Break through moments, have any?

Straka · Nov 26, 2009

I had one the other day. In my current WIP, I had been introducing a lot of characters from different fractions in separate scenes as the MC wandered around town. But I felt that the work was dragging because I had to spend more time in dialogue talking about how each fraction hated one another. Characters became their side's respective propaganda mouthpiece instead of acting themselves. In the end it was too much telling.

Then it hit me; they could all attend a play at the theater and during the time before the show starts I could have all of them engage in chat idle, filled with vicious undertones and all the tension I'd spend pages on before. I effectively did everything I wanted to in 1 scene, instead of 3 or 4.

Anyone else care to share moments like this?

Freelancer · Nov 26, 2009

Yup. All the time. The best example is my WIP's 5th chapter. I have a very detailed new world (Same detailed as LOTR, but quite different. There is not a single similarity between the two at all.) and I'm intended to present this world to the reader from the beginning to the end in this one chapter to don't care with them later and to has a chance to focus on the actions instead of the descriptions when they'll come. Now, the first version was 30 pages and damned dragged. Then with a new twisted presentation (New secondary and tertiary story layers), I had a chance to present everything what I wanted in less than 18 pages (The entire chapter is 30 pages long, so I spared more than 12 pages with this method.). This was maybe one of the hardest nut to crack, but this idea saved the entire chapter, but everything is in it what I wanted and it's also became much better than the first version. But there were other similar chapters in the last two years.

Tanydwr · Nov 26, 2009

It happened to me when I was trying to work out what could delay their journey for long enough and provide some more interest to the novel besides actual journeying. Hit me in a flash: kill the king when they almost get caught.

King gets hit with an arrow and dies after a nasty and somewhat lengthy (two to three weeks) infection. Means a delay, a retracing of their steps, and plenty of angst and grief for my MC Crisiant and Connor, the king's son and Crisiant's love interest/husband.

It worked beautifully, almost wrote itself. My sister, of course, was furious to realise I was killing off Harailt. I took that as a job well done.

Caitlin Black · Nov 26, 2009

My breakhthrough moment was finally getting the hang of writing romance scenes - after 80+ thousand words. But still, it's a new skill I've just picked up, so that's something.

Another breakthrough was doing 3 word wars yesterday, and getting virtually my entire daily quota done in those 45 minutes. It was the realisation that I work faster under pressure, so I *should* set myself insane goals, because it just means I'll type faster and not get so distracted.

Still need a breakthrough with one part of my WIP - revealing the true nature of planted police murder files. I think I missed my window somewhat...

Libbie · Nov 26, 2009

When I stopped worrying about what other people would think of my writing, my narrative voice improved a millionfold.

DWSTXS · Nov 26, 2009

I'm going to have one tomorrow.

Khimera9 · Nov 26, 2009

I've had a breakthrough two days ago. I'd been having a problem writing a story because it required alot of backstory, but now I've reduced some of it and described the backstory along with the first couple of chapters. Now it's moving along smoothly.

a_sharp · Nov 26, 2009

I had a breakout moment in 1976 when I asked Shirley Heymer for a kiss and she gave me an oral exam with her tongue. Since then, wasteland.

Oh, you said breakthrough!

Sure, yesterday my MC came out of the closet and declared he was a cross-dressing extraterrestrial in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Talk about shifting into high gear! Suddenly it all came together, the star dragon with the mudpack facial, the talking bobcat, the hooker cop, the astronaut who drops his spanner in the loo. At last I can start Chapter 1.

Or not.

Maybe I'll give the guy a devastating name like Erwin, to show he's a force to be reckoned with. That'll give the redhead in the tutu something to do with her AK-47.

I dunno, I'm not so sure anymore. These flashes of genius are so rare here in the care center.

maddicharmed · Nov 26, 2009

I had a huge break through the other day while plotting my novel. I didn't realise that I could do something with a character till listening to a song that inspired some creative thinking on my part lol.

Gedaechtnis · Nov 27, 2009

After a lengthy mental conversation with a few characters, they told me many things about themselves. Now they have real personalities

When psychology popped in to help a nice ASD patient make people work like normal people.

And when ASD helped the nice ASD to write a screwball character the way he ought to be written.

MGraybosch · Nov 27, 2009

Straka said:
Anyone else care to share moments like this?

Moments? I was lucky enough to have a breakthrough month last May when writing the last 20 chapters of Starbreaker. Everything had fallen into place, and I was belting out a chapter a day, each of which was between 2000-5000 words long.

And I've done bugger-all since.

kaitie · Nov 27, 2009

I get this sort of thing a lot. I tend to call it "the solution to all problems." Which is a bit of an exaggeration, but mostly true.

Anyway, the last big one that I could give was during editing of my last story when I realized that one of the scenes worked much better in another place. Then one of my friends gave me a really brilliant idea to move half of said scene to another chapter where it fit in perfectly. I wouldn't have thought of that (or at least not until I did another full draft) but it was a great idea and it solved one of the big nagging issues of the story.

Kweei · Nov 28, 2009

No breakthrough moments recently, but I just wanted to mention how much I hate how they tend to come in the shower.

folkchick · Nov 28, 2009

I get the breakthrough moments in the shower, but after years of being a songwriter I have learned to put phrases or ideas on repeat. I'll stand there and chant whatever the hell it is until a notepad is available then scribble it all down. One thing I can say is if you don't use it, it will fade away and move onto some other lucky jerk's headspace.

I've had a lot of BT moments with my first book. I just stand in amazement, thinking in a sing-song style, "That's awesome."

Kalyke · Nov 28, 2009

I tried and tried to write what I thought would sell, and usually did not finish the novel. One day, I decided to write what I wanted despite whether the theme was popular or not. I find that my "original" stories are a hell of a lot more interesting than those I tried to emulate from other authors. "Think for yourself" should be a major rule in art &/or writing. When I started to do local stories about real people with a reality based plot (I was trying to do horror/fantasy at one time) my writing became a thousand times better.

Straka · Nov 28, 2009

K.L. Townsend said:
No breakthrough moments recently, but I just wanted to mention how much I hate how they tend to come in the shower.

I do that a lot too. My fiance eventually kicks in the bathroom door to make sure I'm still alive and not a lobster. I like my showers boiling hot.

kaitie · Nov 28, 2009

folkchick said:
I get the breakthrough moments in the shower, but after years of being a songwriter I have learned to put phrases or ideas on repeat. I'll stand there and chant whatever the hell it is until a notepad is available then scribble it all down. One thing I can say is if you don't use it, it will fade away and move onto some other lucky jerk's headspace.

Ditto this. I actually use it as a strategy. I've noticed I tend to get most either in the shower or while taking a walk, so if I'm stuck on something I'll do one or the other to get my brain flowing again. Though if I'm really stuck I work jigsaw puzzles. Amazing, but it works.

Trauntj · Nov 28, 2009

I just had a breakthrough outlining one of my WIPs. I finally got the central conflict planned out, with possible subplots intertwined as well. so I'm excited about being to finally write it now

aadams73 · Nov 29, 2009

folkchick said:
I get the breakthrough moments in the shower,

Ditto. Either there or some place equally inconvenient, such as when I'm walking the dog or running on the treadmill. Great dialogue will often pop into my head while I'm driving.

This morning I got lucky and a partial solution to a plot problem popped into my head while I was making coffee. Note cards were just a few feet away.

So, yeah, I had a small breakthrough moment this morning.

Mr Flibble · Nov 29, 2009

Yup - see my 'falling in hate with your WIP thread'

Due to sheer bull-headedness and a hubby who doesn't mind me bending his ear at stupid times of the day or night, I did indeed have a breakthrough.

Good job too, or I might have had one of my 'moments'

Libbie · Nov 29, 2009

folkchick said:
I get the breakthrough moments in the shower,

That's funny -- that's where ALL my good ideas have come to me, too!

but after years of being a songwriter I have learned to put phrases or ideas on repeat. I'll stand there and chant whatever the hell it is until a notepad is available then scribble it all down. One thing I can say is if you don't use it, it will fade away and move onto some other lucky jerk's headspace.

Great advice! Repeat, repeat, repeat.

IReidandWrite · Nov 30, 2009

Sometimes when I can't sleep, I play with my novel.

And the best revelations I've had are when I'm about to go to sleep.

kaitie · Nov 30, 2009

I had one last night about a scene I was panicking over when I realized my current method didn't work and had no idea if I could find one that would. Then something clicked, and I wrote it out today--and I love it SO much more than the original!

JoNightshade · Nov 30, 2009

I've been stuck at chapter 20 of my rewrite for... well, if we're going to be completely honest, months. (Though I've been fiddling around with other parts in the meantime.) I knew I needed to drastically shorten the novel from chapter 20 through the end, which kind of meanders around, but I didn't know how.

Then I realized that chapter 20 and the last chapter (30?) were actually very similar, in the sense of the understanding my character gains about himself.

And BAM! I realized I could import all the good stuff from the last chapter into chapter 20 and get it all done at the same time... and before I even had time to puzzle over it, I realized what REALLY needed to go in the last chapter. And it makes the ending SO much stronger. Woo!

Break through moments, have any?

Bored Fanatic

Wild one

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

Mr Mojo Risin...

Somebody give me an A

I'm not the writer I used to be.

likes toast and peppermint

Lunch Break Novelist

With great power comes

Expert Procrastinator

Not a new kid

Bored Fanatic

With great power comes

A Work in Progress

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

With great power comes

has finally arrived