Oracle

I've started working on my novel series now (the actual writing part, not just my massive folder of notes I call a brainstorm). The only problem is that I start to get bored.

I have no trouble coming up with new things, and writing a zillion plot notes a second, but when it comes to taking my ideas and polishing them, I get bored. I've already come up with these ideas, and its lost its fun. I really want to get a first draft done, at least, but I can't seem to get past the second chapter.

Any advice?

EDIT: I've thought about it, and figured I might add something. It isn't that I'm bored of my story-- it's that I'm so eager to get to the good parts, that I'm bored out of my mind writing the slow parts. Does anyone have some good strategies for dealing with that?

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Coldwriter

Wow.
And I sat at my computer this weekend thinking the exact thing. I have a sweet body, but my intro lacks as much enthusiasm. I constantly write the exciting things and then once I started piecing together scenes, I get bored as well. The words start becoming repetitive and they are forced instead of fluid. Ultimately, I stop because it's going nowhere fast.

Therefore, I am in the same situation as you at many times. I guess I could recieve feedback as well but when that happens some things I have tried is either jump to another exciting scene, start filling the boring scene with exciting verbs and adjectives, little twists to see if I can turn into something not so dull, or like you said-edit.

In fact, I did that today. I had a little scene to edit because it was long and forced, but with a couple of revisions and some creativity, I got it down and it looks good. For me personally, I just need to buckle down and do it. But again, other comments?

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Destany

If you're bored writing the boring parts of the book, guess what? They're going to be boring

Stop trying to make it happen, and try to find a different angle for them, one that you can get excited about.

I recently had to write the gruelling first chapter, you know, the one with all the back story and scene setting, but I decided to make them more exciting, first of all, by the use of language. Don't be afraid to be poetic when describing the scene or the people. Try to describe them in ways that are artistic and unique. For instance:

"Her eyes were gold and her skin was tawny, she was very old, but no one knew for sure how old she was. She seemed to have a troubled past."

Dress it up a little.
This is a quote from what I'm working on:

"Her weather leathered skin was tawny, though if it was that way by nature or darkened by years in the sun I couldn't tell. Her hair was white and had been as long as I'd known her. Her deeply lined face could have come from Egypt, Nubia or the other side of the Mediterranean. She never talked about her past, not even to my mother who said it would be unkind to ask her about it. Only her honey brown eyes gave an indication of a troubled past though, they too, could have come from anywhere."

There shouldn't be any boring parts to a book. If something isn't relevant in some way to the plot, leave it out. And what you keep in, go nuts and make it eloquent, or give it attitude. Use these parts to play with the reader or the character, or the plot.

Secondly, give the reader a pay-off for reading the less exciting parts by adding little teaser clues to prod them along.

Oracle

I know exactly what you mean by that. Thankyou. You're right. That's exactly what I need to do. (It's the same thing I did for the first chapter, and it made it fun to write, so it's bound to work for the second chapter).

The problem is that my book, being a fantasy epic, has a buttload of travelling. The only thing I can really do to fill the space is describe the setting, which gets a bit tedious. Should I skip over most of the travelling entirely and just keep the important parts?

EDIT: I just thought I'd add that description isn't my strong suit. I'm more about events, and character/plot development.

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Talia_Brie

Maybe you should be looking at a different medium.

Have you thought about script writing, or game development?

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Verago

I had a problem with this a while back, as well.
People told me to use jumps, switch points of view, combine the two, repeat the same chapter from two characters' perspectives, write backstory on the character when the boring part starts and pick back up after you finish the backstory to where the boring part ends.

That was one long sentence.

G'Night.
Ethan.

Destany

How about make the scenery more interactive? Since you're writing fantasy, you can have the scenery come alive in many different ways. You can leave out some of the travelling, though, adding just a touch for your characters mindset and feelings about the journey:

"So-and-so was beginning to feel the strain of his companion's exhaustion, he/she wanted to push forward but they were making it difficult. The leaves whistled and the water bubbled in time with their cadence, pushing them onward. The whats-it-dos-it's kept a careful watch over them as they journeyed from La-la-land to the emerald city."

You can elaborate or speculate according to your plot or writing style. If you're worried about page number or filler, use the space to elaborate more on your characters or plot rather than trying to create something new around every corner.

That's just my opinion, I hope it helps.

PsychoticallySaneWriter

I have the same thing. Except with me, the absolute hardest thing is getting started. Boredom of writing slow parts is understandable, and is part of the process. Try to avoid rushing though to get to fast parts such as action. Sometimes what I do is work on something else until the anticipation to resume the focus piece of work builds. But I really wouldn't recommend it, because you might get hooked on the secondary piece. Try skipping scenes, and then filling in between the scenes. Sometimes it can become sloppy, so do skip with care.

Hope I was of some kind of assistance. If not, oh well. Good luck on finishing up.

Chris

Verago

I misunderstood this the first time I read it.

And if you're bored with your writing, think of it as perseverance training, or don't write it...I don't know...

Oracle

Actually, I had considered game development for this, but as new ideas came to me, I found that a game wouldn't tell the story as well as a novel would.

That sounds like a good idea. I could use the space to elaborate on some character background. I have alot of history that'll probably never be told otherwise.

I have managed to think of some things to fill the chapter with now though. I've found all of your advice very helpful. Thanks everyone.

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Half There

Hmm... I'm having the same problem right now, but I've taken a different approach. I've decided just to soldier on through thick and thin for my first draft, then figure out how to make stuff good in editing, rather than halt myself and try to change the story midcourse.

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