Hard Time Beginning....

DragonTears · May 23, 2005

Hi all, as you can plainly see, I am new here. I just recently started posting, but have been watching this forum for a few months before I finally registered as a member. I was wondering if anyone else is having the same type of problem as I am or if anyone can offer suggestions on how to progress my stories.

I have always had the ideas in my head of what I want to create and I have about 21 different title/book possibilities that I could actually link into a very lengthy series. My problem is trying to find my starting point. I have tried taking notes on what comes into my head for characters, but I only get vague ideas of what kind of people they are, I know what my world looks like in the book, but not sure of a map yet. I have very general ideas of SOME events that would take place, but I cannot for the life of me figure out the filler of the stories. I am having one heck of a time trying to get the first story going. I figure if I can get the first story going, I will be fine, and once that one is finished, I can begin the next in the series. Anyone have any suggestions??

Thanks!!

Oh, btw, I am into the sci-fi/fantasy stories

mdmkay · May 23, 2005

I have no idea if this will help or not but when I start a story it is only with a relativly bare story plot in mind. I just start to write and keep writing until the story unfolds enough until I feel like I know what I'm doing and decide how I want it to end and then I develop my character so the reader will know and love them as I do. I kind of let the characters carry the story where it goes and just keeping in mind where I want it to wind up. It's in after the rough draft when you decide where the story starts.....you go back and scrap scenes you don't need and fatten up scenes that you find are important. As Uncle Jim says you need to find a way of turning off the internal editor off and give yourself premission to write bad....as long as you are writing. There is nothing so bad that it can't be fixed in the revisions.

CaoPaux · May 23, 2005

Welcome, DragonTears! :Sun:

I also recommend just sitting down and writing. Don't worry about how good it is, or where the story's going. You'll find ideas a lot easier to manage once you get them down on paper.

arrowqueen · May 23, 2005

Hi DT. Glad to meet you - and good luck with your writing.

DragonTears · May 24, 2005

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and the helpful information! I have tried to write down some information on my story ideas, but being a mother of 2 (one is 5 months old) and working full time 3rd shift (and currently 10 hours a night for 5 nights) I find I hardly have time for ANYTHING to do with writing. I am trying to create stuff within my mind and hopefully hold it until I get a rare chance to actually put it on paper. So as you can see, time is not on my side lol!

Birol · May 24, 2005

DragonTears, you need to be prepared at all times and take advantage of a whatever time you have. While you cannot neglect your children, this will mean that sometimes other stuff, like cleaning the bathroom, doesn't get done. Keep a notebook handy. Tape recorders/Digital recorders work well, too. You can talk your ideas out while driving or folding laundry. Or maybe you just need a little accountability in your life. If so, you might want to check out the Weekend Progress Report in our Humor forum or some of the other goal oriented threads floating around this board.

In the end, if you want to write, you just have to sit down and do it. And if you don't have the beginning yet, start in the middle.

maestrowork · May 24, 2005

Start typing: "In the beginning..."

And go from there.

You can always delete, edit, add, subtract later. But get the ball rolling. Before you know it, you'll have at least 20 pages written.

Better than what you have now, which is 0.

awatkins · May 24, 2005

DragonTears. Glad to have you with us.

ChunkyC · May 24, 2005

Hi Dragontears, and welcome.

I know from whence you speak. I work six days a week, over 60 hours total. I write on lunch breaks and in the morning on my one day off. You just have to say "writing is important to me, so I'm going to set aside this time to do it."

Forgive yourself if you miss a session here or there, but make sure that at the end of every week, you have made progress.

As for where to start, begin by writing whatever scene you already have blocked out in your mind. It doesn't matter where it ends up in the finished product. Heck, the first sentence I wrote for my first novel ended up on page 300 or so by the time I was done, and isn't even the opening line of the scene in which it resides.

And above all: HAVE FUN!

See you around the boards!

peer54 · May 24, 2005

ChunkyC offers great advice. Just start by writing down any scenes or snippets of dialogue that you have in your head.

I keep a document of scenes and another document full of dialogue snippets. If you write down what you already have in your head, you don't have to worry about losing any of the details before hitting that scene. That frees up your creative juices so you can think of how to get to the scenes you've written.

Think about the steps needed to hit the first scene. Sometimes I end up with a dozen scenes and pages of snippets before I sit down and get to it.

Cleaning up the mental clutter really does work.

Good luck!

sthrnwriter · May 24, 2005

Hey DT. Welcome to AW. It's good to see you here.

triceretops · May 24, 2005

Welcome Dragontears--Don't look at the whold project, and certainly not the entire series. Do it chapter at a time, and start with the first one, and tie the second into that, and on and on.

Triceratops :welcome:

DragonTears · May 25, 2005

Thank you Everyone! You have all been very kind and very helpful! I will definitely try using some of these techniques and tricks! And with any luck, I will finally be able to get the ball rolling!!!

And of course, I wish you all luck with whatever projects you may currently be working on.

Wendy J · May 25, 2005

Hi DT! It's great to have you here!

gogoshire · May 25, 2005

Welcome, Dragontears, and good luck with your project. I would suggest just start writing - don't put so much pressure on yourself to pop out an entire series. Sit down at the computer for a couple hours tomorrow and see what gives.

SeanDSchaffer · May 25, 2005

DragonTears

First, welcome to the AW boards. :welcome:

Second, I don't know if this will help you out or not, but maybe if you took the time to develop the world around which the story takes place, on paper, it may clear up your mind a bit more so you can focus on the story. Taking care of what your world looks like is, IMO, just as important as writing the story that takes place within your world. To have physical maps, drawings, schematics, can make quite a difference in writing your work. And especially so, since you sound like you're planning on a series of works.

Anyway, that's what I personally would do. Whatever you decide upon, I wish you the best with your work. It sounds like you have quite the imagination. I look forward to reading more of your posts.

DragonTears · May 27, 2005

I really like that idea of starting with the world first. It actually makes a ton of sense to me. As soon as I read your response, images started popping into my head and I am about to start writing down descriptions, and drawing a few makeshift/temporary maps to get this going.

Thank you again everyone. You have all been extremely helpful!

sharon · May 27, 2005

Hi and welcome, DragonTears! Glad you're here and have fun with your writing!

jdkiggins · Jun 1, 2005

DragonTears, :welcome:

TemlynWriting · Jun 1, 2005

Welcome DragonTears!

Hard Time Beginning....

DragonTears

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arrowqueen

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Birol

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peer54

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Wendy J

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SeanDSchaffer

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