can't find the words

tammy

tammy

Hello to all who are reading! I'm in major need of help.  I'm currently working on my first novel. The problem is, is that I have hit a wall, as we all do from time to time, but this one is rough.

I have completely finished outlining my novel from begining to end. It's in a scrip format since I can't find the words to put it to print.

I see my novel in every aspect in full view as if I'm watching a movie. I see the characters fully fleshed. I see every action scene, every down time scene as if it were on celuloid.  The thing is it's a silent movie.  There are no words coming from the characters or the narrators mouth.  I don't know how to say what I want to convey to my readers.  Does this make any sense to anyone. I just don't know what words to put on the pages or even how to word what I want to say. It is keeping me from writing and causing my just to watch the movie in my head over and over again. It's a good movie I just wish I could hear it.

Has anyone out there got any advise? Am I the only one  to ever have this problem? I'm desperate!

Maya

I am a beginner I am sure others will give you sound advice but I was reading an article by Mary Brown,WM April/May 2000. She says just write whatever comes to mind and finsih the story. Then treat it as a lump of clay and shape into whatever you want. Concentrate on covering the pages with words - constructing your block of clay. 'great books are not written, they are re-written'. Most well known writers wrote a fixed number of words daily.

Butterfly

Tammy, I can only suggest that the work is not yet ready to be written. If this is the case let it develop. Evenutally the words will come and the characters will lead you. Alternatively try working with each character in turn to find their voice. You are the one who gives them the tone, and directs them. Help them by understanding who they are, not just what they look like. Feel them. You may already do this and if this is the case I can't help, but from what you say you still seem distant from your idea. You need to be in the centre not looking from outside.

Carol

Agree with what's been said so far.
Perhaps you don't yet know your characters, so can't hear them. Have you written character profiles about them?
Not just physical description, but how they've been raised, good and bad things that may have affected their attitude in life, and to things and other people.
I'm sure you will find this combined with your other pieces will unblock the words.
Good luck.

Betsie

Don't despair, you will get there.  At this moment in time I feel perhaps you don't yet know your characters well enough to put words in their mouths.  Fill in  a little index card for each of your characters so that you are familiar with their age, hair colour, general appearance, physical and characteristic traits.    Some authors know a character's birthday.  Consider how your character would think and speak - where he/she is coming from because it's not YOUR voice the character will speak with but with his/her own voice.  But you, the writer, have to get inside his/her head to be able to have him/her speak 'in character'.  The characters need to be alive and breathing inside your head.

Try reading a successful and popular writer's novel of the genre to which you aspire. 

TaffetaPunk

Absolutely agree, you need to know your characters before you can write them.  I think plot-based stories, which yours seems to be, are much harder to write than character-based ones.  In Stephen King's On Writing, he said that the couple of books he's written based on plot he hasn't been at all happy with, even though the publishers seemed to like them as they were published.  You need to be completely comfortable with your characters before they can be relaxed enough with you to tell you what they want to say, and it's then that they'll end up surprising you.

Take some distance from it for a while, write something else, read a lot, and see what happens.

Jan

Morning Tammy,

It's that "thing" known as patience. The various postings all share wisdom.

Perhaps it would help if you envisaged events from your own experience/past. Imagine sitting in company with your characters, recall conversations of a general nature, remember how a flippant remark provoked unexpected reaction. Can you recall childhood times when in the company of adults who forgot you were present?
Combine snippets of memory, smell of an aunt or uncle, tone or scathing words used when subject person was not in hearing, the effusive ramblings of a gregarious relative/friend.
Just jot down these memories then review which of your characters might speak in similar vein. Once characters have a few prompts they soon lose inhibition, always remembering there are some naturally reticent.

Enjoy the discovery, good luck.

Carol

Just to assure you that it happens to all of us, I was intending to start my Dorset novel- as I refer to it- but even though I clarified a research point for the opening page I haven't been able to start, even though I tried. I left it a while and still not working. I realised there was still a bit of my hero I didn't have pinned down, and that will effect how he comes over in this first appearance.
I couldn't leave the opening and go one with the next bit because this is a vital character point to how he is.
Now I know what's wrong I can look to sorting it,at least decide which scenario fits with the rest of him.

MonkeyNuts

I don't know if this will help you but I always 'interview' my characters. I can often picture them in my mind but I too often struggle to give them an actual 'voice'. I just think of random questions. For instance, if I had a lead character: aged 25, male, living in Makeitupville, I just type up a sheet of random questions. These questions can be anything like : "What's your favourite tipple?" or "what is your worst habit?"
Sounds a little mad, I know, but you will be surprised how writing out their responses creates a character. I did it the other day and actually found that I had almost turned into my fictious character by the end of the day! Ha-ha.

tammy

First I would like to say Thanks to each one of you for the time you took to answer my questions. You have made feel right at home here! 

I now know the error of my ways.  I thought sketching my characters was not a waste of time but not as important as I now know it to be. I was afraid it was just busy work to try and avoid writing my novel. I now know better.

Jan you gave my a few things to think about with the past memories.  It hit home with my main character.

I also asked a writer I like to read by the name of John Saul and he also suggested character sketches and to sit the characters down with each other to have short conversations on topics other than the book they are in.

Again thanks everyone for being so generous to me. if I ever get it written I will have to mention each of you on my dedication page.

Jacey

Tammy, a bit late but here's an extra tip that was given to me. Someone advised me to try interviewing characters as Monkeynut suggests, but if they still won't talk, interview them a bit drunk at the end of a party when their guard is down.  (The character is supposed to be drunk, not you, although perhaps both methods would work!!)

MonkeyNuts

Jacey, what a fantastic idea! (Great excuse to buy extra alcohol now...it's for my character, honestly! Ha-ha)

Jacey

How we suffer for our art, Monkeynuts!

MonkeyNuts

Oh how true, Jacey! Ha-ha.