I'm disconnected from my work, and need help

[Caged Maiden]

I started a novel over a year ago, got halfway through, and then put it down. I couldn't go any further, because I just didn't know where to go. So, I went back to my last book, (#7) typed and edited it, now it's all pretty, and then I went on the the NEXT book,(#9) the one after the one I got half done with. So that story, I got half done, and then I had to stop, because some of the details I haven't completed in the OTHER book (#8).
Book #8 has a great concept, characters that are deep and interesting, a plot that is engaging... I picked it up after a year and typed it, thinking that I'd finish it if only it were fresh in my mind. I am now finished typing, and have a rough outline for the second half, but I'm still stuck.
It isn't writers' block, I don't think, because it isn't for lack of ideas that I am not finishing it. I'm actually feeling disconnected from the future events so much that it feels IMPOSSIBLE to get over this. My main character is the heir to a fallen kingdom, saved by a god from a horrible death, but he doesn't know why. His whole family is gone, the kingdom is controlled by power-hungry warlords, a cult that sets the laws, and the land itself is ruined, making the remaining population more desperate with every passing year. None of that is covered in the story, except as far as the history of this man and the kingdom. He is actually introduced as another identity he'd assumed when he'd left the destroyed kingdom, trying to collect himself and understand why he was still alive.
I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LONG.
Ok, so the whole first half is about introducing him to other characters, a few small challenges so we get to know who he is and what he's about, and basically the same for my other main character, who falls in love with him.
Ok, so near the end, the girl's grandfather discovers the identity of the main character, and this causes a lot of introspection, because he had no desire to ever return to his kingdom. So, at the end of the first half, (which is seriously, 300 typed pages, so it's not short) the Main character, and a favorite character of mine from Book #7 go off on their own to ask the god why he was spared. He finds out that it had nothing to do with his crown, in fact it had nothing to do with the kingdom at all, but because he was descended from a dragon, and historically, those of his bloodline were the only ones who could associate with the creatures.
OK FIRST HALF DONE.
My outline for the second half begins with a ship carrying the two men to a foreign land where they are supposed to locate this dragon for the god. I wanted to make the trip interesting, but my knowledge of all things seafaring, is basic at best, and research on the internet is SO hard for someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. SO they also have to interact with the warring sides of this other land, which I don't know how detailed to get with. Then they get the dragon and return home.
Then, he's pretty resigned that he's going to have to join those that still fight for the kingdom, and he heads there to begin raising an army and taking back one fort at a time (Is that even plausible?) My knowledge of medieval warfare is also seriously lacking. Like, I know about weapons and armor, I am an archer and fencer, but tactics I am clueless about. Are there any historical battles that anyone knows of that sound like this that I could read about? I'm just so stuck. I feel like this is my block, you know? I am just seriously lacking in confidence writing something I don't know about first-hand. Love and magic and witty dialogue I can do all day long, but this war thing is killing me. Has anyone else ever been there that might be able to offer some advice on how to get over this?
I have never run into this before. I'm desperately afraid of losing a reader's interest at the second half, hells, I've almost lost my own interest. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO BE BRUTALLY HONEST.

 

[TWErvin2]

Every writer has his/her own style and I believe writes what they would like to find on the bookshelf if they hadn't written it themselves.

You can research on the internet just by googling (or yahooing) your topic. I googled medieval Warfare and the first result was: Medieval Warfare which at first glance would get you started. Of course, magic and dragons would alter the tactics (offensive and defensive some--but that's up to our imagination and that of your characters employing it/them). Beyond that, read some novels that contain warfare similar to what you’re envisioning in your novel. Pay attention to how those authors did it. Note POV, pacing, description, all those things. Then modify it to your writing style.

The same with sea travel. You only need to go into the basics. A lot of fantasy novels have sea travel--even sea battles.

I am not sure the fort by fort method would work out smoothly, unless the enemy did not respond. For example, the enemy must have armies that would move to retake forts lost and also to intercept the army as it travels from fort to fort. Such a tactic would take time. There are examples of it however, even semi-modern: Think WWII the USA's island hopping campaign against Japan. But why did it work? Japan no longer had the naval strength to oppose the USA effectively across the open Pacific. But taking a fortfied island was slow and dangerous and costly in men and materials.

There are fantasy novels out there that could help you. If you haven't read any that might I have some suggestions:

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny (Even the first in the series: Nine Princes in Amber has both land and naval warfare)
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson (The Illearth War for land combat and siege and The One Tree for naval travel)
Dragon by Steven Brust (land combat from skirmishes to larger scale battles)

My novel (Flank Hawk) has plenty of land combat as well as some ocean travel and some combat, but the books above are some that I read and that gave me ideas and inspiration.

Even watching fantasy movies: Such as The Two Towers and The Return of the King would give you visual ideas of large scale combat and tactics both on offense and defense. And movies such as The Vikings or Spartacus, and watching documentaries from the History Channel or similar programming would give you ideas, information and even inspiration.

(I am sure others can suggest novels and other resources that might assist you even more effectively)

In addition to that, I've read and studied a lot of military history over the years. U.S. Civil War and WW II mainly, but also about Viking Raids and The War of the Roses, etc.

To be brutally honest...it will take time to study and gather the information you need to write the second half which will both interest and ring true to the reader. But, once you have, you'll be more rounded for future writing projects.

Good luck moving forward.

 

[Caged Maiden]

Thanks for the ideas, I am a history buff and have actually done a lot of research similar to what you're saying. I might just go back and have another look at those sources, History channel has some videos on Netflix that are pretty good.....
I guess, I am mostly afraid of either dragging on and on, and boring my reader (as I'm often bored by that sort of thing) or brushing by something that a reader might find significant.
You know, I have a few great books I haven't read in YEARS and I remember quite a lot of captivating battle scenes. I might go back and give them a re-read. I think you're right, my "stuckness" might be more a fear thing than anything else, because I'm not passionate about war like I am the other things I write about, but if I gave it some practice, and maybe put my own slant and style on the narration, I might get more into it. I am just dreading it's going to read as: "And then some guys did this, and then someone did that, and then some people died...." you know, boring beyond boring and with no real perspective. AACK I just can't stand to read things when they are written unconvincingly!
Anyway, thanks, I've got some research to do

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

Also, this is coming from an amateur perspective, I would get really involved in the politics between the factions. That to me could offer a lot of insight into the world in and of it self.

 

[Ravana]

For good examples of combat in fantasy novels, particularly small-unit tactics supplemented by magic (and huge doses of general sneakiness), I'd add Glen Cook's Black Company series. For historical examples, I'd probably avoid the internet and would definitely avoid TV (which rarely gives more than the barest gloss on the battles, and which is difficult to go back and re-check when you've forgotten something); hit a bookstore, or at least a library, and look for some of the "[#] Greatest Land [Sea, etc.] Battles of [Medieval, etc.] History." These aren't ideal sources either, but they can give you quick overviews of each battle, so that you can decide which ones to follow up on, without spending inordinate amounts of time on each one. Ultimately, there's no substitute for good research, though: if you want to be able to write it convincingly, you're going to have to take the time.

I would add that very few campaigns in the time period you're looking at were ever fought "fort by fort"; in fact, very rarely did they involve much fighting, period. Supporting armies in the field is incredibly draining on resources. Most campaigns involved rounding up what we would today consider very small forces, getting to wherever it is you want to go, fighting one battle… war over. For that year, at least. This is one of the main reasons castles worked: all they usually needed to do was make it take longer for the other side to win than that side could afford to take. For specifics, you might want to start with the Crusades–both those fought in the Middle East and the considerably less well-known ones fought in Europe (the Albigensian one in southern France, the Hussite Wars in Bohemia, the ones fought by the Teutonic Knights in the Baltic). The "great" generals of ancient history–Alexander, Hannibal–were exceptions, not the rule, in keeping their forces in the field for years at a time, and over long distances… that's why they're remembered. Even they rarely had to fight more than one large battle a year: Hannibal spent a decade and a half in Italy, and only really fought three major battles the entire time. And while each was a devastating victory that would have caused any opponent other than Rome to surrender, he could never seal the deal because he couldn't capture fortified positions, and eventually ran out of allies willing to feed him and croplands to plunder. In fact, the Roman general who had the greatest success against him spent his entire tenure doing nothing but avoiding combat with him, in the process lending his own name to a strategy of wearing down the enemy that is still in use to this day.

As for feeling disconnected from your work: you're on your own there. What might be best is to skip those parts altogether. The characters don't have to be participants in the momentous events that shape their lives; they certainly don't need to fight the battles. "Interaction" with the warring factions could just as easily involve trying to avoid them, bribing them, politicking their way through them, etc. (I'd avoid having them be captured by one and taken to exactly the point they need to reach… it's not only contrived, it's also been done before.) Which fits in well with the above, really: if you want to learn how to portray realistic battle scenes, you'll need to find detailed accounts of specific battles; if you want to learn how wars are won, read Sun Tzu–who will tell you that battles are what takes place when a general has failed at everything else.

 

[Caged Maiden]

Actually I really like your suggestion to interact rather than war.... It was kinda where I was going. My word is complex, and the situation isn't merely; here's the good guys, and those are the bad guys. I have a kingdom that has suffered from bad kings, environmental factors like drought, a small invasion which was suppressed, a religious faction which has gained considerable power, and the loss of the royal family... it took a hundred years for it all to come to this point, but now what is left must be dealt with. The people are desperate, the power unbalanced; some of the powerful land-holders have become warlords, attacking their neighbors, the cultists are on their own agenda, and are outside any law....
My plan was to have my main character and his small supporting army try to recruit the people already making war with each other, but I think I love the suggestion of not necessarily unifying them into one side, but leaving it a bit more... real?
I don't mind writing about a few conflicts, but I dreaded trying to make this story into some sort of epic battle; it's not really me, I write about people interacting with one another... I guess that's why I was feeling disconnected, I was trying to force myself into something I just am not comfortable doing, and I worried it would be obvious to a reader.
Anyways, thanks, this gives me something to think about.

 

[CicadaGrrl]

Um. . . honest? How long do you want this? You have three hundred pages that you feel are solid. I'm assuming in rewrites you will hack some sections out, but frankly you have a book right there. It has an arc. It has character tensions. So to me, I get why this second half seems so dysjunct. For me, the second half sounds like a whole book. It has it's own arc, its own conflicts. I think you will end up with something mammoth and unwieldy if you try to fit it all into one book. That might be part of what you are feeling. You either need to do a lot of streamlining, or severe these books.

It appears necc. to get the dragon, but that journey looks like it takes up a lot of space when you could make it a shorter and simpler journey.

I'd like to help you on the war, but I'm not a war kind of girl. None of my fights are that tactical or anything, really. It does seem like if the country is in the toilet, and the main character could return as recognizably the lost prince, that is the sort of thing that makes people bind together: the magical beacon (person) that evokes a bygone, better time.

I suggest getting a lot of sticky notes and finding the biggest wall you have. Write down every element and plot and character point you can think of on a different sticky. Use this to take down stickies that you don't really need, put up ones that you do need, and move around your elements into the shape of a book.

 

[Caged Maiden]

I have split the book into two halves. That has undeniably been the best thing, alleviating most of my worry because I no longer need a solve-all sort of resolution. I can start the second half with the boat journey and then the challenges at sea, and expand from there. Since I have planned the journey to take some time, say a half-year, it makes sense to separate the issues into two streams that can remain current, but separated in time from each other.

 

[JCFarnham]

I have split the book into two halves. That has undeniably been the best thing, alleviating most of my worry because I no longer need a solve-all sort of resolution. I can start the second half with the boat journey and then the challenges at sea, and expand from there. Since I have planned the journey to take some time, say a half-year, it makes sense to separate the issues into two streams that can remain current, but separated in time from each other.

Nothing to add as such, but this is almost exactly what I did to make sense of last years NaNoWriMo Novel. I had two neat conflicts in there and while I could have done it all at once, splitting it freed up a hell of a lot of space. I no longer have to cram lots of complicated and frankly confused plot into one book, now I be more focused. Hell, two books from one ain't bad going.

If only I could get it finished