I am all-too-acquainted with what I like to call the "brick wall phenomenon." I'm sure I'm not the only one, as I've heard other writers complain about "hitting the wall." I assume, maybe incorrectly, that the wall they speak of is brick or some other hard surface... or maybe it's padded? But, I digress.
It's my biggest hurdle when I start to write, and the chief reason I didn't write my first novel, despite a world of experiences and ideas and abilities at my fingertips, 'til I was 31. I might have a grand idea, start trying to hammer it out into a feasible storyline, then get lost in the mix and hit that dreaded wall.
The ONLY reason "Another Eternity" exists is because I dreamed the entire story. Yeah, the details were tweaked as I wrote, but I didn't have to wonder why character 1 was doing this because I'd already dreamed it up!
Now, as I face novel # 2, the brick wall is inches from my nose. I have two or three ideas, and don't know which way to go. I know I'll find a way, somehow, some time... but in the meantime, I'm searching for my proverbial pick-axe, so I can chip this wall away.
Mine isn't a brick wall, it's a pit of quick sand, sucking me in until I can't breathe. Read my post "Ignorance is bliss" and you'll understand. When I wrote my first post, I didn't know the rules, now that I know the rules, they come screaming at me "WHAT'S YOUR CHARACTER'S GOAL?" "YOUR STORY WORLD ISN'T COMPLETE" "YOU'RE OVER NARRATING" and I quietly sink just a little deeper into my pit, surrounded by ideas that are swallowing me, but not making any sense. Does anyone have a stick? I need some help out of here....
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