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What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

Solunar

Treading the Borderland
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Feeling a bit guilty about neglecting three of my novels from last year. But, well, I've decided that I really want to concentrate on getting published, even in anthologies. Plus, my exams are coming up, so I can't devote as much attention to them as I would like.

I finally heard back about my submission, that it was received, so that's a relief. There wasn't a rejection, but there wasn't an acceptance either, so just waiting.

Today, I decided to take part in another anthology. I managed to outline out the story from start to end in an hour. I plan to finish it in the next two days or so and send it off. Really like this one. And I'm taking it as a break from the actual book I'm writing which I plan to submit to the same company. So, hoping this is accepted. (Though it hasn't been written yet!)
 
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jaksen

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What's on my mind is that I write too slow. I can churn out 2K words in a day, easy, and push it to 5-6K and beyond. But my stories require so much thought...it slows me down. Sometimes I need to simply stop and just go sit somewhere quietly and think.

Most of what I write are short mysteries, so every word is important, and details need to be correct.

Anyhow, that's what bothers me - and I still wish I could write faster.
 

celticroots

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What's on my mind: editing a short story. Finishing the first draft of one of my YA WIPs and continuing the first draft of my second YA WIP.
 
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The_Ink_Goddess

we're gonna make it out of the fire
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Will I ever write this? Should I ever write this? (while outlining)

WILL I EVER FINISH A NOVEL?!?!

Everyone is going to hate this.

Am I just writing the same book over and over?
 

catian

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what is on my mind?
nothing really apart from writing what I have to write ..oh and the constand questioning of :
is this going to be correct grammatically or not
it is so annoying that I wish to create a story with no grammar point of references such as pucntuation, just write it and let it be read without any punctuations for example.
 

SerialWriter

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Lord have mercy, this thread is for me!

I've been writing for years, probably have started 150 or more stories and finished maybe 5. Most of them were total crap since my English was pretty pathetic back then. (I'm French). I've gotten much better now (or so I like to think). A lot of the people who replied have things going for them, books with editors, queries written up... I wonder if I'll ever get there.

I'd love a secret destination where I could go and just focus on my writing. There are too many distractions in my life... it's just that this subject won't get out of my head and I think it's because it's partly therapeutic for me. I just wish I could stick to one way of telling the story.

Sigh, sigh... let me keep reading the posts.
 

Question

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RAMBLE BEGIN!

Right now I'm stopping and starting because I've only just started to figure out a solid arc of my story. I don't like writing without knowing where I'm going -- I prefer to have the 'whole thing' in my mind so that I can judge its emotional impact and know what to tweak. Writing and rewriting it would be too slow and cumbersome, and so I use projected arcs. These are hard to come up with though, because I need to create projected arcs that contain everything I want to have in my story. It also doesn't help that I've been really picky, because there are SPECIFIC things and SPECIFIC circumstances that I like, and I want to make sure that what I write is RIGHT, and... and... Well, recently I stepped back and made what I want to write more simple/vague, which has helped quite a lot. I guess I just needed to loosen up.

RAMBLE END!
 

vickiexz

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I'm so glad this thread exists.

I'm feeling very overwhelmed by my WIP. It's like trying to tame a wild animal. I know it could benefit greatly from some outlining, but I just don't think its in my DNA. I write outlines and then I ignore them. I just keep telling myself to keep at it, that I'm just at very steep part in the process, and once I get over this hump it'll be ok. *crosses fingers*
 

owlion

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Wondering if I should put something in or not... My novel feels very done, but this one scene... I sort of want to but also don't.... argh.
 

Lseeber

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What's on my mind when it comes to writing?

Couple of things.....

1) Where and how am I going to get enough freelance work to pay the bills for March and April? (Always do- just haven't got the worked locked down yet so I'm kind of panicking a bit :) )

2) Can I fix my sci-fi WIP so that it actually, you know, works?

3) Would it be better to relocate before or after I become an established author?

Random thoughts that are running through my mind at the moment. :)

Laura
 

Silver-Midnight

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I think I am slowly being torn apart by worrying about word count length, my genre, and actual plot that the stuff I do write (some of it) I end up deleting. It's giving me a headache. I think I might just try to find a way to mix both of my favorites someway or somehow. *rubs temples*
 

joeyc

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My completed draft is on my mind.

It's done, and I want to start shopping it to agents. But it's nowhere near polished. I try to revise it myself, but the only thing I end up doing is tightening the writing and likely not fixing any problems.

I also have absolutely no idea what I want to write next. Nothing new is eating at me, so the current novel is the only thing I feel like working on. But I can't work on it, because I can't make any good and proper revisions by myself.
 

Marumae

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My works in progress.

Why is it whenever I'm not working on this I get interested in it? And why is it that when I decide to focus on it I loose the spark? Will I EVER FINISH SOMETHING? lol
 

J.W. Alden

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Most recently, I'm thinking, "Man, that story turned out much shorter than I was aiming for."

In general though, I've been thinking about another story that's waiting on one final once over before I start submitting it. And another that's made it to round 2 at Penumbra that I hope they end up buying.

Also thinking about the Space Opera-ish novel I put on hold late last year to focus on my short stories. During the break, I've actually been considering just completely rewriting it as an Epic Fantasy when I come back to it. The main story would still work, though at least one major aspect of the plot that relies on science would have to be scrapped.
 

DamnStraight

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I plan on writing my first novel. I'm learning plot and character structure from this site, various blogs, and youtube. I have an idea of characters, but I'm still working on the story.

I'm also encouraging and helping my wife write a novel. She's always been intensely interested in post-apocalyptic fiction.
 

soullesshuman

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I'm writing my first novel and I've come to a terrified realization that what if my novel isn't creative? What if it's boring? What if I am an uncreative and boring writer? What if no matter how hard I try, how much I write, I will never get better?

...What if I'm worrying to much? How do I stop worrying about my writing? What if I stop worrying and then my writing becomes worse for it?

...Oi.
 

DamnStraight

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I'm writing my first novel and I've come to a terrified realization that what if my novel isn't creative? What if it's boring? What if I am an uncreative and boring writer? What if no matter how hard I try, how much I write, I will never get better?

...What if I'm worrying to much? How do I stop worrying about my writing? What if I stop worrying and then my writing becomes worse for it?

...Oi.

I have the exact same thoughts from time to time. Do you have OCD? It sounds like you do, especially the last question. I have OCD; it causes unhealthy perfectionism and intrusive thoughts.

I'm learning in therapy how to control the anxiety. You have to be open to the idea that your worries could be true, and reflect on those worries. The worst case is that you are boring, not creative, and can't get better. Instead of fighting those thoughts and saying it's not true, find a middle area you can accept to be possible:

Your current writing might be boring, but there is a good chance you are not boring and have great creative potential. You can reach that potential by writing and learning from mistakes.
 

Undercover

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Yeah, I agree. I worry all the time with my writing. When I am actually writing and the words are flowing, there's that fine line of escapism. I think that's the hardest part for me. Jumping in and out of my novel. Then there are times when I am just dragging the story around with me where ever I go.

Someone else said, they get ideas everywhere. I have that too, it's like I can almost see my character at the mall or grogery store.

Right now, I should feel proud of myself that I passed 40K words and I am almost at the end. But again, I am dragging to the finish line. Maybe I know why too. This is my 5th novel and every time I finish the rough draft. Totally complete it. I feel depressed that it's finally over. I know I have revisions ahead of me after that. But it isn't the same.
 

Brigid Barry

Under Consideration and Revising
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I am so sick of looking at my novel that I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I went through and looked for dialogue tags, past participles and one other thing that I can't remember. And it didn't save, so I have to start again. -.-

Writing the novel was fun, editing is tedious. And once I'm done editing I get to go to Query Letter Hell again.
 

soullesshuman

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I have the exact same thoughts from time to time. Do you have OCD? It sounds like you do, especially the last question. I have OCD; it causes unhealthy perfectionism and intrusive thoughts.

I'm learning in therapy how to control the anxiety. You have to be open to the idea that your worries could be true, and reflect on those worries. The worst case is that you are boring, not creative, and can't get better. Instead of fighting those thoughts and saying it's not true, find a middle area you can accept to be possible:

Your current writing might be boring, but there is a good chance you are not boring and have great creative potential. You can reach that potential by writing and learning from mistakes.

No, I don't think I have OCD. I really hope I don't. I don't have the symptoms I don't think.