What should writers lacking inspiration do?

Question

The problem is that I come up with wonderfully descriptive, animated characters - but the plot is very slow for me to develop. I can't seem to get my characters involved in any action. This is such a problem! I have the character, but not the plot!

I'm not trying to write a book, just short stories.

Answer 1

The solution is to steal a plot. Take your character (hopefully more than one) and drop them into the plot of a story you already know.

What would they do if they were in Romeo and Juliet? Put them in the characters of the Nurse and maybe one of Romeo's friends. Take them over to a different story. Improvise but use your own characters. It is what happened in Westside Story. Romeo and Juliet told with modern day lovers (well, for the sixties).

There are only a few basic plots anyway. Find one and grab it. Change the setting only a little and have your characters react to it. They can even be introspective of how strange it is to be stuck inside the plot. Witness what Tom Stoppard does with "Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead".

So give it a whirl. You might even find a fairy tale to be just what you need. I know I used Little Red RidingHood for my werewolf stories. No stealing that, now! *grin*

Answer 2

Then you should go back and energize the plot by finding out your trouble spots. Animated and well-developed characters lacking any said action, is just asking for your book to become a blown engine from the start.

In order to WRITE a good book, you have to have three things:

1) Well developed characters

2) Realistic settings or worlds that cry out to the reader in stark relief.

3) A moving plot or storyline which compliments the first two things.

Without it, you're book won't be going anywhere, and you'll be stuck. The thing about this, is that you have to multi-task your writing so that each elemental part of your book gets equal "time-share"--while not threatening to overwhelm one or the other.

I have no problem with this in my draft novels. Since my imagination operates on a completely different level than most writers, I can easily "see" what I want to write before I write it.

If you need help, please e-mail me. Share with me what you have so far, and I'll see what I can do.

I'm pretty good at this.

Answer 3

Read some really great books of the genre that you plan to write in. Read very carefully when the author describes a character. Use a thesaurus and a dictionary. A writer needs good description. It's good to use fancy words that shows how much you know. For the color red you shouldn't use blood red everyone knows that color. I would use crimson or cinnabar.

For the plot problem. Just keep writing even though the spelling and grammar are bad. You can fix it later. Read books and see how that plot went to the climax. You can't rush the plot.

Answer 4

Sometimes, if you just let the characters "be" themselves, the plot will evolve. I usually see the plot first, then the characters evolve to fill the plot. Usually, characters will "fit" in a certain environment. Where would these characters "fit in"? At the Beach, in New York, in Los Angeles, in a midevil forest? What does your character do? Is it business, a vacation, a home setting, a foreign country? Put them in a setting, get them doing what they would normally do, and I bet the plot will present itself. If not, keep your characters but put them aside, and just think of a plot. A murder to solve, a thing to find, a promise to keep, a love to lose and find again, or just silliness aound a campfire? Then put your characters there. You don't have "such a problem"--you have writer's block! Remove the block!!!

Answer 5

Your story is 100% imagination. If you cant think of anything at the moment then just relax. Go for a walk or a drive somewhere to get your mind off the book. If you've already done that then I've found that if you know how the book is going to end then start there and work your way back in your head to give you ideas. Then again if you don't know how its going to end then you need to find an angle to look at your story that will give you a different perspective. Writing can be a pain in the neck sometimes :) Have fun with it and good luck.

Answer 6

Writer's block, don't you love it? It can be hard to over come and I've found the easiest way to get around it is to forget about your story for the time being and get into some other activities. Then while you're doing other things you'll eventually think of SOMETHING you want to write about - it may help to keep a small notebook with you so as ideas come you can write them down. Good luck!!!

Answer 7

Don't force it. Try sitting down with a pad (or however you like to write) and just jot/type away anything and everything that comes to mind for a set period of time. Don't think through or about anything, ignore punctuation, and just go as fast as you can without stopping. Then when you're done, see what you've come up with.

If that doesn't work, just keep your mind off it altogether. Eventually a good idea will strike you and as soon as one rolls off the hill, a plethora will follow.

Answer 8

Maybe think of a theme/idea/message for the story, and then think of scenarios to illusrate your theme. Use only the characters who will work, and save the others for a different project. Or do a story about friends who do nothing but are just interesting characters.

Answer 9

Play around with them. Use dialogue. Make the characters talk to each other. Here's one thing that I'm working on. You have to be willing to write what's sort of a fake version of your story. I find that I sometimes come up with interesting stories when I'm just making up something that I, supposedly, don't care about.

Answer 10

Really? I've always found that if you develop your characters adequately, then you simply have to follow their actions. Wind 'em up properly, then let 'em go.

By the way, do you think it's mature to say of someone, "I wish she'd die"? Charming, dear, just charming. I"m sure Michael Moore doesn't feel that way about you. You're the kind of person he feels sorry for.