Look, your writing doesn’t say anything about you.
I mean, it comes from you. But whether you write something good or something bad, it doesn’t mean anything. A story isn’t a sign. It doesn’t prove your talent or lack thereof.
A story is something you make, not something you are.
To return to a metaphor I used once: think about making pancakes. Sometimes you turn out an A+ pancake, and sometimes you burn the shit out of one. You make another one, they all go in the pile, and there’s always someone who enjoys the burnt ones. You would never take a single pancake and say it alone represents your pancake-making talent forever, or that it reveals how smart, interesting, or lovable you are. We can’t judge your soul by a pancake. It’s made of batter.
And someone always eats the burnt ones.
How to edit your chapters
- Open the word doc
- Stare at the words
- Scream into the void
- Drink some coffee
- Cry into a blanket
- Eat some cake
- Avoid editing at all cost
- Watch Netflix instead
C280k Wk 2 Day 4
Memorable quote:
“As a writer, your brain will do funny things if you feed it stimuli it wasn’t expecting.”
My motivation for this has ended. This challenge is no longer new to me, so it’s lost it’s sparkly appeal. However, it’s only a 20 minute listen, so that’s helped me continue keeping it in my schedule. I knew this was coming, I knew the ‘newness’ would fade, I knew it would become harder for me to motivate myself, but I’m just sad to see it happen right now.
I recently bought a desk that I’ve put upstairs in our bedroom and I’ve set up my laptop and a couple journals up here, which has been nice. It’s amazing to have a place dedicated to writing again. However, what I have noticed is that I’m leaving my laptop there and I’m reading everywhere else. I don’t spend hours surfing the web anymore, which has actually done a lot with my productivity.
I love the freedom and versatility of a laptop, but I almost feel I’m most productive with the stability and consistency of a desk. Huh.
Photo by Brent Gorwin on Unsplash.
What to do when your novel starts to feel stagnant
Because novels take so long to perfect and take up so much space in our minds, the story can start to feel stagnant after a while. Maybe you have less faith in your manuscript than you did at the start. Here are some tips for adding some oomph to your wip:
1. Make one of your primary/secondary characters an undercover villain
- I recently decided to do this with my wip and I honestly think that it has elevated the plot so much.
- This will help to complicate the conflict in the novel, as well as the relationships between the characters
- A plot twist (especially one that is introduced during the climax) can be a great way to take your work to the next level.
- Leaving little Easter eggs throughout the novel, but still being subtle will have the reader engaged, and will help get you excited about your project again.
- This is merely a suggestion. Any well-written plot twist can apply.
2. Introduce a romantic subplot
- If your wip doesn’t have a romantic subplot, I would suggest adding one if it suits the type of novel and if you feel that you’d want to write a bit of romance.
- A romantic subplot adds an extra layer of tension, anticipation and immersion to a novel. Oftentimes, it will be this story line that keeps the reader hooked.
- If you already have a romantic subplot (or perhaps you’re writing a romance novel), but it seems a bit flat, try building up the tension for longer. Premature gratification may leave readers unexcited for the rest of the book. You could also try to add more external conflict or have your couple face a struggle that is unique to them.
3. Employ additional styles of writing
- Add diary entries, letters, newspaper articles, stream-of-consciousness passages or even a scene that consists solely of dialogue. Add a small passage at the end of every chapter from the villain’s point of view. Go crazy.
- Interesting forms of writing can be used to convey deeper aspects of your novel and can add extra intensity. These additions could be used to give the reader clues as to an approaching plot twist or can be used to convey the history/social environment of your world. It can also provide insight into characters’ thoughts and feelings.
- If you would like me to do a post based on these types of texts and how you can use them in creative writing, comment on this post.
4. Write in the present tense
- Most novels are written in the past tense and this can work very well. However, if your manuscript starts to feel stagnant, it might be time to switch to present tense. I know that rewriting what you have in a different tense sounds like hell, but it could mean the difference between a good novel and a great one.
- Present tense creates a sense of immediacy. The stakes seem higher, the conflict more immersive and the characters closer to the reader. This is because it doesn’t feel like the reader is being told a story that happened in a far-removed time, but rather like the reader is seeing everything as it happens.
- This is especially good for thrillers, apocalyptic works, action, horror or any other genre that is fast-paced and full of tension.
5. Complicate your main character’s background
- I recently decided to turn my protagonist into an ex-cage fighter and it has really brought back my excitement for working on this project.
- By adding depth to your character’s back story, you add layers to their personality. This will make the way they interact with other characters more interesting, as well as open up new plot avenues.
- This is especially useful when you feel that your main character is not developed/complex enough.
- So, bring in interesting family relationships, past occupations, secret hobbies, bad relationships, problems with the law, encounters with life-changing individuals etc. It will make your main character all the more engaging.
That’s all I have for now. I hope this is helpful. If you would like a Part 2, please comment. If you have any questions regarding reviving a stagnant manuscript (or any other aspect of creative writing), please do not hesitate to ask. My ask box and DMs are always open for fellow writers!
Reblog if you found any of this useful!
Do you have any tips of your own? Comment!
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C280k Wk 2 Day 3
Memorable quote:
“It’s okay to write without self-criticism…if we sometimes just sit down and do it.”
Yesterday and today, I’ve focused these writing exercises on an unknown fictional story. Part because I wanted to stretch my creative brain and part because I didn’t want to have to deal with the pure stream of consciousness I got on Friday. But in this, I have completely new characters and a new setting that I’ve never thought about – except I have.
Last week, I found myself creating two particular characters through name and personality and conflict and further on. Now, one of the characters is showing up as a supporting character to the main one I’ve been writing about, but I know all three of them are related. And I’m writing the second book in what’s probably a trilogy.
I don’t know that I’ll ever get to actually writing these books because I have a lot of projects between now and then, but I’m loving the feel of this. The depth of these story lines. It’s encouraging to see that my brain can weave through different plots, even when I don’t think I am.
Photo by fotografierende on Unsplash.
C280k Wk 2 Day 2
Memorable quote:
“It’s interesting how awake we are in new places.”
I think I’ve said before that I’m actively trying not to spoil what each day’s exercise is and I’m going to continue, but today’s audio included something other than the norm and it really had me thinking. He walked through a cemetery during the timed exercise because new places can really get our minds churning and it reminded me of my honeymoon.
Husband and I spent a week in NYC and it was absolutely amazing for quite a few reasons, but what surprised me and really sticks out is how much inspiration I got from just walking. Waiting for a subway or passing by a building and my mind was whirling with all of these different story ideas. And I finished Camp Nano’s 50,000 words the day before we boarded the plane, so it’s not like I hadn’t been writing. I was planning on not doing anything creative after that writing camp, but then was immersed with bounds of sudden creativity.
I forgot about that. Not that I forgot the ideas, but I forgot how inspiring a new place can be.
Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash.
C280k Wk 2 Day 1
Memorable quote:
“You’re not risking anything with humor.”
Here’s another day where the quote I liked is not going to at all relate to what I’m going to talk about.
Today was our first day of ‘actual’ writing and I…shot out a stream of horseshit. Okay, not really because I was really getting into something by the end, but it started out with an inner monologue relating to myself and holy crap do I spiral down the rabbit holes when thinking.
But he focused in on how much we use humor to keep ourselves safe. We ease through sarcasm and self-deprecating jokes and keep from putting ourselves out there, and it made me try to focus on what I was actually thinking without putting it off with something else.
I should have done this exercise before I finished the book I was reading. I think it would have turned out drastically different if I wasn’t still feeling the disappointment I got from the novel.
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash.
C280k Wk 1 Day 6
Memorable quote:
“It’s good for the soul to be beginnery.”
I want to bookmark this particular day. He spoke for quite a few minutes about the internal critic we all have and the self-doubt we go through while writing a book. It wasn’t long – maybe six or seven minutes or so, but enough that I have a few things I wrote down to keep.
He’s touched on this on and off through the week. While writing a draft, we’re so often tempted to compare the very raw, very rough first draft with finished novels we’ve read – novels that have gone through several drafts and multiple edits. Turning off the inner critic is a hard thing to do, but a necessary one because it’s not good for creativity.
I have a few quotes written down that I will be throwing at certain people when they need it. Sometimes you have to let things be shit in order to improve.
C280k Wk 1 Day 5
Memorable quote:
“Sometimes it can be destructive to read while you’re trying to write.”
I hate how true this is. I hate it because I love reading. I mean I love reading. I get snippy if I go periods of time without reading. (And by “periods of time” I mean a week…maybe.) It’s one of the easiest ways to let my mind soar and it’s my favorite pastime and I get bored if I don’t.
But during the camps this year I barely read. I remember in April, I would use the book I was reading as a ‘reward’ for hitting my daily goal. I didn’t intend to use it this way, but I was having this super hard time finding motivation to write, so I picked out one of my favorite books and told myself if I hit my word count goal, I could stop writing and start reading. And I used that method for the three days I was reading that book. I tried to continue it, but Nano is intensive and reading would be sporadic when I was writing.
The destructive part comes when I’m so engrossed in the book, I don’t want to write. Period. Or I’ll get sucked in by an author’s voice that my writing will switch gears suddenly and things change up to almost mimic what I’ve been reading. While this is the first draft and those issues will be edited out and smoothed over, it’s still frustrating to look back and see that I went way off into left field because what I was reading was nothing like what I was writing, so things got jumbled.
I have to be more intent with the books I decide to read while writing. I can’t not read, that doesn’t work for me. But I can cull my available books to better help me focus toward what I want to write. It’s definitely something to revisit when I start writing again.
Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash.
Nikki Bradley 