Struggles

Jo

Jo

All those struggling to write a novel - please share those struggles. The rewriting, the hopeless plots, the losing of parts of ms (been deleted accidentally etc), the rewriting the bits you lost before you forget what it might have said completely..........

Jo (that's how I feel at the moment.........) Huh. }:-(

Stan2

Sorry Jo, that you are struggling. I've never tried writing a novel which is not very helpful to you is it? I started writing a children'story which is stunk inside a computer tower which Im having problems connecting to a moniter. Guess what? I didn't have a print out or a copy on a disk. Usually I'm parnoid about backing up documents.

Jan

Then there's the distractions, unexpected callers, disrupted writing time, interrupting well-wishers, petulant demands from family/friends etc.

Yes Jo,
We "great authors" are challenged in our individual garret's (even when we try ignoring calls of nature) with the continual battle of achieving duplicity by thinking thoughts whilst compiling the words in written form.

Have a "moan" whenever you feel the need to release your pressure valve.

Betsie

And the brilliant ideas, profound sentences, beguiling characters that spring into your mind.  Then when you get in the vicinity of paper and pen they've vanished... arghhhhhhhhh

Susan

In the middle of my sleep, I awaken with the perfect phrase or description. But before I can write it down, I fall back to sleep and it is lost in misty folds. Only pieces remain in the morning.

If I could write and never have to correct or reword - heaven. Alas.

Carol

The big pile of dishes sat in the sink making me feel guilty. The 'where's that piece of paper that I wrote that scene on, and it's better than the crap I've just struggled to write.' But keep going despite the bad patch.

DEE

The research. Looking things up and finding nothing you can use. Using Google and finding three million hits.

Deciding you don't know enough about a character so you find someone like them in the train or bus or street and stalk them - and they think you love them from not-afar enough.

On the other hand, getting a much better set of imaginary friends than you ever had as a child. Never needing to be bored because you can go and play with them whenever you've nothing else on.

If you are a novelist (and you'll know for sure about two thirds of the way through), life takes on a whole new dimension. It completely outweighs the struggle.

A novel is your lover when you are writing it and your child when you've finished.

Jo

Yes, yes, yes to all of that!!!

Jo

Jill

I'm glad it's not just me who uses actors when trying to picture characters. The lead character in one of my science fiction stories looks and sounds a lot like Sean Bean. It helps with the dialoge when I can really hear that Yorkshire accent in my head!