The obligatory whining about my story post
I have started, restarted, thrown away, and combined no fewer than three stories in the past two months. And while I have also written two shorter pieces during this time that I've completed, I feel like an utter failure.
I thought perhaps the story was at fault, but scenes for it keep popping into my head like that game with the woodchuck. They're great scenes, with all kinds of bantery dialogue that ties well with what I'm trying to do.
I thought maybe I needed a break and took one (Thanksgiving). Then another (Christmas).
I thought it was maybe time for input mode, as Beemer suggested once. So I read three freaking books in a row. Start to finish. One at a time (only three of you understand how odd this is for the woman who usually has at least three books going at once).
But still something about it is eluding me. Some structurey something. This is frustrating me because other elements of the story are so very clear. The set-up, some thematically important scenes, the END, are all right there, and yet it feels as if even with all of that, that certain special something is just out of my grasp.
So last night, I considered trashing it. Not deleting, just putting it aside and seeing if something else wants to happen instead. I am ruthless like that if necessary. This particular story was born out of two other stories I had decided I didn't want to do, so getting rid of thoughts of this one shouldn't be that hard, right?
RIGHT?
Aaaand now I feel like crying.
Any thoughts? Ideas? Someone wanna hold my hand?
I thought perhaps the story was at fault, but scenes for it keep popping into my head like that game with the woodchuck. They're great scenes, with all kinds of bantery dialogue that ties well with what I'm trying to do.
I thought maybe I needed a break and took one (Thanksgiving). Then another (Christmas).
I thought it was maybe time for input mode, as Beemer suggested once. So I read three freaking books in a row. Start to finish. One at a time (only three of you understand how odd this is for the woman who usually has at least three books going at once).
But still something about it is eluding me. Some structurey something. This is frustrating me because other elements of the story are so very clear. The set-up, some thematically important scenes, the END, are all right there, and yet it feels as if even with all of that, that certain special something is just out of my grasp.
So last night, I considered trashing it. Not deleting, just putting it aside and seeing if something else wants to happen instead. I am ruthless like that if necessary. This particular story was born out of two other stories I had decided I didn't want to do, so getting rid of thoughts of this one shouldn't be that hard, right?
RIGHT?
Aaaand now I feel like crying.
Any thoughts? Ideas? Someone wanna hold my hand?