kindly divert thine focus blog-wise, if you would... · 2:46pm Jan 7th, 2013
... Though this may get a little rambly. Trying to sort out my thoughts for an update.
I know, more than anything else, that Steadfast is not, nor ever will be The Finest of All Fanfictions. It's a light story for a little bit of entertainment. Simple, cute, and most importantly, a good exercise. Steadfast has taught me so much about writing. About long-term plotting, about fixing drafts, about actually sitting down and getting work done. About doing your best, and not expecting everything to be THE MAGNUM OPUS, BEST FIC THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
But now I'm reaching a point where I have to sit down and really understand how to tie the loose threads of a huge story together. Write an ending to not just a 6,000 word short story, but a gigantic 200k venture that's been running for an entire year.
And I dont... quite... know how to do that.... Never have done it before, never gotten the practice for it. I mean, how can one practice that? Just thinking up a sweet ending isn't enough. This is something you actually have to write a huge fucking story for, and by that point, it's The Real Deal. Not just a little bit of training, but something you seriously need to invest time into and think real hard about.
It would be one thing if there was a big theme, or one giant knot to be untangled. You know, if this was a focused story with a strict plot that had a clear purpose. An Anti-Steadfast, if you will. There's an ultimate goal to Steadfast, certainly, but the point, purpose, and main thrust of the story hasn't really been 100% devoted to beating the badguy, has it been? The main thrust of the story has been "we're all cool friends, and isnt that just neato?" How does one go about concluding that? Go Old Yeller on their asses and shoot childhood in the head?
I mean
Yeah, there's that.
But...
I have events. I know the things that are going to happen, and how each part leads to each other part. But I am having one hell of a time capturing the mood, the flow, and just the friggin spark of the thing. I've written almost 10k words since the Christmas special, and nothing about the next few chapters feels like its clicking. I even tried to go experimental with it, and it was still more or less completely awful.
This is something I've wanted to write, planned for, and was inspired to do a few months ago. Now? Not going anywhere fast. No matter how many times I try to understand, revise, and "fix" things.
So... yeah. This may take a while.
Take your time. I'm pretty sure we'd all rather have quality chapters, even if it takes a bit.
I'm fine with waiting, I'm sure most of your readers are. But this isn't about us, this is your learning experience. I'm sure you'll find a way to tie it all together, in the end.
As long as you don't go Old Yeller on us. Or Sounder. Marley and Me, too. Arguably Of Mice and Men counts, too, depending on how you look at it.
Yeah, as everyone else is saying, it's better that you don't rush this sort of thing.
I'm sure it'll be alright in the end.
I'M JUST OVER HERE LIKE SEVEN CHAPTERS BEHIND. SO. GOOD LUCK WITH ENDING THIS. IT'LL COME OUT GOOD. YOU. ARE. FANTASTIC AT THIS WHOLE WRITING THING.
Beyond willingness to wait for quality, I think everyone above (below?) is correct- time is likely the only thing that will solve it, unless someone offers you a 'bolt from the blue' that kicks off the process.
That... actually has happened to me multiple times in one story, so I know it works, it's just that something has to break you out of a pattern. You say you have events, know you want to tie them together... is it possible your mind is subconsciously holding onto a pattern or flow that won't work? You said you tried something experimental, but did it involve all the same elements? Can you CUT something, or alter some event drastically, so that prechosen path has to also change? Can you set an arbitrary end point and then begin working threads backwards from that solution/ending? Would doing so force you to change the initial approach to fit that end?
I am at a loss because I haven't started on Steadfast yet, so... I'm just tossing out ideas.
690129
Yeah, I've basically tried mix and matching, cutting and pasting, finding a conclusion and theme, approaches from every which way, ect.
I'd usually just scrap the whole idea and move on. But this is pretty much "too important to discard" or even, the act of discarding is itself a problem... Would mess up the pacing even worse than this arc.
690155
Ah, sorry to second-guess you then.
690523
Honestly, good advice, and something that did need to be put on the table.
No, no, it's not second guessing
Just frustrated that it hasnt been working as well as it usually does for me
Meh, take all the time you need to figure it out. I'm still a long way away from being anywhere near the ending.