I have this mental image in my head of my characters looking at me with puzzled looks on their faces, saying, "By this point, you should know who we are. Why is this so difficult?"
Why indeed?
Maybe it's the pressure to continue pushing my characters along their arcs from who they were to who they will be by the end of the book.
Maybe it's the realization that some of the ideas I had for this part of the book are just plain goofy now that I'm here.
Maybe the need to start tying up loose ends is a tad stifling.
Maybe I just need a break. Grr.
I've set myself a deadline to have the first draft of TOPAZ done by the end of the summer. Originally I wanted to have it revised and out on agent queries by then, but that's not going to happen. With this new timeframe, I'm hoping maybe it'll be out by the end of September. We'll see. If I can get my mind to feel less rust-filled, I think it's doable.
What do you do when you hit a bit of a slump?
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TOPAZ status: Chapter 19 is done but I'm not happy with it. Grr.
2 comments:
I only have one completed novel under my belt, so that is the only one I can reference...
I don't remember having that problem. I did hit a few rough spots, though. When that happened, I would jump ahead and write a different part...then it would be more clear how to write the stuff in between. I've suggested this to other writers and found that many can't do it that way. But it works for me. *shrugs*
Sorry if that's no help at all.
There is a bit of a slump around two thirds through. I find that I need to take a break around then to mentally prepare myself for what is coming. Around that time I'm working up to the major surprise that's about to set the characters on an unstoppable course that will lead to the final resolution of the story. It's exhausting.
Jai
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