Or maybe it's a bad case of the Indecisions. One way or the other, nothing is happening here. I've been filling out the structure form from edittorrent (Protagonist, Antagonist, Goal, Obstacles, Consequences of Failure, Motive, Challenges to Self-Image, Inciting Event, Complications, Final Reversal, Outcome) for each of my beginnings trying to decide which story to work on, but I don't have all the spaces filled out for all of them.
I should look and see which one does have all the spaces filled out and work on that one, but I keep flipping around and looking at the empty spaces. Like empty spaces ever helped anyone. The biggest draw for me, right now, is a story I haven't written a single word on. It's just an idea, percolating in the back of my mind. Characters and a Complication. I've come up with a goal and the consequences of failure, but that's it. I'm not even sure of the genre.
But I worry. Is the draw that this is a good worthwhile story? Or is it that it's new?
Then the other story I'm leaning toward is the old one. My only ... completed?... novel length story. I know it's not done and not good enough and I am tempted to start over, rewriting it with the same basic idea, the same characters, but adding in all the things I've learned since I started reading agent blogs, writer blogs, and all these books on structure and plot. I don't want to spend forever on that one story, but part of me doesn't want to go on until I've fixed it. And really this time. But I'm worried about that too.
I could stall, stuck in this story the rest of my life, never getting it just right. I know what's wrong with it now. But I might know what's wrong with it next time too.
What about you? Bad case of anything?
Bad case of tiiiired. I don't know why I'm so freakin tired this week! I say write a little bit of each story you're interested in and see which one sticks with you.
ReplyDeleteMe too, but something's twisting up my .... brain rhythms? I can't fall asleep until 2 or so. And the babies never let me sleep past 7:30. (Husband tried to talk to me this morning around 7 when he leaves for work and I'm sure I made no sense at all. Five hours sleep per night is not enough.
ReplyDeleteBut at least I can point to something. It's way more frustrating when you don't know why you're tired. --Hubby gets that way when he gets less exercise than normal. But his comes with some serious cranky to go with. So maybe if you're unexplainedly cranky as well as tired, you're not exercising as much as usual?
And great suggestion! I'll push myself to get a few pages of each written and see which one draws me back first.
Good luck! I'm stuck in that my story isn't pulling me yet. Nothing about it is. I know if I keep writing, I'll find something and that's the hope I cling to. With fingernails dug in tight. LOL
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