Writing A little trouble...

[ZeonNexus]

Hello there. I'll get to the point: I've been having an issue as of late. I am, as of current, utterly uncertain of what to do with the story for the novel I'm writing. The only thing I can really think of would either be too jarring, such as sharply changing perspectives to another character, or would result in the thing turning into a slice-of-life; which I would get bored of rather quickly.

Thoughts? What I'm thinking is that I should just write something else for the time being, to get my mind off of it. I've encountered this makes it easier to think about individual things. (The process of focusing on something else, then coming back to the prior thing at a later time.)

 

[Queenfisher]

Sounds like you already answered this yourself.

Not sure if I can give any advice other than that.

Because your "issue is too vague-sounding for anything more specific. Do you mean you're "utterly uncertain of what to do with the story" because:

-- the plot direction went the wrong way
-- the character arcs stall and peter out
-- your inability to come up with a satisfying/bombastic plot point at the moment
-- the need to slow down in between arcs (hence the slice-of-life concerns)
-- that you have hit a wall and have no idea what follows
-- that you feel the pressure of your audience and thus feel lost in trying to please everyone?

There's just so many things your "issue" can mean, and they all require different solutions. Unless you specify, I'm afraid people won't be able to advise you much beyond the "write something else to reset your brain", but you already did that yourself, so

Another general advice for ANY issue with writing -- read something outside your comfort zone. Helps to reset, too, and may help brainstorm solutions for your own books.

 

[ArcanePunkster]

Sometimes writing multiple stories can help especially to give you some inspiration.
Another option, but also unreliable in its own way is to use a poll or ask your readers on what they think you should do. You don't have to necessarily use their ideas but it may jog something in your mind on how to progress the story.

 

[ZeonNexus]

My issue is just that I can't come up with where to really take the story by this point. But yeah, I guess I did kind of answer my own question. >.<
I'll give my own idea a go, and then if that doesn't work I'll try what you two have suggested. If those also don't work, I'll come back with hopefully greater insight.

 

[Queenfisher]

My issue is just that I can't come up with where to really take the story by this point. But yeah, I guess I did kind of answer my own question. >.<
I'll give my own idea a go, and then if that doesn't work I'll try what you two have suggested. If those also don't work, I'll come back with hopefully greater insight.

Watch movies, animes, play games, watch youtube videos with skits regarding the genre you write in, read manga. Inspiration for writer's block comes from very diverse sources. Do not restrict yourself to only writing/reading.

Youtube skits and parodies or reading TV Tropes' "Fridge Logic" examples can unblock one's creativity in amazing ways since they force your perspective on familiar things to shift. And this is precisely what you might need.

(Just don't overdo it like M Night Shyamalan or JJ Abrams do when they don't know where their stories go )

 

[yansusustories]

I totally agree with the other ideas so far. What I'd add maybe is trying some creative techniques? Like, just brainstorming ideas and writing them down (which I think can be rather random) or asking 'what if' questions and then noting down the answer (which I find to give a bit more direction). It doesn't always work but sometimes you come up with something.
Also, I've been told in university that if you ask your brain a specific question, it'll continue to internally brainstorm ideas until it hits the answer so if you ask the question (I'd write it down exactly for yourself so your brain knows what to think about), you'll come up with the answer sooner or later. Or they lied to me in my courses

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Follow your muses. Sometimes, this means living real life for a while. I slowed down on writing after a big breakup in 2014, jumped full force into dating several amazing, polyamorous men in early 2015, and stopped writing completely after one of my boyfriends died six months later. Then, I ran off to Hawaii with my friend with benefits for the rest of 2015, and he turned into my husband in 2018. I finally picked up writing again in early 2019.

Unfortunately, those sorts of things are not really an option with the pandemic. Perhaps take some time to learn a new skill. If you have money to invest in some hobbies, go for it! If you're struggling financially, work on improving your cooking skills. Depending on your skill level, cooking is also a great way to explore foods from other cultures, which can ultimately help you write more descriptive meal scenes. The internet is full of free recipes, and many of them come with videos these days.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Hello there. I'll get to the point: I've been having an issue as of late. I am, as of current, utterly uncertain of what to do with the story for the novel I'm writing. The only thing I can really think of would either be too jarring, such as sharply changing perspectives to another character, or would result in the thing turning into a slice-of-life; which I would get bored of rather quickly.

Thoughts? What I'm thinking is that I should just write something else for the time being, to get my mind off of it. I've encountered this makes it easier to think about individual things. (The process of focusing on something else, then coming back to the prior thing at a later time.)

Do something wild and crazy

 

[OneRanter]

Hello there. I'll get to the point: I've been having an issue as of late. I am, as of current, utterly uncertain of what to do with the story for the novel I'm writing. The only thing I can really think of would either be too jarring, such as sharply changing perspectives to another character, or would result in the thing turning into a slice-of-life; which I would get bored of rather quickly.

Thoughts? What I'm thinking is that I should just write something else for the time being, to get my mind off of it. I've encountered this makes it easier to think about individual things. (The process of focusing on something else, then coming back to the prior thing at a later time.)

You can try this tool

How to structure a premise for stronger stories - The Writer

Developing a carefully structured premise can arm you with a strong story and a solid pitch line. It’s something agents can sink their “jaws” into.

www.writermag.com

It does not always works nor works for everybody, but when it does its quite sweet.

 

[DubstheDuke]

My character perspective changes are so sharp they could slice iron like butter

 

[Typing...]

I'm going to offer an alternative perspective. Though I don't know if this is going to be accurate to your needs.

It sounds to me; based on my assumptions, that you don't have a firm idea on what your story should be. There is a concept called Loglines which is a paragraph structure used to pitch stories to publishers. It's all about getting the idea of your story out there with as little fluff as possible.

The idea right now is to use it as an exercise to help you find what your story's core is. So that you always have a roadmap to help you stay on course. The following link explains what and how to use loglines so I don't see the need to repeat it.

https://prowritingaid.com/art/1488/live-loglines-lab:-how-to-build-your-logline.aspx

As an example here is a logline off the top of my head.

It's a dog eat dog world in the business circle, and everyone are actual dogs. A Mastiff Hound has difficulties making it in the kibble market due to discrimination. His large size and reputation as a dog meant for fighting makes it difficult to seal the deal. His rival, a sociable golden retriever is set for a fast promotion to the top. Lagging behind in kibble sales, The Mastiff Hound must find a new approach to sell a lot of kibble before the next quarterly or lose his job!

With this I have everything I need to flesh out the story. When planning and I have no idea what should happen next, I can always refer to the logline to stay centered.

Ps: For those with an art background, you can think of loglines as thumbnails.