Writing ... issue? Concept? Question? All of the above?

The thing that makes me most uncertain about my writing is my problem with story. I always have characters and settings and language and tone and voice, but story is where I freeze.

I usually have an ending in mind, even, but it's getting there that knots me up. I think because I don't want to come off as trite, or too obvious/preachy/cliched when it comes to reaching that end?

Deep down, I think I also believe that if I don't have the story, I don't really have anything, which makes me procrastinate, during which the anxiety grows, cue vicious circle. It's one reason writing the romances was no problem -- no matter how wonderful and original romance writers can be with their characters or situations, there is a basic formula to a romance (just like there is to a mystery, etc.), so the overall story structure never scared me there.

Not sure what I'm asking, just ... starting a discussion, I guess.

I have found myself wandering around muttering to myself as I work out a plot. I know where I want the characters to go, but they sit stubbornly on their asses refusing to move. It can take ages to mine their backstories and interactions to find reasonable motivations for doing what I want them to do--and sometimes there isn't one. I guess it's a sort of calculus, you modify the variables until the answer makes sense, and sometimes you find that the answer your solving for is not the one you expected.

I wish there was a way to say how to do it, but sometimes it's just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks in an appealing way.

About the only thing I've found that helps is keeping an eye out for stories in the real world and seeing how events lead to events. The real world is weirder than what you can get away with in fiction, but sometimes the memory of an occurrence can give you an idea for moving characters around.

There are very few new stories in the world, human motivations are pretty consistent through history, and most of them are fairly banal. That's part of the appeal, we recognize ourselves in the characters and don't feel so bad when the people we're reading about do the same stupid stuff we do.

I get that. I think it's just a weird me thing, that I feel like the whole plot should come to me whole, or it's ... cheating, or something.

Oh, god, the sense of cheating! I know that. "If I was any good at this, I'd already know what I want to do here!"

I think every writer has that.

I was reading something earlier (somewhere on the internet) about how authors frequently do make it up as they go along. One cited a situation where, in a book that was nominated for at least one award, they flipped a coin to decide who would live at the end of a conflict.

So ... enjoy your creative process?

Anyone interested in trading betas? Because before I keep trying to pitch my novel, I think I need to know what readers think.

mmmmph I think i finished this book that has been trying to gut me from the inside. gah. (thx to Kat for some insights on things)

now i have to send it somewhere and I am filled with the do not wants.

ETA: sent it. Now dealing with other things. Pretending that it doesn't exist.

For one of my stories, I need a name for one of those rich-lady empowerment foundations, especially if you can think of one that could be an acronym.

Women's Organization for Real Life Dedication/Development, WORLD.

I was trying to think of something for BLOOM, but didn't think you wanted to be tied down to Boston or Boise or Brighton.

Those are both interesting, thanks.