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PMzyox t1_iwd4h7s wrote

I have a really specific question about writing a novel. I’ve personally been working on one for many years. I have a really good story and have outlined it down to what actually happens in each chapter. Now I’ve got 50% of it written but have the rest of the book to basically fill in with content. I feel like I’m just writing trashy filler for these parts. There are essential plot points that take place over these filler chapters, but the feel of them doesn’t seem to have any soul, whereas the rest of the story I have written has all only come when I’ve felt particularly inspired. I’ve also written and rewritten the half of the book I have finished several times, because honestly every time I get into a new author (for my personal reading) it seems to change my writing, so when I go back and reread what I have written, I decide it’s crap and rewrite it in my new more blended style.

So I guess, how do you write the boring parts of your book. How do you still make them good? Do you just simply wait for inspiration, because that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing so far. I love my story so much, I don’t think there is justice in just rushing it for the sake of finishing it…

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franhawthorne OP t1_iwihbdb wrote

I'm glad you love your story and have felt inspired in writing parts of it. But you can't wait to be inspired for the rest of it.

I have my more-favorite and less-loved scenes and chapters, of course, and I understand that not every chapter will gallop for you. But are you sure that the slower ones actually need "trashy filler"? Okay, you need to take a break between brilliant Chapter 8 and brilliant Chapter 10 to give your hero a moment to pull all the clues together (and your reader a moment to catch her breath), or to move from CA to Chi. But maybe you can take care of that necessary plot movement in just a couple of sharp pages. How much of the "filler" content is truly necessary?

So that's some advice to get started. I hope it helps.

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PMzyox t1_iwiqzxg wrote

Thank you, I really appreciate the response. This actually will help me. I’ve had a lingering suspicion that if I can’t get excited about something I really just need to reevaluate it’s relevance to the plot.

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