Since I’ve begun one-one mentoring we’ve discovered I’m the opposite way (I always knew I was backwards). Finishing isn’t the problem. Getting past the 1st scene has been the issue.

I was having a case of the “why do I even think I’m a writing (even if it is like breathing) …I can’t even START a flippin story”, or something to that nature!

Turns out if I leave out the absolute 1st scene (or pretend I don’t have a 1st scene on paper), I can write til my heart is partially content. No wonder the 1st m/s I got through took so long. Hopefully this one won’t (but then, my mentor will see to that *lol*).

Great post, thanks for the insight.

I fall in the started writing pieces of novels since I was 12-14 category, but still haven’t finished, though I did make it to 60K on one before I scrapped it.

I’ve had a few people I have attempted to pair up and it hasn’t been the inspiration/motivation yet and they have all dropped by the way side(Or I dropped by the wayside, I’m not always clear on that)

It’s that elusive criptique partner who gets you.

GREAT POST!!!

Okay, now I am humiliated. But in a fun way.

I think it was Adam Cadre who said you have to write a million crap words before you write your first good story. (I’m not sure who he was quoting. The mysterious “They” who say everything first…)

I’ve been experimenting with different methods myself.

My first book (written for Nano – the pressure was great to actually get me to write it) was total seat-of-the-pants, I started with some characters and a situation and just dreamed up the next chapter each day while commuting. It got finished but it wasn’t pretty and needed a lot of work.

My second book had a general outline of the whole plot from start to finish, but I found I had a lot of trouble fleshing it out as I went along.

My third book was pretty carefully outlined from start till almost the end and that technique worked well for me. Unfortunately by the end of the outlining I got sloppy: “and they somehow killed the big bad monster” and now that I am writing from the outline I’m struggling to come up with details to fill in the plot in an interesting way.

I think many people really can benefit from outlining but thats seen as too much work for many budding writers, they want to get to the “fun stuff” quickly and then get bogged down.

(even many years in which I outlined like crazy and also found it didn’t help, like Diana)

To clarify, it’s not that it didn’t help, because when I finally did finish my first novel (and the 7 that followed), I outlined like crazy. All I’m saying is that I disagree with Justine’s assessment that outlining is a cure for the “oh, golly gee, shall I write a novel? Shucks, this is harder than I thought” period we all go through.

novellete: no outline, but a very simple plot. hence the fact i got bored and ended it.

1st novel-hopeful: i am just now beginning to outline, nearly a year into it. isnt that sad? oh well.

2nd novel-hopeful: i did the barest hint of a plot and character outline. its so different now that its barely recognizable as such, but oh well.

3rd novel-hopeful/ trilogy beginning: i spent MONTHS on a character and plot outline, and u know what? it didnt help much. especially the character one. i like to “discover” my characters as i write. sometimes the character i plan and the character that makes into the story are barely the same person! so from now on i will only do physical descriptions before writing.

anybody have good suggestions for how to outline a trilogy? thats the one im the most mad at right now, its not working the way i wanted it to.

I look at it like the gym, it is possible to go to the gym and work out all by yourself, but for most people once the novelty wears off its difficult to maintain it solo, wheras if you have a workout partner, someone you are meeting and will work alongside you, it gives you that extra incentive.

(Almost fell off my couch when I heard you drop the “A” word in a post. And “outline,” too!

I shall admit, as a lifelong outliner, that it does NOT help you go past that hurdle. I outlined from the very teenaged beginning of all my unfinished novels, and I had the exact same problem. Writing is a lot harder than thinking about writing, true, but it’s also a lot harder than planning it out.)

Sherwood: Yes, indeed. Joh was perfect. She was ALWAYS so encouraging. And her crits were smart and useful. “Why are there suddenly crazy monks? Why did you set the city on fire? It doesn’t make any sense!” But she never got into sentence level stuff that would have just slowed me down. So I gave her crits in line with what she was giving me. I learnt A LOT.

You’re so right that sharing your work with other writers keeps you going. At the moment, that’s the only thing that’s making me stick with it – I don’t want to turn around to my writer friends and say, “I’ve changed my mind, I’m giving up”.

I’m very glad you found your acquaintance, too! Imagine a world with no Magic’s Child .