A compassion-focused approach
This final part of the series focuses on how to deal with a problematic writing project. When the reason you can’t write is because there’s something wrong with the story but you’re not sure how to fix it.
Whether you’ve finished a draft, or are only partway through, sometimes the sheer complexity of the project can feel out of control. The story feels lifeless, or you’ve lost the spark that initially got you writing. Here are some methods to identify the problem and find the best way to fix it.
Perfect is the enemy of good
The first thing to recognise is that there is no such thing as a flawless book. Aiming for perfection is a recipe for frustration and disappointment. It’s also unnecessary. Think of your favourite books. Chances are you can list a number of problems and yet you enjoyed the story so much that those things just don’t matter.
Perfection is unattainable but hooking a reader is a goal you can definitely achieve. Keep this in mind both while writing, and when you edit your story. What is the atmosphere you are trying to create? How can you engage your readers and make them care about the characters and what happens next in the story?
Anoshi Saretzki, a writing coach on My Writing Matters, suggests that a writer should consider all the story elements and decide what roles they should play. Themes, sub-plots, points of view, conflict and tension, pacing, characterisation, worldbuilding, exposition and dialogue, language and style. “Go over these a few times to immerse yourself in the storyline and your approach – it often helps me identify the thing that’s keeping me stuck.”
The reverse outline
If you are more than halfway through your first draft, a reverse outline can be a useful way to find and fix problems. Especially if you are unsure how to get from where you are to the end of the story.
The idea is to look at what you’ve already written and create a quick, rough outline. The process of doing this often helps to clarify where the problems are.
Have two documents. One for the outline and one for noting the issues you discover. This is the “Idea Dump”.
- Make a list of every chapter in the story. Just one or two words that mark what happens.
- Under every chapter’s heading: make a list of every event in that chapter. Very short, just one or two sentences.
Notice your reactions at each step:
- Do you find yourself struggling to focus on a section? What seems boring?
- Does anything make you feel defensive, because you know it needs to be changed but you’re resisting that reality?
- What makes you feel that little spark of interest or surprise?
- Are you finding plot holes or unresolved story threads?
- Are there characters or events that feel redundant?
- Are there any new ideas that present themselves?
Record these reactions in the Idea Dump document. Keep it rough and casual. Don’t fuss about the order that things are jotted down, don’t worry about repetition. No one will see this except for you, so you don’t need to explain things you already understand.
Once you’ve spent some time with the Idea Dump, have another look at the reverse outline. By now, you should have some ideas about what might need to change. Annotate that outline with notes for the changes you’re considering. If you’ve not completed the first draft yet, this is the point where you might feel ready to start outlining the part of the story you still have to write.
Nerine Dorman, a writing coach on My Writing Matters, has this suggestion: “ Begin at the end of your story then work out which scene happens just before the ending and so on, until you reach the part where you got stuck.”
Using “maybe”
Sometimes the challenge is that there are just too many possibilities. Each choice sparks a new set of branching plotlines and this has you worried. What if this choice sends your story in the wrong direction? Here is a technique that might help:
Making it clear that you’re trying out different options by writing that fact at the top of your list.
- Write “Maybe this is what happens” or “Possibly” or some other word or phrase that gives you permission to experiment risk-free.
- Note down a number of bullet points that briefly describe all the possible solutions you can think of.
Don’t pre-edit this in your mind. No one else will ever see this; it doesn’t need to be perfect. Blurt it all out. Set out the worst and most ridiculous ideas, as well as the ones that seem plausible.
As in the reverse outline, notice your own reaction to each point. Which options seem “correct but dutiful and a little boring” and which are “wild and I could never!”? Notice which get you hooked into wondering what might happen next. Those are the most likely to lead to reader engagement as well.
Lean into the plot hole
When dealing with inconsistencies and plot holes, always challenge your assumptions about what needs to be fixed. Sometimes the thing you’re trying your best to solve, polish or remove is the exact thing that ups the stakes and ads an original twist to the story.
For example, your character is in a situation where they might get captured. You’ve set the stakes so high that it’s difficult to figure out how they’re going to avoid capture.
Instead of constructing a difficult-to-believe series of coincidences to smooth over this issue, why not let it go wrong? Allowing the reader to see the bad thing actually happen and then being resolved, or the consequences for that failure playing out, is much more interesting than keeping things neat and safe.
Fix it in the next one
Assuming that you are going to share your writing, whether by publishing it or sharing it on social media, the time will come when it’s time to let it go out into the world. You’ve done everything you can to make it the best story it can be but you still see its flaws.
It can be tempting to do just one more re-write, to polish it just a little more. Or you might not feel confident enough to take that next step. What if it’s really not good enough?
This is especially true if you’ve already employed a writing coach or editor to help you bring this project to the finish line. There comes a time when you can acknowledge the problems in the project and still let it go. Fix it in the next one! Write another story.
More reading on this topic:
- Developmental editors on My Writing Matters
- A useful online index-card system for planning your plot
- A template for Michael Hauge’s Six-Stage Plot Structure
- How to do a reverse outline