Inside Scoop

[12] Sticking with the same story

       How do you stick with the same story?

Vicky_nfs: I don’t.

The answer to this question is very simple: I don’t. I don’t stick to the same story, for the simple reason that I can’t. I simply cannot stay focused on only one story.

When I write, my mind will automatically wonder off to another story. After all, there is a reason why I’m working on seven stories in total. Of course I’m not always working on every single one of them; I try to focus on two, three tops.

What do I do to try and stay focused on those three stories? I have no idea actually. I just try to think more about them. For example, when I’m listening to music I’ll try to link it to those stories, or when I see pictures or real live events, I’ll try to figure out if they’re useful for the story.

Of course I’ll come up with new ideas for my other stories. There’s no denying that I get most of my ideas for one story while writing another, but I’ll try to make a note – write the scene/idea I had, down on some paper and use as much description as possible. And once I managed to get it out, I’ll try to focus on the ‘right’ story again.

But to keep yourself interested in your story, I think it’s important to do more with the story than simply write it down. Help your mind to stay interested by comparing your story to songs, pictures, movies, people you know and so on and on. And to top it all off, maybe you could try to see your story as more than just a story. You could think of it as something real, at least that’s what I do, and so far it has been working fine.

However, sometimes you just don’t ‘feel’ a story anymore, and then writing it can become quite hard. I find that either putting it aside for some time or reading it through again from the start will help me get back into a story. I don’t think any story deserves to be left unfinished, every story deserves an end.

Leigh19: (Glue lol) Determination

Sticking with the same story is actually a lot harder than one would think. I believe it takes dedication and loyalty. As lame as this will sound I treat my story like a lover I will stand by it til death do we part (or my computer crashes). I'll explain that a bit better, you need to make a serious commitment to a story without backing out when it gets rough and annoying. At times you might feel like giving up because it seems hopeless but you have to go in there fully loaded and make a real effort to do the best job you possibly can. Taking breaks help too, rotating to an alternate story or even spending the day far away from any electronics can help rekindle that flame you had for that story.

Note that being determined and sticking with your guns is very different from forcing your writing because anything forced usually turns out bland and not as good as it could be if it were written from a sudden burst of inspiration.

Pacing your story how you want it to go also help. Having guidelines to follow and etched notes and possible ideas that you could implement are great ways to keep things lively (the more options you have the more you have to explore).

Keeping the mood to your story is keeping your own emotions in tact while you write. If you're feeling it the writing flows out the way it should. Sometimes music helps, baths or jogging for me personally. Some people I know watch movies that really get to them emotionally and when they have that feeling it's a bit easier to project that into your story. To each their own really, trial and error really works to give you the methods that keep you inspired.

Emmiie: Determination, I guess.

As a writer, sticking with the same story can often become difficult, because there are so many ideas constantly coming into your mind.

What I do, to help me stick with the same story, is I have an overall goal of where I want this story to lead to. And this goal is beyond the horizon, possibly 2-3 books away. So, pretty much, I save what I want to write for last. That way there is always that motivation there. I want to keep writing, because I want to get to that goal. I want to write that final scene that’s been itching at the back of my brain.

For example: with The Not So Secret Life of Helena Callahan my overall goal is the war. This war won’t actually be taking place until later down the track. Of course there are “mini-wars” but the scene I have constantly in my mind won’t be written any time soon. And this keeps me from losing interest in a story.

I find that this tactic has been really helpful, because what I want to write is now the prequels to get to the overall goal. So this helps to stop writing random story ideas that pop into my head, because what I mostly want to write is the war. So I’m desperately trying to fill that gap in between.

I do this with each and every one of my stories. I don’t know how it happens, exactly. I guess I start with that random ‘what if’ idea and then build from there. Like, what if there was this massive war between two worlds? What if two people were torn into different sides? And then I start writing way before this point in time. So there is this huge gap to fill beforehand.

This idea really does help with motivation, but finding fill-in-scenes can sometimes become a struggle. So what I do to help with this is create playlists of songs that fit what is going to happen. It sounds silly, I know, but sometimes listening to music can help bring on inspiration.