I just picked up my novel again. She's so beautiful. So wonderful. And I miss her. And scripting... It's going well, but I find no joy in it. It's too easy. And my plot sucks, but that's beside the point. I think I'm going to drop out. But then I feel like a loser. I now know that noveling is my life. What should I do? Should I stick through until the end? Should I follow my heart and stop right now? I need help.

You've hit what I call Brain of Poo.

Your novel looks beautiful because it's *not* what you're currently working on. Normally, I'd say, take advantage of this project-avoidance energy and see if you can crank out a few extra pages while you take a couple of days off from the script (in fact, if you're ahead on your script, you might try that). But since you're under a deadline (albeit self-imposed) that would be a bad idea unless you're ahead of deadline on your script.

Brain of Poo simply means that the fun, honeymoon phase has worn off and now this is all looking like hard work. You don't quit things that look easy. We all go for easy like hummingbirds for sugar water. So, suddenly, anything is looking like more fun than this script. But if you run off to the novel, that honeymoon phase will wear off very soon, too, and then you'll be stuck with an unfinished novel and an unfinished script.

There's nothing wrong with quitting when you realize you're just not going to have the time this year. It happens. But unless you're going to be unable to write at all for the next three weeks or you're about to have major surgery or you just lost someone, eight days into a thirty day challenge is way too early to throw in the towel.

Try turning it around. Try asking yourself what would be so horrible if you "wasted" the next 22 days finishing a script you hate. You'd still have finished a script that you might be able to revise into something decent. At the absolute worst, you'd have practice writing a script and could now say, "Okay, I did a whole script. It sucked. I hated it the whole time. Script writing's not for me." How could you say all that until you've actually finished a script? Until you finish the thing, you'll have no idea if it's actually any good or if this is really for you. You'll have to complete the process to find that out.

2008: (ScriptFrenzy) Off Season

2007: Confederation (*so* won)

2007: (ScriptFrenzy) Serpentine (won)

2006: The Definition of a Madman (won)

2005: The Mighty Quinn (won)

Yes, but I've always loved my novel. I just needed a little break from her. Now things are back the way they used to be - the way things SHOULD be. And when I did NaNoWriMo, I actually enjoyed it. I felt this rush of excitement. I felt competitive. Now I'm just bored. And 100 pages isn't nearly enough to capture everything I have in the plot. I just know that I was meant to novel. The script - easy. Too easy. where's the fun without a challenge? Too easy and extremely boring. The novel - pah. Beautiful. Wonderful. Evil. Cruel. Heartbreaking. My life.
I sound obsessed. I really do appreciate your honeymoon analogy. But I realized the difference between asking someone online and asking my friends. You guys don't know me. You're all wonderful writers, but you don't understand me as a person.
So I'm going to not ask that question anymore. Your POV made me make up my mind.
I know what I want. I know what I need. I am a changed person.
Thank you.
The script will be a side-project. One of many.
Thank you.
Actually no. I changed my mind. I re-read your first paragraph. Maybe I should just give myself a break. I really, really doubt that it'll be better when I come back, but I AM ahead. Slightly. I'll start again on Thursday. Until then, I'll just do a few lines when I have time.
--
May the blessing of the pen be with you.

I loved my first nanowrimo novel writing experience and NOTHING has come close to comparint to the thrill and exhilaration I felt when I crossed the victory line that year (2005). Nano 2006, SF 2007, Nano 2007--none were quite as much fun.

And imho, the SF forums just aren't as much fun as the NaNoWriMo forums. No idea why that is.

But all that said, I think it's never fair to compare a completed work (novel or otherwise) with a thought/work in progress. The WIP can never compete! I had this problem in my second Nano, when my first completed Nanowrimo novel just seemed so much better-because of course it was--already finished and with some editing.

And comparing novels with scripts-the writing experience is just different.

Last year's SF was really hard for me. I went into the last week with something like less than 10 pages written (we were doing word counts then--I had less than 5,000 words). I wrote in a true frenzy that last week, when I finally had some time. And I crossed the 20,000 word line.

And I learned a new appreciation for script writing.

I still love writing novels. But now I like writing writing scripts, too.

I don't know what you should do, but I'm glad I hung in and wrote a script, even when I didn't think it was all that much fun.

fwiw

Saipanwriter
http://saipanwriter.blogspot.com

I was thinking about quitting as well, actually. Because this is a depressing script and I don't have much time and I'm despairing that I was ever a good writer. In fact, reading this thread makes me despair even more because I can't even novel. I gave up on NaNo two weeks in. I've never finished anything longer than a few pages, because I have no endurance.

However, I want to get through this. As snowleopard pointed out, I can get something valuable out of this, if only the sense of basic accomplishment from FINISHING it.

This is definitely not easy. I'm finally chugging along okay, but I have a feeling scriptwriting is going to be a once-a-year activity for me - I like novelling.

I'm sticking with it because it feels good to get out of my comfort zone and stretch myself as a writer. Sometimes you need to do that. My stageplay is going to suck big-time, but at least I can say that I've *written* a stageplay - that's something I never thought I'd do. And next year I'll tackle a screenplay, which will probably suck even worse. And I'll be equally proud of having written both of them. :-)

Don't give up. Keep going. It doesn't have to be good. It just has to BE.

NaNo 2005: Can't Go Back (won!)
NaNo 2006: In Between (won!)
Script Frenzy 2008: Razor's Edge (here's hoping)

My advice would be just to keep plugging along! To steal a line from a fun movie "Never give up! Never surrender!"

I can't quit because I can't seem to get started. I keep thinking of different ideas on my Script but I can't seem to find a logical flow for it. What the heck am I doing wrong? I know the story in my head but I can't seem to put it on paper.

I have read all of the help on here and still don't know where to start...
Anyone have any advice?

Okay, well, I don't know if you want advice from me, since I'm a dropout, but I guess I would just say... Stop thinking about it. Just do it. Just open whatever program you're on and type in the name of your first character. Make them say something. Have someone respond. If you know the story, the rest should follow. You're just having issues starting.
If that doesn't work, write a scene in the middle - one you're really excited about - and write from there.
Hope that helps.
May the blessing of the pen be with you.

just keep going, my scripts look bad to me right now too. and I'm a little down on myself for a less productive week then planned. I'm on the edge of 50,000 words and I've got 50,000 more to go before I reach my personal challenge. It's going to be real work to get there.

I want to switch back to novel and short story format, I want to read for pleasure again and most of all I really want this recent attack of my illnes to go away tonight.

I've got other projects that seem like more fun right now, but the one thing that keeps me here is thatt I know when I manage to pull this stunt of mine off by the end of the month I'll be able to proudly stand anywhere in the world and say, "In one months time I wrote five scripts, took a stained glass class, desined and created a signet ring for myself, had social get togethers, found a summer job, and still worked the school year job. I did it without computer access at home and I did it while suffering flares of a debilitating chronic illness. This is the strength of my spirit and now lets see where I'm going this month."

That victory of winning a challenge set for myself by myself and above and beyond what I once thought I was capable of when healthy let alone ill, that means more to me then petty distractions or trouble working on the scripts.