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Damn You, Three-Quarters-of-a-Story!
2nd May 2010 in Writing
When writing a story, I always get stuck at the 75% mark. I’ve already taken the entire world of possibilities and whittled it down to one group of people, one set of locations, one tone and voice. I know how the story starts and how it’s supposed to end. It’s just that I can’t quite get there. The story is far enough done that all the excitement of mystery and possibility for me as a writer have gone, but not quite far enough that I can sit back and thrill in the joy of completion.
I swear, every single thing I’ve ever written has got stuck at 75%. Sometimes it only takes a few days for me to get past that stumble and finish. Sometimes it takes six months.
I’ve currently got five stories stuck at the 75% mark, and it’s driving me fucking crazy. All I want to do is throw them in the bin and write something shiny and new – which, of course, will also then get stuck at 75%.
Art is hard. I’m going to go and watch Prisoner Cell Block H instead.
I struggle with that problem, too! Though it is usually because I don’t know how it will end, though I start to feel/realize that I’m at the point when I am supposed to.
Art IS hard.
Yep! Exactly! That’s the point where I always want to start something new.
I have several stories in a similar predicament. The only thing that seems to help is watching Bones and eating ice cream.
I feel your pain. The only solution I have found that’s somewhat workable is to skip the 75-95% part, and just work on the ending. That way I feel motivated to finish the last 20% so it can be realised.
Either that or set 75% of it on fire.
Hah! at least you get to 75%! I never get past the first percent, as in, I have a habit of getting a really great idea, research a bit, work on the story for a day, get stuck halfway through the first chapter, and then save it under a file name I will never think about again. :< Blank pages are so intimidating.. I know the beginning and I know how I want it to end, but I always get stuck in the middle 90%, gosh. Well, good luck! 🙂
Aimee, halfway through the first chapter isn’t 0%! And to get to the middle 90% is pretty damn good. Maybe you just need to put it aside for a while? I find that can help.
Best of luck with all your writing!