Big problem

P.C Greene · May 26, 2007

I need help, serious help

.
I can't write :|, i've tried writing, then gave up a few paragraphs in,, and deleted my work, i really want to write and complete a novel, i envy anyone that does, PLEASE PLEASE give me some advice, i would REALLY appreciant it......

Thanks.

scarletpeaches · May 26, 2007

Give yourself permission to write crap. No-one says it has to be perfect on the first try.

Works for me, anyway. As time goes on you'll fin dyour first drafts improving.

jhtatroe · May 26, 2007

My best advice is write it. Don't worry about how bad it is. Just write it. When you've finished, you can worry about polishing and revising and doing all those things that make it good.

You can write. So write it.

P.C Greene · May 26, 2007

It's not the fact that i think its crap, it's the fact that i have no dedication to my work, i give up.

scarletpeaches · May 26, 2007

Well if you're not dedicated then...*shrugs*

Writing has to be an obsession or you'll never finish anything.

P.C Greene · May 26, 2007

But i do love writing, i have always wanted to do something with it, i pride myself on my use of verbal formality.
It's just that when it comes to putting it into something constructive, like writing a story for instance, i get nowhere.

Gillhoughly · May 26, 2007

What the others said.

Get Strunk & White's Elements of Style. Read it. Read it a LOT.

Get in the habit NOW of using good grammar and the spellcheck. Capitalize that personal pronoun. Textspeak is so last year.

READ the 808 section of your local library. It worked for me.

Then....

READ the whole freakin' library. (Which also worked for me and lots of others.)

You can make bricks without straw but they don't hold together too well. Fill your brain up with good books by other writers so you can see how they did it. You just want some education. They don't teach this sort of thing at most schools. Every writer I know is an insatiable reader.

Allow yourself to take your time. There's no hurry.

Writing is like playing music. Unless your name is W.A. Mozart, you don't get to Carnegie Hall overnight. The rest of us have to do a lot of practice first.

Good luck!

P.C Greene · May 26, 2007

Ok, thanks for all of the help guys, i really appreciate it.

Anne Lyle · May 26, 2007

It sounds to me like you enjoy the act of writing but don't really know what to write about. Most of us have the opposite problem - we know what we want to write about, but the act of setting it down on paper is like pulling teeth!

I would ignore the advice about reading 'Strunk & White' - it doesn't seem to me that technique is your problem here. You can't fix your writing until you've got something down on paper...

Maybe you're trying to write the wrong stuff? Maybe you're trying to write a serious novel when in your heart you want to write cheesy fantasy, or a potboiler thriller, or slushy romance, or whatever. Find something you can practise your fiction-writing on, purely for your own enjoyment, something you will never in a million years submit to a publisher. If you can't think of a plot, do a Shakespeare and steal a story, then re-write it in your own words. When I was stuck, I wrote fan-fiction. No need to invent characters, setting, or even much of a plot - just wallow in the writing

Or perhaps you have convinced yourself that being a writer means writing novels, or short stories, but you just don't have any stories in you. Not everyone has - it's not a crime! Have you tried writing non-fiction? A blog? Journalism?

The other thing to do is to read - immerse yourself in books and fill your subconscious with stories. Fiction, non-fiction, autobiography - anything and everything is grist to the creative mill.

Best of luck!

Anne

Layla Nahar · May 26, 2007

I reccomend these books: "The War of Art" by Stephen Pressfield (wrote 'Bagger Vance' & 'Gates of Fire'), "Procrastination, what it is, why you do it, and what you can do about it" by Jane Burka & E. Yuen. A book called "The Tomorrow Trap" is quite good for writer's block - she has some good discussions about it, and then, when you are ready, Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way" Also, while it is not a book, I reccomend checking out the website flylady.com - its a site that has tips & a 'way/method' for depressed housewives to keep thier houses clean. Try it for a month (Shining Your Sink is interesting) and then try applying it to other stuff

Unblocked people in general have a hard time understanding how something as simple as doing what you want to do should be an issue. I found the resources I listed very very helpful in unblocking. Things still don't flow for me, and I often have to take breaks, get away from my WIP. But now I have a WIP. Before I just had attempts.

Good luck to you, Friend. I'd love to know how it goes

- ps: I really liked Anne's advice. Keep doing all kinds of things to ~add grist to your creative mill~ Doodle more, go see art & music, you can find a lot of cools stuff for free at colleges - senior recitals & the like.

Bufty · May 26, 2007

Where do you stand here, Christopher?

I see from another thread you want folk to PM you if they know of Agents. Why do you want an Agent if you can't write more than a paragraph or two without quitting?

jvc · May 26, 2007

Chris, don't give up on it, perhaps you just need a bit of inspiration. Writing a novel is no easy thing and can be very daunting. I would try out writing a short story first to see if you could build up to a novel.

There are short story challenges here on the forums which you could try. Come over to the Suddenly Fiction Forum where we write limited length stories (below 1000 words) and see if you can't take part in one of the challenges there. Another thing which has worked for a few of the members of that forum was a challenge we did a little while ago, the Drabble Challenge, where you write a story in 100 words. Give it a try, it can be addictive once you get the hang of it. Some examples of the Drabble work are in the Challenge forum, page 2, 3, and 4 (password is flashed).

Also there is a weekly flash fiction challenge (password is flashed) where you have to write a story in 90 minutes. The prompt for the story is given out every Sunday night in the chat (located at the top of this page) at 9pm EDT and uploaded to the flash fiction challenge forum at the same time if you cant get into the chat. It is a lot of fun to do and is great writing practice.

MattDempsey · May 26, 2007

Get a blank sheet of paper. Write you few paragraphs and then DON'T read what you have written.

Next time you go to the page DON'T read what you have written, just carry on where you thought you had left off.

When you get to the end then you can look over everything.

It will be terrible. But if there are words on the page they can be pushed and prodded until they fit.

Until I started doing this I would never produce anything at all and stall rapidly. Now as much work grows, I look forward to working in the changes that have been gradually introduced in character and mood when I rework the piece.

Remember, your first draft will be terrible, just get it down on paper.

Rolling Thunder · May 26, 2007

Chris, you may be one of us types that need to create an outline for your idea. An outline is good for those who need to set milestones for progress. With an outline you can write as much or as little as you want at one time. It helps with motivational problems as well, allowing you to work at your own pace and not lose the theme or story. You do need discipline to make any writing effort work though. The outline method is a way to start.

Good luck

Anne Lyle · May 26, 2007

Jenna's book 'Outwitting Writer's Block' is very good, too. It covers so many different causes of blockage, only a few of which will ever apply to an individual writer. It's much more useful than books which assume a single cause (usually, fear of failure) and thus present a single solution.

I discovered it long before AW, and it really helped me to see that it's OK to be unable to write when your everyday life is going to hell in a hand-basket and your other problems need fixing first

P.C Greene · May 26, 2007

"Where do you stand here, Christopher?

I see from another thread you want folk to PM you if they know of Agents. Why do you want an Agent if you can't write more than a paragraph or two without quitting?"

I only get stuck writing novels, i am fluent in writing articles.

Bufty · May 26, 2007

Hmmm. I wish you luck in your search for a solution. Some good advice above, I thought.

ChristopherMcgurn said:
I only get stuck writing novels, i am fluent in writing articles.

SouthernFriedJulie · May 26, 2007

You know, sometimes I get in a funk and get irritated with what I write. I can understand wanting to write, but I can't understand why you would be wanting to write a novel if you know you don't have the self discipline to do it. Putting a goal in front of yourself that you know you won't reach is like teasing yourself.

If you are serious about writing a novel, but you don't think you're going to make it, then try this.

1. Write longer articles. After each set of, let's say...5, make the next set longer in word count. Make a goal of 500 words more each time until your article has reached short story length.

2. Start one short stories after the articles. Make each one a little longer than the last, same as with the articles. Make a SET goal of a word count and make sure you do it, no matter if you think it's crap or not. Soon you will be to novella length.

3. Write a novella or two. Follow above directions. Now, you're at a novel.

Crap can be turned into gold. My father in law watches enough of the Sci-Fi channel that I KNOW this is a fact. ;-) Good luck with your goals!

JoNightshade · May 26, 2007

andMore said:
I only get stuck writing novels, i am fluent in writing articles.

So... why not stick to articles? I'm just curious. I mean, if you are really good at doing that, why do you feel like you have to write a novel? Unless you have a story that you REALLY REALLY want to tell, why force yourself into something that doesn't come naturally? Also, you can make a lot more money writing freelance articles than you can with a novel. (Unless you have some sort of breakout bestseller, which is unlikely on the first try.)

I had a perfectly decent, well paying, full time job writing articles and marketing materials. If I didn't have stories that NEEDED to be told, I would still be there. (Actually now I work very part time.) I mean, it was a great job and it was fun. But I have my own ideas that want to come out. If I didn't have those ideas... I'd be perfectly happy where I was. Why not continue where you are until you have a story you really want to tell? The motivation will come by itself at that point.

underthecity · May 26, 2007

JoNightshade is right. It's hard to force yourself to write a novel. It's difficult and frustrating and it goes nowhere really fast.

If you have a story you want to tell, then sit down and just try to plan it out in your head: beginning, middle, end. Just get the concept of the story down. It might take more than one day to do this. Say on Monday, you might come up with the beginning and some conflict. By Tuesday or Wednesday you may have an idea of where the story is going to wind up. Then you can think about how to get from the beginning to the end.

Really, if you want to do this novel thing for real, you'll have to come up with a plan. . . . a plot. Otherwise, you might just have nothing but false starts that go nowhere.

Meanwhile, read. Read lots of novels. One after the other. They're free at the library. These can inspire you to envision your story. And you'll learn a lot about technique.

allen

Stijn Hommes · May 26, 2007

andMore said:
It's not the fact that i think its crap, it's the fact that i have no dedication to my work, i give up.

Not deleting something after you give up on it would be a good start. If you stuff it in a drawer (or its computer equivalent) you can revisit it to finish later or simply read it to get other ideas. Whatever you do, don't delete what you write. That's the most destructive thing you can do.

I had problems to stick to something long enough to finish it. My tip: try a short story of less than 1000 words. It teaches you a lot about storywriting and it is short enough to be a manageable finish.

Dancre · May 26, 2007

andMore said:
I need help, serious help .
I can't write :|, i've tried writing, then gave up a few paragraphs in,, and deleted my work, i really want to write and complete a novel, i envy anyone that does, PLEASE PLEASE give me some advice, i would REALLY appreciant it......

Thanks.

My very first draft was so horrible, it'd make you beg God to make you blind. Then I learned how to write dialogue, then show vs tell, then advance the story. Writing any fiction is like peeling an onion. Take it one layer at a time. I suggest picking up a well-written novel and disect it. Read books on writing, read Uncle Jim's thread, and practice, practice, practice. It takes a while to catch onto the writing tech, so give yourself time. Don't give up, just keep writing and reading. After awhile things will get better.

kim

Stijn Hommes · May 26, 2007

andMore said:
I only get stuck writing novels, i am fluent in writing articles.

Are you sure the story you're thinking off is novel-length? have you planned it out before you started writing?

justpat · May 26, 2007

A writer writes. But a writer must also read. Read different genres and different authors until you find something that inspires you.

Chain of Memories · May 26, 2007

andMore said:
I need help, serious help .
I can't write :|, i've tried writing, then gave up a few paragraphs in,, and deleted my work, i really want to write and complete a novel, i envy anyone that does, PLEASE PLEASE give me some advice, i would REALLY appreciant it......

Thanks.

I find it hard to dedicate all of my writing into a novel, also. But one thing I have learned, is to not wear the idea out. When I usually start writing a novel, the new idea seems so promising and exciting, but after a day or two I get sick of it. So I try to focus more on not pondering on the idea too much. Just think about it when you write it. In other words, you have to let it come to you! If it doesn't, you have to ask yourself this question, "Is it really worth writing?"

I hoped I helped!

I really do love writing!

-Jay

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