Impeded Writer's Genius

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 04 Apr 2014, 23:53

Alright so as it has been said before, the muse has fallen upon me, but I am thwarted by a lack of accurate details. I'm writing a fictional story that includes some non-fictional locations. I have great ideas flowing into my head, begging to be molded into my plot, and yet, I'm forced to stop. I am waiting for pictures from a place, so I can describe the setting of my next chapter. I'm not even mad, just stalled. I find myself energized, ecstatic, and hopeful of the pages to come. My experience is over, now for your question.

We talk about having writer's block, but have you ever had to write your writer's muse?

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 05 Apr 2014, 19:42

Er, I don't understand the question, sorry. So I'll just blather on, if you don't mind...

There is, of course, no muse per se. It's all in your brain, and various "compartments" will activate feelings and activity and it will often seem that there's some ethereal influence urging you on. This is usually a good thing.

As a writer myself (mystery novels, among other things), I've learned to get around writer's block this way... if I'm stuck at a certain spot in the story, I simply skip ahead in the plot and write at an entirely new place. Then, later, maybe the next day, I find that I can go back and fill in the gaps.

Let me recommend that your waiting for pictures (I'm assuming photos of a certain new scene you plan to depict?) may eventually become a burden and end up hampering your writing too much. My suggestion only, but you might do better if you were to use your "muse" to fabricate the new scenes a bit and not rely on "photographic evidence".

This is quite familiar to me, because my novels are about a private detective in modern Houston (where I live) and my characters often visit bars, restaurants, shopping centers, all sorts of real life places. Some, those which I describe in favorable terms, may be mentioned and described factually, including the name of the place. Others, if not favorable, are moved in my mind to another part of town, altered in other ways, so as to prevent any sort of legal problems. But another result of this modification is that I've learned how to take a real place and modify it as needed.

Hope this helps.

KLyons1 · Post by **KLyons1** » 05 Apr 2014, 20:36

I agree with moderntimes - I don't understand your question, and I don't think that you should stop to wait for photos. If you've got ideas, keep writing! Write a different scene, or story, or whatever uses your 'great ideas'! There's no guarantee that the same energy and flow will occur once you receive the pictures you're waiting for, so make use of it while you've got it.

Or use Google Earth to find your place, or somewhere similar, so you have enough visual evidence to work from for your story. You can update it once you receive your photos, during the post-first-draft revisions.

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 05 Apr 2014, 22:52

Hey guys, thanks for the advice. I meant to say have you ever had to block your writer's muse. And yes, I know a muse is not actually a muse, it's a figure of speech. Anyway moderntimes, sounds like sound advice, and I hadn't considered legal issues or rights. Does modification bar any legalities? And if so, how much modification?
KLyons: I didn't think about postdraft, so it's definitely of value. Alright, I'll jump back in!
@ moderntimes: Do you ever consider word count or set goals around them for novel writing?

Katherine E Wall · Post by **Katherine E Wall** » 05 Apr 2014, 23:47

RILENTLISS wrote:Alright so as it has been said before, the muse has fallen upon me, but I am thwarted by a lack of accurate details. I'm writing a fictional story that includes some non-fictional locations. I have great ideas flowing into my head, begging to be molded into my plot, and yet, I'm forced to stop. I am waiting for pictures from a place, so I can describe the setting of my next chapter. I'm not even mad, just stalled. I find myself energized, ecstatic, and hopeful of the pages to come. My experience is over, now for your question.

We talk about having writer's block, but have you ever had to write your writer's muse?

Don't stop. Make a note to yourself about what needs to go there and continue writing the other parts which are ready to flow. There is no law that says you have to write everything sequentially, and, after all, you have to go back and edit, revise, rewrite anyway. So, keep going, follow the story, and then go back when you have the materials you need.

ETA: I guess I should have read all the posts since I was just reiterating everyone's comments. Still, it does reinforce them, I guess.

RILENTLISS · Post by **RILENTLISS** » 06 Apr 2014, 01:40

Well, three synonymous answers makes for a solid fact. I'll implement this into my writing.

WriterBLAlley · Post by **WriterBLAlley** » 11 Apr 2014, 11:37

I often use visualization to maintain continuity, and help accurately describe a place or thing. I created a map of my (semi) fictional town so characters navigate it consistently, I mapped key interior locations, and even 3d modeled certain buildings and vehicles to make sure they functioned within the story. (A few of these renderings ended up becoming part of my marketing materials)

As far as how I write overall, I equate it to tile setting (Specifically, the tile counter-top I installed in my kitchen):

1. I determine the overall layout. (the basic story I want to tell)
2. I set the whole tiles (the major elements: scenes and plot points)
3. I add the tiles that need a bit of trimming to fit (Sub-plots, secondary characters)
4. I add the accent pieces. (A joke, a scare, an action piece, a deeper character moment)
5. Finally, I grout the joints to connect everything together. (the smaller scenes and narration which drive the story to the next main element)