Got That Niggle That What You’re Writing Is Boring?
How to tell and what to do is — eek — it is!
Last week, I was on a roll. Working on two different projects, writing 2,000 words of my new Erica Murray fantasy novel in the morning and 2,000 words of my new romance novel (as yet untitled) in the afternoon.
Then, on Wednesday, I stalled.
I thought it was the routine of it all, so I switched it up. The romance novel spilled out of me in the morning (I’m so in love with these characters, they’ve been in my head for…who knows how many years).
But in the afternoon, trying to get words written for the new Erica Murray novel (fourth in the series) was like walking through treacle.
What was going on?
Maybe I needed a break.
I left the fantasy novel for the rest of the week, focusing on my love birds. When I came back to the Erica Murray story, my whole body resisted opening the document.
Something about the book wasn’t working.
The reason my brain and body were rebelling was because it was boring. The words weren’t coming because I was bored.
And here’s the thing.
If you’re bored writing it, your readers will be bored reading it.
Also, what’s the point in writing a book if you’re bored with it?!
Writing should be a joy (a painful, annoying, frustrating, can’t-live-without-it joy).
Are you worried that your book might be boring?
Being bored while writing it is the biggest clue that something isn’t working, but maybe you’re not bored. Maybe something is just niggling at you. Maybe something about your first draft is troubling you. Or maybe, like me, you just couldn’t care less about what happens next (so why should your reader?).
The best ways of ensuring that your book is interesting is to think about the relationships of your characters and the decisions being made.
Think about it, humans love gossip. We love true life stories and knowing what happens to people, and the same goes for the characters in your book or the stories you’re telling in your non-fiction.
Focus on the people.
First things first, check out:
- The relationships between your characters (does something need to come between them? Do the stakes need raising? Is everyone getting on a bit too well?)
- Your characters arcs (are your characters moving forward? Are they developing? Are they growing?)
- If you’re writing non-fiction, the storytelling (are there too many facts and not enough relatable stories or material?)
- The story.
That last one is the big one and it’s the one I landed on when trying to figure out what was troubling me about my new fantasy novel.
I was bored because my characters were in happy relationships, going to a fair where something a bit spooky was happening but no one had been hurt.
YAWN!
No wonder I was bored.
What followed was a weekend of looking at the characters, their relationships and the story from different angles.
Is Erica too happy in her new relationship? What can I do about that?
Is the fair too cliché?
Is someone being hurt in the fair by something supernatural too boring?
I’m bored by it so it must be.
By asking myself all of these questions and examining the plot as a whole from various angles, I could zero in on just what was bothering me — the plot itself.
Which meant that I spent a good deal of Sunday considering what genuinely excites me about the paranormal, because this series of about a couple of paranormal investigators.
Looking at the characters and their relationships also led me to wonder about the future of the series. Erica is in something of a love triangle (completely unplanned, it was thrown at me in book one by the characters).
If she ends up with one character, the series will end in three books.
If she ends up with the other, the series could continue as long as I like.
Previously (yes, this has happened before. A lot), I’ve rushed into making these types of decisions, under the impression that I had to get a book written and published as quickly as possible.
Not this time.
I’ve spent week so far focusing on romance and client work, which has left me space to really think about what I want to get out of this fourth Erica Murray book.
Not only that, but taking a break from it has given me space to be re-inspired. I’m listening to the paranormal podcasts that I love, I’m checking out peoples stories and the ‘weird’ news. I’m thinking back to the stories I’ve heard and read that I’ve loved.
And while I’m doing that, I’m asking Erica who she wants to end up with, because ultimately, that’s going to shape what happens next.
If something doesn’t feel right, if the words just aren’t coming, if you’re struggling or feeling something akin to bored, then step back.
Look at your book as a whole.
Look at your book as a reader.
What will make it fun?
What will make it interesting?
What will bring back the joy?
If you’re worried your book is boring, or you’re bored with it, take a break and let it breathe.
The answer will come, probably in a shock of inspiration that will leave you unable to keep the words in.
This first appeared on my weekly Wednesday email for writers. Big things are happening over there (freebies, crib sheets, insights and a dose of reality). To get in at the beginning, sign up here.
