at that moment, i thought "hooray" i just have to do the same thing all over again and i'm done!
only, have you ever noticed that the second half of a work-in-progress-novel-to-be can be SO much more difficult than the first half?
(or, maybe not?)
almost as soon as i hit the 50% mark, i felt very stuck...and very alone in my stuckness, until i came across this post while procrastinating my way through my writer's block late Saturday night (click this link to mia's superb graph) (it was great to know it wasn't just me...this halfway blues happens to other writers, too!)
so then, feeling so much better (the next day)....
i wrote! and got myself over that horrid halfway point
here'a picture message to you delineating my journey since the start of this WIP (inspired of course by mia's nifty graph, (only not nearly as crafty and wise)...)
It all began with an exciting new idea. The entire project outlined itself in my mind in just seconds. And it was all
about a quarter of the way through i did get a little bit
bored,which was okay because at that point i just went back to my completed ms (attempt at writing a novel #1) to rework the beginning for the millionth time.
as you can imagine that was way more fun (note the sarcasm), so i returned to my WIP
until i reached the halfway point and hit one, big
me
rock-solid block (aka: writer's block)
then i did it. i just took that
leap. i put my fingers on the keyboard and started typing...i stopped (over)thinking, worrying, editing, backtracking...and the words just totally
flowed...!so while i'm only 60% done, i have some direction.
i may not be quite ready to
party, but i made it through (over, around, under) that daunting block.
AND if while leaping i wrote something hideous, there's always the eraser/delete key...so what? why wait? write until something works
SO... know that if you get to that halfway ho-hump part in your WIP
that we all (or at least some of us) get there and feel that way, too
and while you might just want to
snap!
don't give up. i didn't.
happy landing!
I'm glad you made it over your writer's block. That often happens to me. I sit on it for a few days and think. I always know the beginning and have a pretty good idea of the end, but sometimes the middle eludes me for a little bit.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Theresa. Yes, the elusive middle. I'm glad you have a method that works for you to get over your case of writer's block! christy
ReplyDeleteI try not to think of it as a road block, but more like I'm stuck in a cul-de-sac right now. I go round-and-round with ideas to further the story, then delete it and try another angle. My next idea is to skip forward about 10 pages, write where I want to be (and what I have planned), then work backwards to find out what needs to happen to get my mc there.
ReplyDeleteerica
Congrats on breaking through the barrier! Thanks for the encouragement!
ReplyDeletegood for you and this post worked for me, I did not have to read, I just looked at the pictures.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your WIP
teehee--Oh, so true! Somewhere between the 50% mark and the 75% mark I always hit a spot where every word is painful. I am at 50% in my NaNoWriMo, so believe me. I know. (though last night I plotted about 4 more chapters, so on this one, I may make that 75% before feeling like I want to die.
ReplyDeleteEvery single book has been this way. I am writing book 8--they have ALL had this. I discovered last book though, that if I just LET IT BE CRAP and fix it in the rewrite, it isn't too bad. So that is my plan this time. LET. IT. BE. CRAP.
The sprint at the end is a FABULOUS rush. (until you realize that ALSO is crap and needs rewriting just as badly *shifty*)
Good for you for getting past that writer's block!
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear you're over your slump.... Does that me more pages for me? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteLoved all the pics. Too funny!
Michael
Hart - at least you can tell the difference between where you want it to be and the crap that might be your 1st draft (um, your words, not mine, I haven't read yours!). If I go back and think "God that was crap" while I'm writing, out it goes, and the ruminating about it begins. Then again, I'm not on book 8 - maybe I can learn yet!!! Just move on, erica, just move on. . .
ReplyDeleteWhenever I have to deal with a huge block of ice, I just drop it on the ground and let it smash into tiny pieces. The same principle holds true for writer's block. I just drop it and let it explode into small fragments, then carry on my way with the writing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I just found your blog through Frankie's.
ReplyDeleteI had terrible writer's block throughout the first half of my novel, but the second half went much faster.
erica-glad you have a method that works for you. now you just need more time to do it in!
ReplyDeletethanks, heather...and you're welcome!
yay joanna. glad you stopped by!
THAT is encouraging, hart. well, the further proof that i'm not alone is. not sure that i want to get stuck in the middle every book for the next 6 books. :0) but by then i'm sure i'll have a smoother way to go around the big daunting block. and yes, even on my first ms, the sprint at the end is and remains crap.
thanks, golden eagle (need to check on your real name!) and michael! i LOVE sending you pages. you're the best critquer ever!
jeffrey, the next time i'm stuck i will visualize this and give it a try with my chunk of plot that's in my way (or lack there of)...i'll see what fragments i come up with! thanks!
joanne--THANK YOU! that is very nice! thanks to frankie, too! how interesting, you had the reverse problem i have!
Christy, I know what you mean and I love your picture story! But, I remember getting to that half way point and thinking, what now? and being so overwhelmed with how much more I had to do. Now I'm almost done and I see the end in sight. But now I'm like, I just want to be done! But I can't rush it, you know? But yes, the last half is definitely worse than the first half.
ReplyDeleteLove the way you told us in pictures, hope the rest of the book is easier to write. I'm not doing NanoWriMo but I am trying to write a rhyming MG novel and I got stuck a couple of days ago so I decided to work on query letters for two pbs coming ready soon. I hate query letters but it was better than banging my head against a wall with my ms, so now I have something to do when I get stuck in my novel. Edit obs and do query letters. And what do you know I had an idea to move forward with my novel too. In awe of you NanoWriMo people, good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that second half and final sprint to the end!
ReplyDeleteI can't say I have a particular middle of the book hump which is hard to get over. But I do periodically get blocked and have to work on breaking through and getting going again. Unfortunately it can strike at any time...beginning, middle or end. And then there are those 'necessary' bits which you have to write because they tell the reader something important or explain what the heck is going on, but nothing really spicy is happening and you just don't feel inspired. Sigh. I love it when the words just flow. Why can't that be all the time? ;-)
kangaroobee - a rhyming mg novel??!! Wow, what a project - good luck and I can't wait to find out more about it!
ReplyDeleteAdina - right?!
erica