How to resurrected dead characters?

[taylormillgirl]

I had my own private WriMo over the summer, effortlessly plunking down thousands of words per day on my WIP. I was borderline obsessed. My characters wouldn't leave me alone--scene ideas and dialogue snippets came flying at me in the shower, in the car, while I was cooking dinner, while I was pretending to listen to my husband...you get the idea.

Then we went on a family vacation in August and I got out of my groove. When we came home, my 3,500 words per day turned into 500. Then I made a fatal mistake: I put my manuscript aside to read Mockingjay, (which turned into an entire series re-read! Twice!) Instead of immersing myself in my own fantasy world, I immersed myself in Suzanne Collins's. That was about a month ago, and I've barely written a hundred words since.

My characters are dead to me. I try to envision the next scene, but nothing comes. I sit in front of my computer, committed to writing SOMETHING, but every sentence I write feels forced and unnatural. I'm only a couple chapters away from finishing my first draft, but it might as well be a hundred chapters.

A story that once consumed my life has kicked the bucket. How do I get it back?

[Holly]

You can introduce a new storyline with a new character.

What do you really, really love to write about or read about?
What's really important to you?

Your answers will be as individual as you are -- anything from gorgeous clothes and fabulous food to intriguing settings to a deeper philosophical issue that the story might need. Go back and put that missing something into the novel.

I did that, and it's taken me a year to rewrite the whole thing, but the story is much better than before.

[Quill]

Hey, we're book doctors here, not miracle workers!

Just kidding.

If you're only a couple chapters away from the end, you must know how it comes out. If so, just plow ahead even though it sounds and feels unnatural. Even if it is super-rough. Even if it is basically just notes. Just to create the footprint that you'll follow later on the rewrite. If you don't know the ending, then why not drop back to outline mode, and storyboard that puppy? Imagineer the last part from the ground up rather than rely on the muse to guide you.

[taylormillgirl]

Holly, I'm nearly finished, so it's too late to introduce a new subplot or character.

Quill, you make a good point. I should just plod on and finish, even if every single word I write is vile and chock-full of suck. But, god, it's hard to keep moving forward when my work is so very bad.

:-(

[Down the well]

This happens to me too. I go on vacation and lose my groove. It's true everyone is different, but I've found the only thing that works is to get my butt in the chair and write, even if I'm not "inspired". Write ugly for awhile, at least you'll have something to revise later. What I usually find is that once I get going things start to flow again. Out of nowhere I'll get that spark I needed and get my groove back. Also, if I'm really stuck, I sometimes act out the scenes. I'll actually stand up and walk through them. I talk to myself too.

[Jessa]

I paraphrase [Title of Show] when I say:

You can do this, Taylor. Stop forcing ideas. That shit is no fun.

I say re-read what you've got, then take a day or two to daydream. Fantasize. Fall in love with your male leads. Make lists of actors who can play them and fantasize some more.

Mmmm, Mischa Collins...

[taylormillgirl]

Stop forcing ideas. That shit is no fun.

Haha! Love it.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! These are great.

[Jessa]

Anytime. ;) I mean, I know that fantasizing, daydream, cast-list stuff is also the eye-rolling kid stuff that we did in high school and jr. high when we all wrote really bad self-insert Mary Sue fic. And yeah, it was bad writing.

But y'know what? It was also fun as hell. And you need to rediscover the fun. Just my opinion. Be silly for a day or two. Be a kid again.

[Evelyn]

I feel for you!

My suggestion is to go back to the beginning and read what you've already written. It doesn't matter how long it takes, just sit down and read it. You can do some minor editing while you're at it. I bet that by the time you've reached where you left off, your story and characters will be alive again.

Good luck,

Evelyn

[Down the well]

Anytime. ;) I mean, I know that fantasizing, daydream, cast-list stuff is also the eye-rolling kid stuff that we did in high school and jr. high when we all wrote really bad self-insert Mary Sue fic. And yeah, it was bad writing.

But y'know what? It was also fun as hell. And you need to rediscover the fun. Just my opinion. Be silly for a day or two. Be a kid again.

I still do this, and I'm a looooooong way from high school. I'm hoping the writing has improved, though. :)

My suggestion is to go back to the beginning and read what you've already written. It doesn't matter how long it takes, just sit down and read it. You can do some minor editing while you're at it. I bet that by the time you've reached where you left off, your story and characters will be alive again.

Yep, I have to do this sometimes to get the groove back. If enough time has gone by that I've forgotten parts of my novel, I can get sucked into the story again and think, "Damn, did I write that?"

[Jessa]

Anytime. ;) I mean, I know that fantasizing, daydream, cast-list stuff is also the eye-rolling kid stuff that we did in high school and jr. high when we all wrote really bad self-insert Mary Sue fic. And yeah, it was bad writing.

But y'know what? It was also fun as hell. And you need to rediscover the fun. Just my opinion. Be silly for a day or two. Be a kid again.

I still do this, and I'm a looooooong way from high school. I'm hoping the writing has improved, though. :)

I still do it, too, whenever I need a break from my usual "just do the work, sit down and do the work, work work work rar" attitude. Every now and then, I need to be goofy again and do the lighthearted stuff. ;)

[sierramcconnell]

You know, when they drive me nuts and I hate them because I've hit a wall, I make myself work on it regardless, even if it does come out as suck. There's a character I have that I like to use. He's my 'driving force'. I try to work on his parts, because he's silly, and he'll do something that will make me want to work on it. Even if I write-delete-write-delete-write-delete, eventually something will come out that I like.

I also take showers with my characters.

I'm serious.

"Character-pocketing" is one of the best things you can do. Take them shopping. Go to church with them. Cuddle in the bed with them. Go outside and walk with them. Just do everyday things with them. It helps to get you out of their world, and slowly introduce you back with them.

Even if they're a serial killer, it's fun to go grocery shopping with them, and it helps you get attached again.

Serenius, my silly driving force, is a bi-polar Seraph. He loves everything and yet can turn cold at the drop of a hat if you insult his Father or his family. He also loves food and can't believe how far people have come. "Canned peaches! Chicken nuggets! Oh! It's so cute!"

Just have fun with it. :3

[Sommer Leigh]

Yep, I have to do this sometimes to get the groove back. If enough time has gone by that I've forgotten parts of my novel, I can get sucked into the story again and think, "Damn, did I write that?"

This! Definitately try this! Anytime I'm in a funk and I don't even know what the heck I'm writing anymore, I go back to the beginning. I try not to edit too much while I go (but that's impossible of course) and I just read. And there are a few chapters that just blow me away and every once in a while I notice I somehow managed to tie things together and make connections that I don't remember purposefully trying to do but it happened and I'm all like, "Holy crap! I'm kind of awesome!"

And then writing is easier.