General Writer's Block thread

Everyone on here says that it's the execution, not the idea. But when pitching to a company, ya gotta make sure the idea is at least original. They're not going to accept the idea of some half demon occult detective solving mysteries and punching monsters in the face, a 100ft wrestler, a team of nature protecting insects warriors, and last but not least, a show about a glamorous, effeminate pop star. To some people's eyes, they're generic.

I know what you might say, why so?

I shared more but he said it was generic pretty much.

But here's the thing— the way all those ideas interplay with each other is the execution! — or at least the basis for it. Obviously the final product takes more work than just having that bare structure, but it's already more interesting than (for example) "coming-of-age superhero story".

In the context of a pitch, the "idea" is just the individual parts while the "execution" is the parts when shown together, and given life by the person pitching it. It's the tone you set. It's the images you put in the executives' minds. It's the vision you present at the meeting.

Because ultimately, pitching a story— especially in Hollywood— is a sales pitch. You can't sell an idea, but you can sell the feelings around that idea.

EDIT: Doesn't really change my point. The idea/execution dichotomy exists at every step.

edited 23rd Jun '17 9:24:39 PM by AwSamWeston

Lemme pitch it again.

Additionally, marketing is an entirely different beast. It's like a separate set of idea/execution talents. I would confidently say my story is fairly unique. Can I advertise it as unique? not necessarily because I lack the execution to advertise what I'm selling.

This makes pitches even MORE complicated.

so I'm going to have to say it, I'm really sick and tired of people saying that if some is derivative of something or has a few cilches, it's either mediocre to bad. I honestly hate this statement because i've been dealing with people claiming my ideas are meh or been done before.

I've come to realize that when people bash something for being derivative, they have legitimate problems with it but they don't have the right words to explain it. To illustrate, let's look at a couple recent(-ish) High Fantasy things.

Game of Thrones is derivative, but everyone calls it groundbreaking — what's groundbreaking isn't the outward trappings like setting or worldbuilding. That's all pretty standard. What's really groundbreaking is how the characters interact (or don't) and how the plot develops. It's George RR Martin's unrelenting follow-through on the consequences of characters' actions. There's real weight to the story.

Depending on who you ask, Eragon is between So Okay, It's Average or actually terrible. People will give superficial complaints like "Eragon is just 'Dragon' with an E!" or "This story is just Star Wars in a fantasy world!" but that doesn't get to the heart of its issues — its real problems are in believability. Characters make decisions completely out of left-field. Deep and truly profound philosophical ideas are presented but never explored or woven into the fabric of the story. And it's for these reasons that certain scenes could punch the reader hard but instead fall flat.

Now. How can a budding writer like yourself use this information? First off, if someone complains that "this is derivative," chances are there's a bigger issue under the surface. Dig for those reasons. Are the characters believable? Do the storylines flow logically?

One thing I've found is that people will forgive absurd worldbuilding and genres if they care about the characters and their stories. Start from there and build out. Once you have a good handle on those details, then you can worry about the specifics of worldbuilding and "making it less derivative."

At least... That's what works for me.

I'm currently writing a sci-fi action/adventure. I'm about 85 percent done but I have one particular problem. I'm writing from limited 3rd person perspective. Twice in my tale my heroine has been knocked out/otherwise out of commission while important events occurred. This means she (and thus the audience) has to be briefed on what happened while she was out. As both scenes are written, they're basically info dumps taking the shape of conversations. Both of these scenes leave me with a foul taste in my mouth as I like to avoid infodumping. My first attempt was to write it as a report she was reading and that was even worse.

Does anyone have any advice on how to make these less info-dumpy?

You could try and write from another character's perspective to show these events, and then simply have it explained to your protagonist afterwards.

You could also do a technique I think could be really cool in the right hands and drift into pure omniscient. Or objective. Take your pick.

Perhaps describe it as Imagine Spot while she's listening to the reports?

Or water down the infodumping with something else in the conversation (making plans about the consequences?) or some action (i.e. talking while dealing with something else)

edited 8th Aug '17 10:39:25 PM by Adannor

I've run into a block with this rewrite.

I just ended a Midpoint Battle. In the original script the heroes take some time to process — a sequence in which one character takes the other to a psychiatrist because reasons.

But in the rewrite there's a new / revised character who doesn't part ways from them after the Midpoint Battle. Plus she has to wake up from a concussion. So now I guess I need to add another scene? One that gets Revised-Character off doing something else so the heroes can do their thing?

I guess I'm just stuck, is all.

Thanks for your replies. After giving it more thought, I'm thinking about re-writing the first sequence so she has her BSOD after the events happen rather than before, it would probably make her character stronger.

I like the idea of mixing the infodump with the planning.

for some reason I want to do a sci fi-ish reimaginating of the Arthurian legends but mixed with kamen rider. I know but I love sentai and toku shows so much.

So basically I'm at a point in my story where Misako is trapped by the local Beast in the Maze, Kotone whilst they are trapped on planet Valhalla... Any various complications that should arise from that situation as Misako is chased around by the Kotone?

edited 2nd Sep '17 6:29:33 AM by sabrina_diamond

I'm having a hard time deciding between using third person limited or omniscient for my fantasy series, or something in between. My thought is to see inside the heads of multiple characters during big events like battles. Omniscient would also be easier to world build with.

sabrina: I am unsure of what you are asking, specifically jackolanter: try writing the first chapter or even a passage both ways, and see how it suits you.

Basically, I'm asking about how to make the tensions rise during the maze scenes when Misako is being chased by Kotone in monster form.

I don't have very much of this story planned out, but I'd like some advice...

So, in one story idea I have, there's gonna be a Big Bad Ensemble, with one villain representing light and the other representing darkness. Both are at odds with each other, while the heroes have to stop them both. I'm planning on giving both villains some redeeming qualities.

The problem is, I'm starting to feel very attached to these villains, especially the light-based one. I'm wondering if I could have the story end so that they both make Heel Face Turns... but would that work? I'm afraid that people would find that ending unsatisfying, but I'm not sure that I want to kill either villain off.

The concept is solid, but that doesn't matter as much as the execution of that concept. I think if you work on getting the execution of that Heel–Face Turn right, there won't be an issue, and by making the antagonists sympathetic, you're already taking a good first step towards making it satisfying.

What are your thoughts on the generic fantasy setting?

How generic?

I don't see anything intrinsically wrong with the Standard Fantasy Setting as long as you understand that you're going to either need to put a twist on it, or attract readers using other aspects of the story, such as a cast, plot, or themes that are decidedly non-standard for Tolkien or GRRM ripoff fantasy.

So I've just learned recently that the word tribe is consider politically incorrect since it delegitimize the less advanced ethnic groups.

edited 24th Sep '17 5:12:03 AM by ewolf2015

How so?

Who told you that?