tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post3758458909993778847..comments2023-09-23T04:56:51.617-07:00Comments on Forensics & Faith: Drawing a Blank -- Part I~ Brandilyn Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04771812607327238979noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-6688207900152503872009-03-05T20:38:00.000-08:002009-03-05T20:38:00.000-08:00I don't know if Patricia Hickman's reader was talk...I don't know if Patricia Hickman's reader was talking about John Baldwin but he did say that if you get bogged down, just kill somebody.<BR/><BR/>Source: How to write a novel in 100 days or less - Day 14, http://peacecorpswriters.org/pages/depts/resources/resour_writers/100daysbook/day014.html<BR/><BR/>Personally, I liked Yvonne Lehman's approach best. It's not you, it's your character!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-21662496914353774632009-03-05T20:24:00.001-08:002009-03-05T20:24:00.001-08:00Ditto, Brandilyn! With the story I'm currently wri...Ditto, Brandilyn! With the story I'm currently writing, I only know the skeleton of the plot. I tried plotting it out (figured it would help me stay at the right word count), but my characters only told me the basics of their conundrums and left me to figure out the rest. Writing Seat of the Pants is actually more enjoyable for me, except for when I get writer's block and have to beat my head against the computer for a few days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-48871931324277401302009-03-05T20:24:00.000-08:002009-03-05T20:24:00.000-08:00Ditto, Brandilyn! With the story I'm currently wri...Ditto, Brandilyn! With the story I'm currently writing, I only know the skeleton of the plot. I tried plotting it out (figured it would help me stay at the right word count), but my characters only told me the basics of their conundrums and left me to figure out the rest. Writing Seat of the Pants is actually more enjoyable for me, except for when I get writer's block and have to beat my head against the computer for a few days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-4958971530791348432009-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:002009-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00Brandilyn, I'm like you, and right now I'm stuck e...Brandilyn, I'm like you, and right now I'm stuck entering the middle. What on earth gets me from A to C?<BR/><BR/>I have done what Terri Blackstock does regarding immediacy. I didn't know anyone else who did that (not that I've asked around a lot) so it's nice to see I'm not the only one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-25724527350916283722009-03-05T15:35:00.000-08:002009-03-05T15:35:00.000-08:00Adam, I wish I could be more like you. I know all ...Adam, I wish I could be more like you. I know all the basics of my story--premise, twists, ending--but I'm never sure exactly how to get to each point. I so wish I could plan out everything in advance. Then writing WOULD be easier. But I have to figure it out as I go along. That can be torture.~ Brandilyn Collinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771812607327238979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-64774973751011811842009-03-05T14:56:00.000-08:002009-03-05T14:56:00.000-08:00To be frank, this doesn't happen to me very often ...To be frank, this doesn't happen to me very often because I don't normally start writing a chapter until I know where I'm going. So for me, the real question would be, did I plot well enough before I got to this point? If I did, then I should know where to go next. If I didn't, then I'm in trouble. So for me the bottom line is whether I spent enough time planning before I began writing. For me, most of writing a novel is planning (the hardest part of all). The writing is the easy part. Thank you for the great advice here.Adam Blumerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17696092864807465658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-65698787898301635262009-03-05T11:38:00.000-08:002009-03-05T11:38:00.000-08:00Before when I wasn't sure what to do I'd end up ju...Before when I wasn't sure what to do I'd end up just writing a very boring scene. Not a good idea. ^_^ I'll keep these ideas in mind when I come to another boring scene. ^_^ I think writing down what happens to the characters helps, like an outline, that way if you're writing a conversation, you can better see what they have to talk about.Blinky St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08726887716295792736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-47878546402286837642009-03-05T10:36:00.000-08:002009-03-05T10:36:00.000-08:00Whenever I hit a blank, I stop writing. I'll try d...Whenever I hit a blank, I stop writing. I'll try doing something else -- writing emails, catching up on some reading, etc. -- and then go back to my manuscript. If that doesn't work, then I pray about it, and talk (aloud) about the worst things that could happen to my protagonists. This usually includes some pacing, arm gestures, and Earl Gray, but hey, whatever works.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-49032347940857245462009-03-05T07:38:00.000-08:002009-03-05T07:38:00.000-08:00I take a break. This is just me, but it's like the...I take a break. This is just me, but it's like the Lord says, "Enough for now." That break can last up to a couple of weeks, but He brings me back to rumble--or ramble--on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-11758581197927926482009-03-05T07:24:00.000-08:002009-03-05T07:24:00.000-08:00I go for a walk, (in NE it could be a walk around ...I go for a walk, (in NE it could be a walk around the dining room table!) or clean (ick!). When I get back, I can start again. Good stuff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-77769896624231437222009-03-05T07:06:00.000-08:002009-03-05T07:06:00.000-08:00These are helpful. When I get stuck, I switch gea...These are helpful. <BR/><BR/>When I get stuck, I switch gears. Close the book down, work on another manuscript. Or do some editing for my crit groups. Sometimes I'll put on some of my favorite songs and blare them really loud.<BR/><BR/>If it's a bad one, I'll go for a long road bike or run. That usually helps. <BR/><BR/>Great post! **Smile**Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10583449.post-40733813310717293572009-03-04T23:50:00.000-08:002009-03-04T23:50:00.000-08:00Those are great ideas, thanks for passing them on ...Those are great ideas, thanks for passing them on to us Brandilyn!<BR/><BR/>I get stuck a lot. It helps to pray. Also to write anyway when I don't know how to say what I want to, but not let the words sit there, rewrite them, write the same thing differently, until the words get fluid and I can start to get somewhere.Grady Hougerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02949228146723822079noreply@blogger.com