Writing help, please! :)

[roxy]

I've got this really hideous writer's block thing going on, it's truly ugly. Totally deadstop in the water kinda block. At the same time, I'm really desperately wanting to work on Public Enemies. Probably no one remembers that fic, it's been so long! The thing is, the new ideas go off in a different direction, which means a totally different ending to the fic than what I first imagined a few years ago. I'm not sure if I should rewrite the fic--the parts that are still just a loose collection of notes--or try to stay to the original outline. The way I want to go changes it somewhat but not the total flavor, plus I think it will shorten the story. Dean will probably end up being slightly more a victim but also maybe a harder character.

What do you all think? Would you chuck an outline, or try and make the fresh ideas fit with your original vision? And does it matter if the fic is more than a year old? *hides face*

Help me get this fic on the road again, beloved flist!

Comments

[tabaqui]

Chuck it and go with where the story is telling you, even if that means you go 'delete delete delete' on a big chunk of it. I've done it before, i'll do it again. It's the best thing to do. Otherwise - dead stop, brick wall, no go.

Good luck!
*smooches you*

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

oh god, that's like the hardest thing, the tossing huge bits...but I guess I knew that was the way to go, I only needed some hand-holding and some nudges the right way. I'm going to set the coffee pot on and work tonight--it's been a bazillion years since I've done that.

Hah, 'course, right now I'm doing that "housework so as not to think about writing" thing. :D

[tabaqui]

Heeeeeeeeeeee.
I know, it *is* hard. Another way to approach it is to hit the enter key about twenty times, and move the old stuff down the page until you can't see it. Then start typing the new stuff.

Because we always feel like there's some little gem, or priceless bit of description or dialogue or *something* we don't want to cut.

Once you're done, deleting the old stuff won't be as hard.

I do this all the time. :)
*twirls you*