I have more trouble with beginnings than anything else. I can rewrite the beginning of a book ten times. I'm on the third rewrite of the beginning of the current WIP. I'm actually happy with it (unless my editor tells me otherwise). But I realized that chapter 2 was having a problem. I knew this because I was finding excuses to do other things — anything but look at this chapter!
Finally, as I forced myself to reread in order to get to where I'd left off, the solution hit me. Bear in mind I'd reread this stuff every day before slogging forward and getting stuck again. The solution doesn't always hit you the first time. Or the fiftieth. 🙂 Sometimes, you just have to wait for that aha moment to hit. You can't force it.
What was the problem? The heroine was too passive. Yes, Presents heroes are alpha males and they like to do a lot of commanding. But my heroine was accepting the commands just a little too easily. She was fighting inside, but she wasn't challenging the hero on the outside. Not cool. Once I realized how she needed to respond, the chapter started to fall together.
It could change again, but now I know my heroine needs to step up to the plate. That was the major problem.
How do you approach writing challenges? Do you have trouble with beginnings? Middles? Ends? Or something different? Let's discuss writing!
I love beginnings, as the opening scene is usually the thing to spark a story in my head. Never get them right first time though! It’s the rest I find tough 😉
But is there a better feeling than being thoroughly stumped and then suddenly having a breakthrough?!
ps – my verification word was autho. Is that a sign that I’m nearly there??!!
Ugh. Right now, I’m thinking Chapter 7 is the worst…
Middles are hard for me. I always know how the story will begin and how I want it to end. But, then, I have to figure what goes on in the middle.
I have to agree with Lucy, though, that it is a wonderful feeling when you finally figure out what to do with a scene or section of a story.
Barbara
Middles…ugh.
Thank you so much for your words about waiting for AHA moments! I’ve been struggling for the last few days with a particular chapter in my wip that just didn’t seem to come together. The basics were there, but nothing else.
I finally decided to just move on and I’d worry about it in revisions. I can hope that AHA moment will come to me then, instead of dragging around waiting for it to happen now. It will come to me, when it is good and ready.
Angel
word verification–rumros
As in rumors? I promise I haven’t been talking about anyone today! 🙂
Hey, y’all! So glad to see everyone chiming in.
Lucy, that’s a cool verification word! Yay, take it as a sign! You will get there, I have no doubt. I know what you mean about loving beginnings. I do, but then I end up thinking of a better way to say it or a better scene and I change it. But it’s still fun. 🙂
PC, hugs. I actually hate middles too. Gee, how did I get into this business again? *g*
Barbara and SP: Yep, middles are a bear. Or, for me, the first 100 pages really. I can change and change what happens. My Presents underwent quite a bit of that before it was bought. I like what happens now! It just took me a while to get there.
Angel, maybe you were thinking of delicious sandwiches? 😉 Hang in there, the aha moment will happen. It sometimes takes a while. 🙂
Great discussion. I'm stuck on the last chapter at the moment and therefore I'd have to say for me the endings are the hardest!
You've built up all this emotion and then had it all come crashing down around your h&H… I fear, I just don't do what comes before justice in the end.
But like you said… I'm trying to just plough on and hope that if it's wrong, AHA moments will strike in the rewrites!
Like Lucy… I love beginnings too!
verification – duction
Try make sense of that?!