Lost in a plot maze

A little while ago I began writing a short story. It was pretty much fully formed in my mind and just needed committing to paper.

I wrote the first few pages in one sitting and took a break which turned into several weeks. Today I returned to try and complete it.

Somehow I seem to have found myself in a maze. I don't know how I got to the point I'm at, nor how to get out of it. I seem to have the options of continuing and hoping it works out or abandoning it altogether.

What do I do?

The annoying part of this is the fact I know what should be happening, but the story won't listen. It seems to want to ramble along in a, seemingly, endless fashion.

I think I'm going to have to revisit on a different day and try to wield a sharp pair of editing scissors. In the meantime I'll desperately try and do some work on my, currently neglected, novel. Back to paid work next week, so I need to get some writing done while I have the chance.

Have a good weekend

Why can’t I write?

I seem to have run into a brick wall this week.

My novel is at a standstill, a couple of short stories I've been working on are just sitting there and daring me to try to move them and I've even struggled to blog this week.

What's happened to all my momentum???

I'd like to blame my cold, but that's never stopped me before. I usually find it useful to take my mind off of things by writing, so I can't blame distractions.

The beautiful weather is not a particularly good incentive to stay indoors, but I have a laptop I can use in the garden. So no use blaming the sunshine...

Last week I had the news about my piece being published which should have been a boost to my writing but wasn't.

I have suffered from depression on and off for some years and have always found writing to be quite therapeutic. Perhaps that is my problem. I'm fairly at peace with myself at present (which is quite surprising, to be honest) and maybe my mind is holding on to all the 'good' writing until I need it again?

Whatever the reason, it has provided an opportunity to catch up on my reading (those who can, etc...) and revisit one or two old favourites. I just wish I was producing my own stories, rather than reading someone else's.

Perhaps I'll try a few flash fiction stories – they might be written before inspiration deserts me...

Stuck firmly in the bog of self doubt...

Well, it's been more than a week since I last wrote a single word of my novel.

I was feeling pretty happy about it until I had a wander around Waterstones; I suddenly found myself faced with the truth – my story has no originality, nor is it what I wanted to write. I seem to have lost my way somewhere along the road.

Result? I keep staring at the screen and wondering what went wrong. The story excited me when I came up with it, I had confidence it would be a good read (I'm honest enough to know it wasn't ever going to be a classic) and feedback I received was positive.

Then I walked into a shop full of books and realised I could find versions of my story all over the place.

I've been writing my blog and mentally writing a short ghost story while the rest of my mind is left to its own devices in the hope it will come up with a solution (I like to leave my mind to do the work!), but at present the novel is firmly bogged down.

I suspect I have two options; either throw it in the 'never mind pile' and forget it or keep writing and see where it takes me. As I have committed all my energy to this project I should probably keep going and see whether it improves. If not, at least I'm writing and learning.

Of course, this might just be a case of self doubt undermining me. Perhaps I'm writing the next big thing (if only...).