I think this has been asked before but how do you make yourself continue writing something when you’ve started to hate it? You mentioned getting through Ruby Fire was difficult but you couldn’t extend your deadlines. If the idea of a looming deadline doesn’t work for a person as a reason to continue writing, what do you do?
Say it’s something your normally enjoy writing– someone who enjoys romance and space opera’s writing a romantic space opera and then suddenly in the middle of the story after 30k words have been put into it they can’t stand it anymore and can’t make themselves finish.
Do you have any advice?
Writers typically develop writing hatred for three reasons, sometimes simultaneously: they made a wrong turn in the narrative, they are exhausted, or they have a new idea that’s much more appealing and it’s eating their brain.
Writing comes from a place of play. If you are exhausted, if really draining stuff is happening in real life, writing might be harder. Same for the new idea. Sometimes you get a new idea and it just grabs you. This is what happened with Maggie. I had to put it down at 30K two years ago for business reasons and instead of cooling on it, once we decided to work on it, I was all in. Waiting made it worse, because it ate at my brain to an unhealthy degree.
We are going to set those two reasons aside, because the solutions here are clear: get some rest and if you’re not under contract, try that new idea. Maybe it will flow better.
Let’s tackle the wrong turn. A lot of writers get stuck at around 30K into the manuscript. It’s called the 30K slump and if you Google it, you will find a ton of articles dealing with various ways of getting past it. The most hilarious of these comes to us from the NaNoWriMo crowd and suggests to throw in some “dialogue to keep things moving.” Oh, if only it was that easy.
Why 30K? Because most novels clock between 90-100K and 30K happens to be 1/3 of the narrative.
By the way, not everyone has the 30K slumps. I know a writer who hates beginnings. Just hates them. She will rewrite them 7-8 times, hate it, hate it some more, rework it for months, and then take off like a rocket past the 20K mark and finish the rest of the book in the same time it took her to spin her wheels on the beginnings.
Back to the problem at hand: what is typically happening at the 30K point that’s giving people so much trouble?
Warning: if you are a reader only, you might not want to read past this, because as Grandma Frida once warned, nobody likes to see how the sausage is made. I have warned you.
Commercial fiction typically follows a structure. When a writer sits down to write, they follow this structure organically. This is very important. If you attempt to turn this into a checklist of things you must do, you will end up with a bigger writer block. Please do not view this as a mechanical, plug-the-right-legos-in type of process. Just learn it as one of the ways to structure your story, be aware of it, and it will come naturally as you write.
Let’s assume commercial fiction with romantic elements, space opera, a hetero couple, male and female points of view. Typical structure of the novel would go somewhat like this:
Establish heroine. Show her in her environment. Add sensawunda (sense of wonder.) Demonstrate competency. Throw a massive problem at the heroine with high stakes.
Establish hero. Show him in his environment. Add sensawunda. Demonstrate competency. Throw a massive problem at the hero with high stakes.
Heroine attempts to resolve the problem.
Hero attempts to resolve the problem.
They collide. Sparks fly.
Not every story will follow this structure. This is the most basic framework for a plot-driven SF/F story with romantic elements. Pure romance will have a different structure, for example.
Let’s take Fated Blades. It’s a shorter work, so the 30K slump will actually show up earlier than 30K, but it’s the closest thing we have to a space opera.
From the Synopsis:
…Now, deadly, disciplined, and solitary leaders Ramona Adler and Matias Baena must put aside their enmity and work together in secret to prevent sinister forces from exploiting universe-altering technology. Expecting to suffer through their uneasy alliance, Ramona and Matias instead discover that they understand each other as no one in their families can—and that their combined skills may eclipse the risks of their forbidden alliance.
As the two warriors risk their lives to save their families, they must decide whether to resist or embrace the passion simmering between them. For now, the dance between their families continues—but just one misstep could spell the end of them both.
Available in ebook on Amazon (in KU) and in print at other retailers, if you haven’t read it and want to pull it apart.
By the way, here is a little funny for you from the Kinsmen folder, in case you think I am an authority on this and decide to take me seriously.
First Scene: Matias Baena
Establish competency: Rituals brought order to the chaos of life. Order was something Matias Baena deeply cherished, and so every Monday, at precisely 7:00 a.m., he entered his office on the top floor of the twisted blade that was Baena Tower and spent the next three hours sorting through the issues that had accumulated during the weekend. He read everything, organized it in order of priority, and formulated an action plan. At precisely 10:00 a.m., the small team of his top people entered his office to offer their insights and receive their marching orders.
Small problem: “Yes?” Matias asked. “Ramona Adler is here.”
Sensawunda: The Baena building borrowed its shape from the unfurling seco blade that gave the secare their name. It began as a wave, a low curve of plastisteel wrapped in panes of dark solar glass, dipped, then suddenly surged upward to the height of seventy meters, expanding into a hard vertical plane. A not-so-subtle warning. The glass brightened as it climbed, and here, at the very top of the building, the panels were a deep, vivid red. The tinted light flooded the hallways through the translucent ceiling. Normally, he found it soothing, but today the air above the black floor seemed drenched in blood.
More competency:
The Baena family was guarded by state-of-the-art security. Matias oversaw it personally, and he hired only the best. All his guards were seasoned veterans with combat implants and skills honed by training and battle. They were well armed and ready. And if he felt like it, he could kill everyone in the building in minutes. It would be a massacre. They would know that he was coming, and all their experience and weapons would do them no good.
If he could do it, so could Ramona. The secare were killing machines, and the six generations separating them from a long-forgotten war had done nothing to change that. If she snapped, he would be the only barrier between her and the slaughter of his people.
More sensawunda: The wall opposite the entrance was curved red glass, presenting a distant panorama of New Delphi. Between him and the glass wall stood a large oval table, carved from a single massive chunk of Gibirus opal. The mineral inclusions within the stone reacted to light, fluorescing with shifting ripples of color—fiery red, glittering gold, and splashes of intense emerald—setting the table aglow from within. Ramona sat at the table, her back to the window, her face lit up by gem fire.
Sparks:
He wanted to keep looking at her.
He wondered how fast she was.
He wondered if he was faster.
Big Problem:
“Your wife is having an affair with my husband,” Ramona said.
For a moment they shared a silence as he came to grips with Cassida licking the inside of Gabriel Adler’s mouth.
Ramona spoke first. “That brings me to my second question. Have you experienced any security or data breaches in the last few weeks?”
You can analyze Ramona’s section the same way.
Now we have two choices: one, they can either try to tackle things on their own and keep coming into contact like Rogan and Nevada in Burn For Me or they can decide to work together right away, forced by circumstances. Fated Blades gets us to the work together point pretty fast.
Fated Blades happens to be 181 pages long in Word, and 1/3 will hit around page 60. (Thank you to Rachel for the correct math catch. Much appreciated!) So what happens on page 60?
She said it lightly, almost as an afterthought, and if he said no, she would walk away from him right there. The Davenports were competitors, that was true, and if they were eliminated, both of their families would gladly pounce on their orphaned territory and resources. But that was kinsmen business. All of them grew up under the same sky in the same province, they enjoyed the same food, carried on the same traditions, and laughed at the same jokes. Friend or enemy, they were part of Dahlia. The Vandals were outsiders.
Some things just weren’t done.
“I already forwarded everything we’ve learned to Haider,” he said. “I’ll call him when we’re on our way.”
She let out a quiet breath and opened the door for him.
They are off to solve their problem, and both of them finally decide to start trusting each other and work as a team. With the Davenports out of the way, they now zero in on the real villain.
Burn For Me is 392 pages, which means 1/3 hits around page 130.
Takara’s website described it as an Asian bistro, which in reality meant that they specialized in beautiful sushi and had a couple of traditional Chinese and Korean dishes on the menu.
Rogan and Nevada meet and he tries to convince her to work together.
Check this out:
Only Bad Options by Jennifer Estep: Kyrion, sexy antihero, and Vesper, lowly lab rat heroine; total of 31 chapters; Chapter 10 is the 1/3 point.
Chapter 10
…I tightened my grip on the blaster and faced the docking doors. Of course, the doors were on my side of the ship. If the doors had been in the cargo bay where Kyrion was, then I could have gone through with my original plan to suck all the oxygen out of that part of the ship and suffocate him, along with the mercenaries.
…
Kyrion leaned against a counter, holding his helmet in his hand, completely calm and relaxed. “Last chance,” he called out. “I could kill them all in less than a minute.” He was actually trying to blackmail me into freeing him, just so he could turn around and kill me himself. Arrogant jackass.
Estep, Jennifer. Only Bad Options: A Galactic Bonds book (pp. 136-137). Kindle Edition
They meet and must work together.
To reiterate, this is a natural progression of the narrative for a lot of writers.
Do you see how the first 1/3 of the narrative sets the stage? If you have followed the natural structure and are hating it at this point, one of two things is happening: the couple has no chemistry or the plot fell apart.
Look at your leads and make sure you actually like both of them. You must want to write more about either of them. Did you show enough competency and danger? Are they cool enough? Can they be cooler? Do you want them to be together? If they are together, are their abilities complimentary?
Look at your problem. Is it dire enough? How are they solving it? Is somebody going to die/come to financial ruin/lose their livelihood or war if they fail? Ratchet those stakes up.
I can’t help you with the couple, but when it comes to plot, if you are hitting a wall, try a 3 act structure. Three attempts to resolve the problem.
Big problem: attempt one, which leads to attempt two, which leads to a finale.
Fated Blades:
- Attempt One: Davenports
- Attempt Two: Senator Drewery
- Attempt Three: Varden
Make sure you have a loose plan in place here, so you can propel your couple through the plot. That’s your base, and then you wrap the romantic interactions around it like cotton candy on a stick. Send them to three places, or give them three enemies, or make them get three doohickies, and just roll with it.
To wrap up, rest, make sure you still love the idea, and if those two things don’t help, pull apart what you’ve written and make sure you’ve met the structural goals and your leads are all they can be. If all else fails, try a different idea. You shouldn’t keep writing things you hate unless you are contractually obligated to do so. It’s not good for your creativity.
Good luck!
I love seeing how the sausage is made! Makes it cool when you realize how many types of sausage there are! BTW, loved Only Bad Options. Now off to reread Fated Blades.
Interesting insights. I’m better at picturing the beginning and ending of a story. Middle is my weak spot.
I love the “Final Edits…” filename.
So… Deidre and Wrath? I’m having trouble remembering those characters. Did they make it into a book?
Could you refresh my memory, please? Who are Deidre and Wrath? 🙂
Oh, never mind, saw the file name!
It’s at the bottom of the screen shot showing the very funny file name. 😄
Deliberate or not…🤔
Mod R’s fingers are quicker than mine!
BTW, I like seeing the sausage being made.
The fingers, maybe, definitely not the brain 😀 . I have asked House A if they’ve shown up anywhere!
It’s Kid 2’s trunked novel. I had checked it for something right before this, and the file name was listed as the most recently accessed.
A tall slender man with sharp features strode toward me on the opposite moving walkway. Adrenaline hit me and I saw his face in excruciating detail.
Eli Harper. The genius who ushered in the new scientific golden age. The man who opened the sealed cores of the alien shipwrecks and delivered the technological treasures within to the human race.
The man who killed my uncle.
His scent hit me, rotten and slimy.
In my mind Wrath unfurled from her sleep, instantly alert.
“Kill him.” Her venomous voice seethed.
He wasn’t looking well. His face was covered in a grayed, unkempt stubble. I didn’t remember him having any gray hairs. Every detail of Eli’s face had been burned into my memory since I was fourteen. Those were new. He had been gone for almost a year, but now he was back. Finally.
“He stole from your family. He murdered your kin. The blood debt must be repaid.”
I took a deep breath. The stench of my enemy tasted bitter.
“Not yet.”
Oh, wow, Kid 2 has the writer genes and they are showing!
I want to read this. I am immediately intrigued. It is a tiny snippet and yet all sorts of questions come up.
Is Wrath some sort of demon or entity that possessed Deidre? But Deidre is clearly the one in control, so it isn’t possession in the usual sense of the word. Maybe some sort of symbiotic relationship? Or are they just speaking telepathically? And what is going on with her uncle? Is he actually smelling bad because of illness or some magical malady or is it just that enemies always smell vile?
SO many questions. That draws you in as a reader. I hope this gets un-trunked at some point and we get to read it!
In any case, tell Kid 2 that we enjoyed the snippet!
Now you have given the Horde a scent.. you know the inevitable outcome… 😉
Kid 2 is talented! Can’t wait to read her book whenever she gets to pubish it (the one she is currently working on)
Thanks for sharing a bit of Kid2’s trunk! She’s very talented – runs in the family it seems! 😊
Wow! Too bad Kid 2 trunked this possible story. Just from the snippet, it grabs you in and not let go. 🙂
The docx file under Final Edit Please for the love of … is titled Deidre and Wrath
If they haven’t made it into a book yet — and you don’t remember them either, ModR, so they probably haven’t — then HA may regret letting us see that filename. We are the Horde. We jump on any mention of new characters/possible books.
I should re-read fated blades, that was a really fun book. great escapism read
Also thank you for this wonderful post! I love reading more about the writing process.
I will just sadly have to pin it for later view as i’m running on 6 hours of sleep and brain cannot process new info well today
Hehehehe, I was just telling Ilona that I am a bear of very little sleep 😁. You, me, same!
That’s why they invented naps. Ah, naps. Lovely lovely naps.
All the interesting things that go into a book. It is somewhat like making sausage. 😀
I laughed when I saw the file name for the Final Edits folder. That sounds like something I would have for a file name.
I also love the “How To” posts.
I love to read (which is a bit weird considering how dyslexic I am) and get the urge to make my own story every now and again.
When that happens, I slap myself on the wrist and say “No! No! Bad!”.
Reading is my greatest joy and I never want it to become work.
I guess I am like the bum in the old joke:
I love work. I could happily watch it for hours…
Re competency… I love how competent House Andrews heroes and heroines are, but I just wanted to add that not all main characters have to be competent right off the bat. I went to a Brandon Sanderson writing panel once and he talked about characters having three ‘dials’: competency, pro-activity and likeability. His theory was that your main character must have at least two of these dials turned up to high, but you could get away with having one dial low. Anyhow, food for thought.
You would really like this article Ilona wrote on competency and the character types https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/the-three-character-types/
“Nevada started working as a PI at seventeen because she had to. Kate became good with the sword because she had to. Sean leveled up because he would literally die if he hadn’t. There is a common thread there: talent isn’t enough. You have to work really hard to survive and succeed.
Even when the characters are competent at something, they still have room for improvement. At the start of the narrative Nevada couldn’t draw a simple arcane circle and by the end, she was able to unpack complex hexes. Kate ignored her blood powers, until circumstances forced her to practice them. You see her constantly training, working out, sparring, learning how to do blood magic, etc. Hugh has to learn how to be a good person, perhaps one of the hardest things any of us can do.”
Thanks!
Competency as used in this article isn’t necessarily professional but rather competency to be a lead. So if you have a heroine who is ridiculously kind, you must demonstrate her competency. In other words, what is the hook of that character? What qualifies them to carry the narrative?
I have no clue what Brandon means by pro-activity or likeability, or how he defines competency, so I can’t comment on that. Every writer develops his own shorthand to explain the unexplainable process of making words and story out of nothing. 🙂
Oh! I was thinking professional competency. (I love how Kate Daniels has all the Mercenary Guild rules memorized and can weaponize them to her advantage.)
“Look at your leads and make sure you actually like both of them”
This made me chortle aloud.
I, for one, enjoyed seeing how the sausage is made. Thank you.
I love these types of posts! I’m not a writer, but it’s really cool seeing how everything comes together and the mix between creativity and structure. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world, HA!
I’m not a writer but I love reading about the process anyway (actually, if you wrote a grocery list I’d probably also enjoy reading that). Thanks! 😀
I join with Rebecca to say thank you to Kid #2 for the snippet from her trunked novel!! 📚📚📚
You are so generous. With not only knowledge, but experience and time. That’s THIS trifecta and why we, the BDH, are hooked.
oh. And generous with books. Lots of really, really well-written books.
There is also “a scene you love doesn’t fit into the narrative anymore, but you love it and don’t want to edit it out.”
While that is frequently a problem, a single scene alone would not result in hatred. We are dealing with larger, more game-breaking bugs. 🙂
But the scene you don’t want to remove can gum up everything after it until you hate it.
Thank you, that was so interesting!
The sausage-making was interesting, thank you!
This makes so much sense, lol. I couldn’t tell you how many of my attempts at books have gotten stuck at 25k to 30k words. Either I don’t like my characters, or I resolve the first bit of tension, or I’m just not feeling it for whatever reason. (I am fully aware I write off instinct, it’s just a hobby for me right now).
The only thing harder is writing a good ending. If I like the characters and world enough to finish writing a book, I just don’t want to say bye.
Oh wow! This is absolutely amazing thank you! I think this will help me immensely. I think part of what I have been doing is throwing the couple together too early in the narratives so far and not really giving them a chance to stand out in the page.
Like you said, I won’t treat it as a lego piece but in going to start something from scratch and focus on giving them time to shine outside of each other.
Thank you again!
appreciate you sharing this info! Thank you very much!!!
This is a great post. Thanks for sharing. Have you read any of the Save the Cat books? I particularly like the one on screenwriting. Awkward segue, but… Kate would be an awesome Netflix series.
Love the comic! Also an interesting read, even tho I have no intention of writing a book. Thanks!
Does the big problem being presented need to happen in the first 1/3? Or can a protagonist have a first small problem in the first third, that grows into a bigger problem in rising action, which then snowballs into a giant problem of new and epic proportions?
You can do anything you want as long as you can pull it off. 🙂 No rules and all that.
But if your problem is small, are you confident it will hook the readers enough for them to sit and wait for it to grow bigger?
This is Burn for Me, as far as I can tell 🙂
It starts with personal stakes: Nevada wants to save her family’s business; Mad Rogan wants to save his nephew. It’s a romance, so the problem presented in the first 1/3rd has to bring the protagonists together.
THEN they find out Adam wants to attack Houston, and it becomes their bigger problem that they’re invested in not because of the initial personal stakes, but because they’re responsible for the city and its people.
THEN they find out about Caesar and the bigger impact conspiracy that affects them throughout the series and goes way beyond just Adam.
The initial problem is still big enough to command our attention, and of course, we are made to care about the characters so we care about personal stakes.
I am totally geeking out on this, because it so echoes the classes on playwriting and dramatic structure! The audience won’t love the protagonist if the writer doesn’t…
Interesting insights; thank you.
This is amazing! We are so very lucky you share your talent and skills with us.
Love posts like this that show how the sausage is made. Gives me a better appreciation for the craft.
I love reading about all that goes into making sausages, um…er…I mean writing! It increases my appreciation for all the hard work you put into your books!
P.S. Kid 2 is very talented, and I can’t wait to read her stories! You must be very, very proud. I think this is the most rewarding thing about parenthood: seeing our children turning into the talented adults we have always known they could be and then witnessing the birth of the magic they bring into the world! 🥰💕💕💕
Only Bad Options is a great read! Loved it! Loved Fated Blades too! (If you have a Kobo ereader, Estep puts some of her books in Kobo Plus. The Section 47 (Sense of Danger) books are great too and in Kobo Plus!)
I remember a writer saying something like “When you get stuck, charge through a door and throw a punch.”
Wish I could remember who. Raymond Chandler? Dashiell Hammett? Kieth Laumer?
It’s not just writers that get a slump in a major project! I work in fabric and textiles, and often feel a pause and lack of direction in a piece around 1/3 of the way done … I’ve come to expect it, it has become a normal part of the process. I use it for contemplation of the piece as it hangs on my design wall, just being present with it, looking at it, letting the emotional feel of it be present with me, and sure enough, in a few days, the next step jumps up in my awareness with so much intensity, that I find myself working at it without any questions at all.
It may be some kind of a “refill” process that happens in our creative flow. We ride that flow so hard to get what’s in the conscious portion of our brains and/or imaginations manifested, that perhaps there is a flow of creative energy that has to recharge and cook around in the options before nudging us with the next wave of creativity to ride.
There is a lot of discussion of this pause that you can find if you google for it, like you suggested, Ilona. It can be found in many different creative mediums.
Perhaps the pause is programmed in, to remind us all to be present and conscious and not rushing the flow of creative joy, just riding it like it’s our dragon, and sometimes the dragon wants to sit with us on a mountain top and just look at the beauty of what we’ve created so far.
Thank you for all your phantastic books and snippets here on Facebook. I have read your books multiple times, and most likely will continue to do so, in addition to every new one you will publish.
Question: do you still offer the “Ripper Cushions” mug? And ship to Germany? Thanks for answering.
Thank you! Yes and yes, but the store is closed right now. We open it when we have a new release.
This is so interesting! Thank you for these insights to your process.
Thanks for the insights, HA!
I’m not sure I understand what you mean by “sense of wonder,” however.
It seems like you’re describing something special in the environment? Sorry to be dense.
Thank you! 😊
You know that moment when Dorothy says, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore?” The thing that makes her say that is sense of wonder.
It is a feeling of being in an environment completely different from your mundane existence. It is the glory of the fictional universe and gratuitous coolness, the spec in speculative fiction. This is why we read fantasy and science fiction opposed to contemporary stories without magic.
fyi.. I love the kinsmen! I would love another.. in either set
Good grief, yes. I am approaching the dreaded 30k right now and kind of lost. This helps.
Thanks for the shout-out for ONLY BAD OPTIONS. I appreciate it! 🙂
I’m a reader who (kinda obsessively) listens to your books as a background for everyday life.
I’m also a wanna-be writer who (kinda obsessively) collects how-to stuff about writing, written by writers I like.
This is to say: If you were ever to write a book about writing, I think my head would explode from sheer joy.
Thank You. ☺️
P.S. Now I’m off to join the Horde in the Wild Hunt after Jennifer Estep.
I don’t comment on every blog post, but I enjoy every single one whether they’re about the writing/publishing process, life in general, your books (including snippets & serials) – I love them all!
Thanks as always for the all amazing stories you & Gordon write. I’ve re-read/re-listened to them multiple times. Looking forward to Maggie & whatever else you release next!
sensawunda is now my favorite word.
thank you, was wondering what to read while distressing on my sofa (house to myself- bliss). Reread of Fated Blades it is
Fated Blades is my favorite Kinsman book.
Your article was VERY HELPFUL to me. Thank you. In my story I am almost to the 30,000 word count and suddenly feel lost. Nice to know that this is not uncommon and you have given excellent suggestions on how to get past this block/problem. Since I got stuck, I have cleaned my oven, cleaned my fridge and washed all my windows while pondering what to do next. Cheers from Texas SAT. Ever need an extra beta reader I’m your girl.