How's the Writing Going?

[snurri]

The novel was moving along swimmingly for a couple of months, there. Then I got stuck. At first I thought it was because I couldn't decide what to do with the Mississippi River, but it's really this scene with the guns, here. Right now I've got eight characters in a room waiting for me to decide what happens next. They are asking me things like, "Are you sure I need to get shot?" and "Doesn't all this tension seem a bit manufactured?" and "Do we need to keep pointing these things at each other while you figure this out?"

So there's your update.

Comments

[justinhowe.livejournal.com]

So the old Raymond Chandler "When in doubt have someone kick down a door with a gun in their hand" advice really wouldn't be helpful here.

[jess-ka.livejournal.com]

I have, variously over the last few months, left my current characters in the grip of a giant sea snake, fighting a fire aboard ship, and bleeding on the rocks.

[(Anonymous)]

8 characters in one room is a lot. That's daunting right there. (To me anyway. Perhaps not for you, because you're an amazing writer and all, but ... )
Maybe you should let a couple of them out.

[st-writes.livejournal.com]

Oops, not logged in. That anonymous was me.

[christophereast.livejournal.com]

This is the point in the process where I write something like [SITUATION IS DEFUSED] and start the next scene....

[kameron-hurley.livejournal.com]

GUN KATA!!!!!!!

[(Anonymous)]

That "eight characters in a room waiting for me to decide what happens next" reminds me of Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo when the fictional movie's hero and heroine step out of the movie into the real world, leaving the other characters to loiter about the set, waiting for them to return to the movie so the plot can resume.

Pete (www.petelit.com)

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

Someone sneezes and accidentally fires a gun, then everything goes Reservoir Dogs and someone loses an eye.

[xjenavivex.livejournal.com]

good luck making it out of the room alive

[experimeditor.livejournal.com]

Eight characters - do they all have guns? If so, get an 8-sided die (or borrow one from the nearest D&D geek) and randomly determine which gun goes off. _Then_ go back and figure out why. Push those characters, man! You're the boss! :)