i'll take a stab here. it's gonna be a bit long, but hopefully it helps!

i've got all sorts of stories, and they have at least one variation to them. i'm currently working out a major overhaul of one that i wrote a few years ago. it turns out that it was one of those PWP things, and that i also got too close to the main character, turning her into more of a Mary Sue than i'd have liked. if you really wanna know, the character in question registered a Borderline Sue.

another bunch of stories i've got are ones that i've had rolling around in my head since middle school. i've started to write some of it out, and hit an impasse almost instantly! so i'm working on changing the main character as well.

i got this small notebook that i'm writing out all my ideas into, from small scenes to what these characters originally started out as, to names i like for future use (either in a story or for my Sims).

so maybe an avenue worth exploring might be to write these ideas out, and the parts of the story you've already thought of. research is always beneficial, even if it's something mundane as a character's taste in music.

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He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale, and so luxurious in its appointments that its supremacy would never be challenged. And here she is, willed into solid reality.
-Thomas Andrews, Titanic (1997)

Mine has always been simple but powerful. You know those moments of your day that are utterly repetative and pre-programmed? Showering. Walking to work. Driving to work. Washing the dishes. Vacuuming. Going for a run. During each of those activities that can be done with almost no cognitive function, I let my mind purposefully wander.

That is to say, if I have an idea for a world or setting, I put myself in that setting. I run, walk, or wash my way thru it, as if I were there doing that thing. If I have an idea for a character, I put that character in my shoes - I force myself to do, see, and feel as that character would.

It might sounds pointless or silly, but it's oddly effective. Be warned - the first 2, 3, 5, or 8 days of doing it, you'll feel artificial or blocked; but after that first week or so, it becomes so natural that the character, world, or idea blossoms all on it's own, and that's the goal.

I can't tell you how many times I've run thru the trails in North Georgia being chased by wolves or how many times I've walked thru the streets of Seattle looking at the crumbling war-torn buildings all around.

][

Not a bad idea for figuring a character out. I may try that with my lead... unfortunately, it doesn't do much for me for getting between point a and b. When things show up, how they show up, how they do or don't seguay into the next item/event. Since it's pretty obvious the kind of story I'm trying to write, I'll just use it as my example.

I know who the main detective is. (may try your thing though to flesh him out a bit more) I know that SOMEONE is dead. If I can figure out the killer, and the motive, great- though that's another thing I'm having trouble with at the moment.

But even once I get those things all down... my problem is figuring out how to go from one thing to the next. What is discovered, how is it discovered? Is there anything that happens in between? Like on a show when they discover something, something else happens, then they go back to whoever it is that has the evidence and are told how it relates.

I wonder if maybe I should try and write an outline of all my questions. Think that might work? Almost like a "who dunnit worksheet"?

Sigh. No wonder I never get anything written. Even when I have multiple parts of a larger story, I just don't know how to connect them. Which happens to be one of my main issues....

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Remember, Truth is just an excuse for lack of imagination.

"Don't hate the actors for being good at the lies they tell. Hate the audience for believing it."
--Me

Hey, long is good! That means there is thought and an honest attempt to help (which I SOOOO appreciate!!!). Plus, explanations are good. It helps to show the thought process that goes into what you are suggesting, and for someone like me, that's a big thing. I like to know the hows and whys things work.

The notebook thing might not be such a bad idea. IF I can get past the silly notion that one sentence, or even half a sentence, for a plot idea is actually a valid thing worth writing down. Seems like my own psychosis like getting in the way of things, lol.

My problem at the moment seems to be that I have more encyclopedic type info for my story than any sort of plot idea. Things like types of forensics I could use, (you'd be surprised at my vamp biology notes for my world), who some of the characters are, the world, things like that. But nothing in terms of plot beyond "someone dies, detective solves case." And how cheesy is that! *grin*

And it's even sadder when you consider I've been watching crime shows for AGES, real and drama, and I still can't seem to get it in my head how things should connect, be discovered, be revealed in written form, etc. Heck, at this point, I'm debating checking out crime novels to see how they are written, not that I'm sure it would do much.

Blah, now I'm just rambling. Sorry. Guess I'm just sort of throwing problems out at this point, lol. Some writer I am, huh?

--
Remember, Truth is just an excuse for lack of imagination.

"Don't hate the actors for being good at the lies they tell. Hate the audience for believing it."
--Me

for starters, it might help to check out some crime novels to see where they took their ideas-you never know where you might find the inspiration! and if you happen upon a crappy one, then if nothing else it showed you how not to write.

second of all, don't be afraid of sounding stupid, as first drafts are seldom New Yorker worthy material. i say seldom cuz nothing's absolute, by the way. write those first drafts, and later on you'll see how far you've come since then.

third, maybe those crime shows could be an avenue worth exploring? maybe you could take notes during a few of them, and see how they get from point A to point B?

last but not least, every writer has to start somewhere, whether they're brand new to it or longtime published bestsellers; so don't beat yourself up over not being able to get things right away.

--
He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale, and so luxurious in its appointments that its supremacy would never be challenged. And here she is, willed into solid reality.
-Thomas Andrews, Titanic (1997)

it's kind of funny actually. the more i ask people about it, the more i find i'm starting to answer my question myself. I've decided my next step is a question and answer session (sort of) with myself. Sort of a cross between an outline, and a list of the information I need to figure out that isn't path specific. You know, things like the who, the what, the where, that sort of stuff. All the info that has to be found.

ANd I have actually started to take notes on all the crime shows I watch, to kind of see the plot template they like to use for each one.

overall, i've decided i'm stressing to much about how to connect the dots, when I'm not 100% sure what all the dots are. (I can't have them finding evidence when I'm not sure what evidence is there to be found yet, can i? LOL)

and as for rough drafts... OMG... I have one for a story I started about 10 years ago, and every time i try to go back and read over it, to maybe update it and make it GOOD... I can't seem to make it past the first or third page, it's sooo horrible. *shudders*

--
Remember, Truth is just an excuse for lack of imagination.

"Don't hate the actors for being good at the lies they tell. Hate the audience for believing it."
--Me

some of the rough drafts i've got are embarrassing, now that i look back at them. of course those little train wrecks aren't ever going to see the light of day, but still, it's fun to look back and see how far you've come since then. same holds true with any other kind of writing, by the way.

--
He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale, and so luxurious in its appointments that its supremacy would never be challenged. And here she is, willed into solid reality.
-Thomas Andrews, Titanic (1997)

Seems like you've gotten some good advice already. I have a plot for a whodunnit as well, and it's great, and I haven't the foggiest idea how to get it going!

Usually when I start to write I have no idea what is going to happen until it does. It's like a little thing I read about Tolkien writing the Lord of the Rings; he said that he did not know that Strider was Aragorn at the time that Strider met the hobbits in the Prancing Pony. The character developed himself as time went on.

You could try writing around your "dots". Pick a dot and write a paragraph about it, then write the paragraph before and after it. Do this for your dots (if you have them outlined) and then pick one to write another paragraph before and after. Eventually, as the story starts to solidify, you may find that the lines connect themselves!

Good luck with it, I'm rooting for you, sweetie

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~SunGryphonPhotos~Grayed-Out
~SunStock
~NightGryphon
*CityOfArtists

Oh, and congrats on the job!

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~SunGryphonPhotos~Grayed-Out
~SunStock
~NightGryphon
*CityOfArtists