Starting a new chapter is hard! Even after I figure out the first sentence, it usually takes a few paragraphs for the word to start flowing - and sometimes those first few paragraphs take me hours to write. So frustrating. Once I get into a scene or chapter, it gets easier.
I was still pasting in pre-written paragraphs from the first version of the story as recently as yesterday, and it did help make me feel more productive, like I'd written more than I actually had, but I don't think I could work that way all the time. It feels too disjointed for me. I was happy to find a place for most of the parts I liked from the first version, but I hate having two versions of the story open at the same time and hacking and slashing to make pieces from both of them fit together. Kudos to you for being able to write scenes out of order and put them together so seamlessly! It is not easy.
Yes, same. The worst is when you know exactly what should happen, but then don't know if it just picks up from the last chapter or if it starts slightly later. I go back over the first few things in a chapter so many times, to the point that sometimes I'll just be typing, sometimes I'll be typing over it in suggest mode, sometimes I'll type over it in suggest mode and highlight changes in yellow, and then sometimes it gets so bad that I highlight over the yellow changes in orange. I've never gone over four days fanangling edits to a chapter, yet, but it feels slightly excessive.
Oh I hate having two documents open. That's how I live in PBox as an OF. Chapter by chapter with the fanfic open beside it. I hate it. But it helps me revert if I change my mind about something and it gives me a clear picture of what I'm wanting to remove, so it is helpful. And I guess if I know I have parts of my "interesting bits" coming up, I have three things open: the ten chapter chunk I'm working on, the interesting bits document, and my document to keep track of my daily word count. Oh, and sometimes the appropriate PBox 10 chapter chunk if something related comes up. Writing the last book is going to be so fun when I have 100 chapters of things to reference back to and probably still write out of order...
Thanks! However, ask me how it goes for a new story! Even though it hasn't been "front and center" in my mind again until recently, Pbox et al. has been taking up residence in my head for fifteen years, so (if nothing else) I have a pretty clear vision on all of it.
I liked that article. This quote was a helpful reminder: "But take heart. All is not lost – especially if you remember that there’s more to writing than just the actual act of writing. It’s also dreaming, planning, thinking; researching, practising, and learning."
#1 Watching a film or reading a book is my go-to when I want to get inspired. It doesn't always work, but I make a list of things I can watch or read that are similar to my current story in some way and then pick something off that list when the time is appropriate. Which is why I'll probably be watching the Unbreakable concert at some point soonish.
That was one of my favorite parts too. I've been getting a lot of great articles about writing in my news feed since I started looking up writing related things. I like it a lot. I have a fun one saved for whenever we feel like delving into Gobosei and Guilty Roads again.
