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Just beginning work on my third novel - got the plot plotted, got the characters characterized but can't seem to get it it going - usually words flow like champagne at the Tory party conference but for some reason struggling a bit with it - anyone got any words of wisdom??
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On my novel I am working on at the moment, I knew who the character were, but I needed that something to get me started. So I also gave each one of them a nasty side or a bad temper. Strangely I then looked forward to bringing out one of my characters bad tempers in the novel, now at 34,000 words and that temper has now come out. it was as if I was looking forward to reaching this point in the novel.
Great post it will be interesting to see how others work things out.
I imagine there's something called Third Novel Syndrome, actually - I'm sure you are far from being the only one to feel so disconnected from your art at this point.
Remind yourself that you are about to explore a world you haven't really visited yet, meeting people you know by reputation but not in person.
What is it about these people that makes you want to tell their story? If you can't come up with much, maybe you need to rethink their characters? What's grabbed you about the setting? Do you need to find some pictorial mind-jogging somewhere?
I'm sure you have the plot worked out, so why not scribble out one of the scenes from further in the novel? Don't start at the beginning; jump in with both feet.
My advice, then, is to take a step back. Probably not for years like me! But keep it in the back of your mind, maybe try short stories, and take a second look at the novel plans in a couple of months.
In that "break" period, the right words might come to you anyway. As Magwitch said, I usually find the words when I stop searching.