The Fic That Refuses To Be Written

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

All right, so some time ago, I started on Obsession, a bio-fic about my favorite character, Jirarudan the Collector.

Now, a *long* time later, I'm struggling. This happens before every chapter, as I am but a hack writer and to write in his refined style takes craftsmanship and patience, things of which I am in short supply.

So a while back I decided to set a relatively lengthy deadline for myself. With chapter 6 finished by New Years, I said that chapters 7 and 8 would be done by my birthday, which is in June. I figured it gave me a ridiculous amount of time and that I would have them done with time to spare.

I am an idiot.

So anyway, I'm sitting here, staring blankly at an open txt file, waiting for the words to come.

Earlier I was in the *perfect* state to write for him! It was great! So I sat down at my computer, opened Notepad...

*STOMACH CRAMPS!!!!*

So it didn't get done then. And it's sure not getting done now that the mood is completely gone.

Oh yes--and did I mention I have no idea what should happen in these chapters? I have an idea for the next stage in his life (where the fic is now, he's still only eight), but the steps in getting him there are what escapes me.

So I put it to you--what should I do? Should I get rid of the deadline? Should I just sit down and write whatever fool thing comes into my mind? (last time I did that was for the Sakura Con newsletter, and the less said about that debacle, the better.) Should I say 'screw all y'all' and go raid the fridge again? Should I stare aimlessly at my parrot until her silver feathers give me the delusion that she's somehow Lugia in disguise? Should I go to bed and hope against hope that tiny elves write the next few parts? Or should I just sit here and think of more wacky possibilities that I could concievibly be doing at this moment?

(by the way, what I have of the fic can be readhere (http://69.93.162.139/~bulbagar/bmgf/showthread.php?t=463) at Bulbagarden. I have yet to post it elsewhere, but when I write more I'll post it here too)

[mr_pikachu]

YOU HAVE A LUGIA IN DISGUISE?!?!?! :eek: :eek: :eek:

lol, j/k. Yes, I am going to give a serious reply to this topic. In all honesty, every writer has his or her own method for overcoming the dreaded Writer's Block. I can't say what will or won't work for you, because I just don't know. All I can do is give suggestions, and it's up to you whether or not you want to use them.

Sometimes if I have an idea of future events, but can't figure out how to get from the current point in the plot to said future place, I need to rethink my idea a bit. Oftentimes I'll be driving on my way to school, when suddenly I realize a perfect way to bridge the gap in the story, or perhaps a better and more feasible idea for the future than I had before.

Another idea is to let your characters do the writing, so to speak. Throw some event in there to mix things up, then just have the characters act the way you'd expect them to, given their personalities. This frequently opens new possibilities and plotlines. At the very least, it'll help you stall for time in a fic. *gets stabbed by numerous readers who want a faster plot* Well, it's true! (btw, if you ever do that, make the chapter very entertaining, so your readers don't lose interest. Don't write an entire filler chapter with two characters talking under a tree, unless they're having a REALLY interesting conversation, or there's a beehive above their heads. Simply put, keep the readers interested.

If you're totally and absolutely blocked, with no way to get past something, take a break. Yes, you heard me right. Take a break, get your mind off the fic. Sometimes the best ideas come to me while I'm watching TV or playing a video game. Or you could even start another writing project that might involve an idea you've been toying with. Clearing your head will allow for ideas to flow better. And believe it or not, your subconscious really is churning away at a solution to your problem, a way to break through the Block.

And that's all I can think of, for now. I'll post again if I come up with something else. :wave:

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Another idea is to let your characters do the writing, so to speak. Throw some event in there to mix things up, then just have the characters act the way you'd expect them to, given their personalities. This frequently opens new possibilities and plotlines.

Most of the time that works, because that's what my one-shots are, basically. However, due to the pecular structure of the fic in question, I don't really have the room for that. Even chapter 4, which seems like filler, will come into play later.

And yes, my "Lugia in disguise" is my sweet little African Grey parrot.

[Suite Madame Blue]

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."
Douglas Adams, 1952-2001

Read a lot. Listen to music. Live life, and watch others as they do so. You'd be surprised at how much inspiration you can draw from ordinary things, and everyday situations. If you're writing about a kid, go somewhere you can observe them (without looking like a sicko). Maybe a younger family member, or a neighbor's kid?

Don't worry about your deadline. Relax, and it'll come to you. What I do is "daydream" about my story when I go to bed: I'm relaxed, have nothing else on my mind, and I can put myself in my characters' shoes and let them take over the action. Good luck!

[Gavin Luper]

I reckon there's two ways you can go about this. One would be to do what everyone else seems to have said, and just take a break, look around for inspiration, etc, which is good. The other way would be to do what I do: don't give up. I keep writing, and deleting, and crossing out and throwing out pages of books until I'm satisfied. I just keep ploughing ahead until eventually I write something that clicks and seems to go well. It can take a long time, but the way I see it, I've got my whole life ahead of me to write whatever I want, so there's no real rush, right?

Anyhoo, that's my two cents worth of rambling, hope it made some sense. Good luck anyway.

Cheers!

[Chris 2.1]

With me, I'll go through every possible scenario and produce the best one to write in my fic. I never write something down and then throw it away, because I don't write ideas down INTO my fic, I write ideas down, I write suggestions down and I write the best in my fic.

It's the way I work.

But you can get inspiration by studying other peices of writing. I sometimes do that. I also just mainly develop characters, so much so that I can imagine what would happen if X ever met Y, or A ever heard about B. It writes itself.

[Crazy]

I write when I feel like it. It gives you freedom which inspires good writing/imagination in my opinion.

[Tutankhamun]

What I do is I watch tons of excerpts(sp) from movies, listen to tons of music (I'm a soundtrack listener..they help me out a great deal), sometimes I walk outside and get motivated from what is around me, and I do tons of daydreaming.

Things take time, and patients is the key to writing a fic - I believe. Truthfully, I spent about seven to five years in developing my story. I thought about the politics, organizations, legends, beliefs, cutoms, and the plot. I also had other people help me out with developing the story.

So, yeah, my suggestion would take as much time as you need. Use things to influence your writing and plot. Then, with enough patients, you will get it. ;)