to get heaps better at writing (and characters) before I venture into the shark infested waters of the 300 and 75 word challenges You are all brave sailors...

If I'm a sailor give me a bucket because my ship needs bailing out. I have only ever received one little vote for all my efforts and I got that one on my first attempt. Does that worry me, no - should it - I think so but I don't really care. It's all for fun and we're here to help. There are no sharks in the 75 word competition (well, some keep winning all the time so one or two sharks, but they don't bite!). It's up to you, but the challange is fun if you ever change your mind.

 

[Kylara]

Next month my entry shall be purple, it shall be so purple as to cause all other stories to fall...over laughing at its purpleness. Hmm tricky, ultimate purple in only 75 words, that's barely a single sentence! Come join us do, mithril, much happiness is to be had with 75 words...

 

[Aminar]

First of all you guys are awesome. Seriously.

Looking through the replies I can see now that I do have a few options left. I was seriously wondering if this writing thing would just turn out to be a flash in the pan

I think the main problem is that though the world building aspects of the WIP had been fleshed out reasonably well, I hadn't come up with any characters.. (How stupid does that sound considering that a novel will always be first about the characters ) So I have notes on the magic, the main country, the government, the society, even a bit of the religion.. but no characters to play with. And now when I read it back, it reads like a textbook. I could write about more new places etc, but I think it'd be better to start the story before it does end up becoming a textbook... Next time I'm definitely not doing that much of a world building without inventing a few interesting characters at the very least

So as a first step I'll try getting back into the day-dreaming mode. And maybe not worry about the 'world' that's been built so much... As Stephen suggested, maybe a change in scene would do my muse good

@Bowler - I need to get heaps better at writing (and characters) before I venture into the shark infested waters of the 300 and 75 word challenges You are all brave sailors...

If you don't have characters what are you writing? Is it just notes now? Dont start a story until you have characters and an idea of where the story will go. I know finding that can be hard... I wrote a bunch of short stories until I found one I felt could be fleshed into something more.

 

[Dante]

I say walk away from now and do something else if you've lost the drive. I try to give myself an inspiration infusion when that happens. I reread my favorite books, rewatch my favorite movies... I return to anything that inspired me to write my WIP in the first place. That often helps me.

 

[James Coote]

Try and remember what first got you excited about the project. What inspired you. If you can get back into that same frame of mind when the initial idea was so electrifying that you were compelled to put pen to paper, then you can still do it.

It may be that the story/world raised questions in your mind that made it so interesting back then, but that in the meantime, those questions have been answered by your brain subconsciously working away in the background. In which case, it no longer holds interest and challenge. In which case, decide whether it is worth sharing that message, that new found knowledge with the world, or whether it is merely of interest to you personally

 

[mithril]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. I plan to give it some time and if I still find it unexciting I'll start something new...

@Bowler, Kylara - You've almost convinced me.. It might get me back into the writing/dreaming mode quicker.. I'll give the next month's challenges a look for sure and in any case will vote.

 

[Luiglin]

I've found the worse thing I can do is try and force myself to write. As soon as I feel its getting to be chore I stop.

What I do to try and alleviate the problem is to hit it from another angle. If its a fantasy work try mapping/drawing the world, places and towns. It doesn't matter if the end result looks rubbish - it is the process that's important. I've mapped out a whole town and surrounding area which has ended up being very useful.

From this think about other areas of the world, make a few random notes. You'll probably never use them but I did find it helped to rekindle the desire to expand on my WIP.

Also do try the 75 and 300 word competitions. They are great fun and do help with the writing. Plus it means Perpetual Man would have another entry to review ;p

 

[Fishbowl Helmet]

Everyone always asks what the secret to being a writer is. Authors are always cagey, and try to keep this one tightly under wraps. Since I've peeked behind the curtain--worked for the other side as it were--I'll let this one slip out, accidentally, of course.

Here it comes. Are you ready to copy & paste or write this one down? It's the Big Secret. The Key to being a "real writer" (for whatever that means). Ready?

The secret is to write anyway. Every day. Whether you're heartbroken, uninterested, or plan just don't care. Don't have time, make the time. Sleep is for other people. The ones who just keep swimming, they're the ones who make it.

 

[Aminar]

Everyone always asks what the secret to being a writer is. Authors are always cagey, and try to keep this one tightly under wraps. Since I've peeked behind the curtain--worked for the other side as it were--I'll let this one slip out, accidentally, of course.

Here it comes. Are you ready to copy & paste or write this one down? It's the Big Secret. The Key to being a "real writer" (for whatever that means). Ready?

The secret is to write anyway. Every day. Whether you're heartbroken, uninterested, or plan just don't care. Don't have time, make the time. Sleep is for other people. The ones who just keep swimming, they're the ones who make it.

Kind of. It's making writing a part of your identity. A real thing people associate with you and you consider a major part of who you are. What's interesting is how much that one thing can change peoples view of you. I have friends who knew me for years before I started writing and when asked to describe me the biggest thing is that I'm a writer...