When to Keep Going and When to Stop
When to Keep Going and When to Stop
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In my writing session earlier today I got stalled. I won’t say stuck because that implies a more serious slowdown than I encountered. But I was stalled. I was working on my WIP, a women’s fiction novel, and my chapter wasn’t going where I’d planned. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes your characters can take you on an unexpected journey that is the exact right thing for your story. But others it’s not so good. And today was one of those not-so-good days. Because today it felt like the chapter wasn’t going anywhere.
It was static. It was boring. It was limp and saggy around the middle (sort of like the author herself, hahaha).
But I’ve been on a streak of writing 1,000 words plus every morning and I wanted to keep it going. So I forced myself to gut it out and stick with it. And I managed to write through the sticky part that was dead in the water. And suddenly as I kept writing the chapter came to life again.
Relief. I met my 1,000 word-a-day goal and wandered off to the rest of my day.
But then I started thinking about this: when is it good to press forward? And when is it better to stop? This morning, it worked for me to keep going. The chapter isn’t perfect, but since it’s my first draft so I didn’t expect it to be. But it’s good enough to keep going. And this is great news, because it means I am not in danger of the minor stall transforming into major stuckness. Or even a full-blown writing block.
On the other hand, there has been plenty of times when I have pressed forward and gone off on a terrible tangent that let me astray for, well, a long time. (See previous paragraph about how minor stalls can suddenly become major blocks.)
And it’s not just a question that we have to ask on the micro level pertaining to scenes or chapters. It’s also a big picture question concerning drafts.
Consider the situation when you’re writing a rough draft (or a discovery draft, or a shitty first draft, whatever you wanna call it), and suddenly what you thought was going to be the beginning no longer is or perhaps one of your characters takes over and you realize that she needs to be put back at the start. The changes feel big enough that you might want to go back to the beginning, and start all over again.
What to do if you’re stuck on the micro level
So, you’re stuck on a scene or chapter. First step is to take a break, just a wee one, and consider where you are mentally:
~Are you pushing too hard? Do you need a break? How about getting up and walking around for a few minutes? Or even pushing back from the desk and doing some deep breathing? Try that and if you come back refreshed and the words suddenly flow, you’re good to go.
But if not, consider where you are on the page:
~What is the point of this scene? Does it reveal something about the character? Does it move the action of the plot forward? Does the scene have conflict in it? Start by answering these.
~Is the scene in the correct location? Could you consider moving it? Easy fix and it’s surprising how often it happens.
~Go back to basics and remind yourself what your character wants. It’s easy to lose track of things like character motivation as you’re happily writing, but if you get stuck this is an excellent point to ponder.
If none of the above get your stalled scene moving, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. If you’re a plotter, go back to your outline or treatment and check what your plans were for this chapter. If you’re a pantser, pants in a different direction. In either case, you may need to start over again or at least change course.
And now, the really big question
Okay, before I tackle the macro I want to do a review of the most-recommended writing process. It’s this: you start at the beginning and you write to the end. The writing is not perfect. The plot has holes big enough to drive a truck through. Your character’s motivation changes halfway through and it’s all a big mess. But that’s okay, because by the time you get to the end of this rough draft, you are going to know so much more about your story and the characters. And so then you start over again from the beginning.
But, what if? What if halfway through you have a huge epiphany and realize your character is not who you think she is. Her wants, wounds, and motivation are completely different? Or what if you decide partway through that your third-person viewpoint should switch to first-person? Or some other big change occurs to you.
Do you move forward or start over?
Some things to ponder:
~In general, I recommend pressing forward and writing as if. Write as if you’ve made those changes to the first half already. Switch to first person and keep going. Write your character from the new information you have and make certain you keep really good notes so you don’t get lost next time through.
Why do I recommend this? For a couple of reasons. First, you’ll know so much more about the parameters of your story after you get to the end. It’s just an integral truth of writing. When you finish a story you understand it way better than when you started, sometimes in subtle ways.
And second, I’ve seen far too many writers get stuck in a loop of perfecting the first fifty or so pages—and never getting beyond them. So see if you can’t just keep going—and if you must go back and start over, promise me you won’t make it a habit.
I hope these thoughts help you to discern whether to move forward or start over. What’s your experience with this?