False Starts

- November 21, 2014

I think the hardest part of writing is thinking you have something and then having it fizzle into absolutely nothing.

I've been working on FFYT (may be retitled to No Good Deed) and I'm having the hardest time getting the opening down. I'll write a shit ton of words, get quite far into it and then get stuck and no matter what I do I can't move forward and I realise that I've been going down the wrong way.

With some stories I can just cut a few plot points/chapters and while that can result in my losing over 15,000 words at least I still have a start that'll work for me. Not so with Fall For Your Type. I keep having to take a step back and try and rethink how to work it and it's just, it's really frustrating and blocking me when I try to work on other projects.

I don't know how to get out of this slump. And a large part of me thinks it might be a result of the change in my sleeping patterns -- when I was writing fairly consistently I was in university/highschool so I could stay up and write until five in the morning since I usually got inspired at like eleven at night. Now I'm in bed by ten thirty and just getting up at six to be at work for nine feels like such a hassle.

Writing on the train is hit or miss. It just really sucks. I'm going to change my writing set up up, possible change my room around during the new year when my fam will be willing to help me rearrange everything and see if that'll help put my ass in gear.

How's everything with you guys? Hopefully life is treating you well and whatever you're trying to accomplish is going the way you want it to.

See beneath the cut for a few sample openings for Missy's story. I won't post everything I've written because what's the point but figured I'd share something.

Option 1 (it reads too childish/doesn't set the scene as strongly as I want it to)

There’d been a time in my life where I’d known I was going to marry Ron Weasley. Or someone like him. Red hair, freckles, slightly goofy but loyal? That was my definition of a perfect life partner. Of course, the only red head I got to know all that well turned out to be a massive asshole and our friendship had gone out in flames.

So I needed someone to please explain to me, why his ex-girlfriend was kneeling outside of my front door trying to get their son to stop crying. I pulled the door open, feeling bad when the kid jumped, his shoulders hitting his ears as he peered up at me, brown eyes wet even as another tear slipped down to make its way down tawny skin sprinkled with it’s fear share of freckles.

“Missy, hey, I didn’t know you were going to be up.”

“Then why were you at my door?”

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Option 2 (I can't find a transition that works from this scene into the next/although the set up is stronger that the first)

As much as Missy loved her brothers, most days she to acknowledge that they were full of shit. Today was one of those days.

“I’m sorry, I must be going deaf. I have to what?”

[BROTHER] glared at her, exhaling loudly while Rico’s jaw tightened even though he refused to make eye contact.

“You have to get ready for your engagement party.”

Missy nodded sharply. “That’s what I thought you said. Get out.”

“You have to, Missy, Dad got it locked down already.”

“I don’t have a man, I haven’t spoken to daddy in years, and I have a test tomorrow that’s worth more than your life. So if you know what’s good for you, you’re going to leave. Now.”

Option 3 (again, voice issues. I like it but it feels manipulative, especially since when the actual story opens up she's going to be older. I thought about making it longer so you guys can see a bit of their conversation in text and then switch to voicemail but I like where this starts)