We all have those moments; the hero(ine) is walking through
what I like to call the FoTAT – Forest of Trees And Things. All the conflict
seems far away, and our villain is somewhere on the other side of this massive
forest of dull description and fabulous foliage.
In other words, you’re bored out of your skull and want to
skip to chapter seven, where the villain appears out of the cliché ‘thin air’,
and kills the ally.
Great stuff.
But instead you’re stuck here in the forest, wandering
around wondering why in the world you ever put the forest in the story world in
the first place. (Feel free to change this analogy by genre, as dystopians usually
don’t have large forests and things.)
What now?
You still have to write the journey through the FoTAT, even
if you skip ahead for a while and write the fun stuff. Somehow you need to pull
through it, grit your teeth, tighten your grip, and all the usual descriptions
of perseverance and struggle.
It’s a difficult spot, one I identify with. A lot. Currently,
the heroine of my novel(la) The Elenivir
is practicing being a worrywart while stuck at school. Yay. It’s right about
now where I’m wishing I’d never started writing this story so I could focus on
this other idea I’m really excited about.
However, I’m intent on finishing this idea (I mean who
wouldn’t want to write about stopping the genocide of a race of cute little
dragons, right?). So I’ve come up with ways to push through the boring parts so
I can banish the mentor from the known lands and start killing little dragons*.
Cut the Distractions.
This is pretty simple; if something stops you from
writing, banish it from existence. Common distractions (and their solutions):
- Internet
Solution: turn it off. Stopping every fifteen minutes to
browse your social networks can relieve stress, but it also racks up minutes
you’re not writing. Turn it off for half an hour, and force yourself to only
take ten minutes after to check Pinterest or whatever.
- Other Stories
Solution: if you’re like me, you keep your ideas organized
on a document, notebooks, or some other way (Scrivener, OneNote, etc.). The
simplest way is to leave this closed while you’re writing. But if they’re still
bugging you in the back of your head, try thinking of the good things of this story instead.
- Inner Editor
Solution: We’ve all got one of these guys, a little voice
pointing out all the imperfections (mine is a deceased villain of mine who
likes to glory in all my mistakes). Tell him/her to shut up, and ignore them.
It’s hard, but they do have a volume control. Somewhere.
- Noise
Solution: find a place where you don’t have to listen to
things that distract you – siblings, children, parents, the television,
soothing lullabies, etc. If you like listening to music while you write, find something
intense but quiet to listen to.
- Too many Trees
Solution: every FoTAT has too many trees. Cut down a few of
the trees, make it take less time to travel to the other side. After all, the
villain somehow got there way before the hero. And if you want to keep all your
beautiful birches and marvelous maples, then throw something dangerous into the
forest. Giant serpents, spiders with only four legs, wolverines, octopi,
rangers, witches, small children,
anything that can make the journey a bit more… exciting.
The FoTAT is intimidating. Your trees and undergrowth and
gnarled paths await.
Turn off the Wi-Fi, plug in the earphones, turn off the
Editor, and toss in a Troll. Prepare to make the best FoTAT we’ve ever read.
*Man this
makes me sound like a bloodthirsty maniac.
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