I am very creative and i have lots of ideas but its hard to write them down, does anyone have any suggestions that would help.
Your mileage will probably vary with this, but doing prewrites or drafting can help alot of people, or alternately having atleast some semblance of planning- Ie, thinking out chapter titles for a long work as a starting point can help to shape it, and thinking out the characters beforehand would also help alot. for example, making a few characters and then charting out character relationships ('this character doesn't like this one, has a crush on that one, wants to fight that one,' etc) can really help.
Another way to help, and again your mileage really varies on this one is to just give yourself an ultimatum and work to finishing it. Saying 'Ok, I'm going to write out 1 page today, and 1 page every __ days after that' or "I'm going to write 5 chapters by the end of this week/month/year" or what have you can help alot.
Really, there is no 'great idea' to help you write no matter what, some people will get inspiration from other places and everybodies working habits are different. Basically the best advice I can give you is flesh out all of your ideas, work in a comfortable setting and try and find a writing style to call your own.
Right down every idea that comes to mind on a piece of paper, brainstorm, and go with what you think is best.
Lay down and close your eyes. What ever the first thing that pops into your head is, write it down and make a plot from it, then make a story.
At 1/26/10 05:31 PM, Earthshine wrote: Lay down and close your eyes. What ever the first thing that pops into your head is, write it down and make a plot from it, then make a story.
That shit is called automatism, and is very good to use when writing fiction. Read some books, research some basic concepts you are interested in or have developed using Earthshine's method and you could also take content from books and re-write it so you can develop your own writing style yet still retain basic knowledge of structure as you read the book.
Do some free writing. Write whatever comes to mind, see where it leads you. If you get images write them down with as much detail as you possibly can.
Do that, and you'll see just how easy writing is. The hard part is planning it out and editing it so its good. But worry about that later if you're problem at the moment if just putting pen to paper so to speak.
Well i think im gonna go and write a fiction storie and post it here when im done.
Well heres what i got so far for ideas...
characters name: jake
job:dealer
location: new york
Plot: i dunno its just about some dude selling weed.
You know how you always have those awesome dreams or ideas while your sleeping or right before you fall asleep and then you forget by the time you wake up?
I tried this thing one time where I put the laptop right next to my bed with a document open and whenever some random idea or dream happened I wrote it down as best as I could and went back to bed.
You could also always team up with a buddy to write. For example if you really don't know how to put things into words then write it down in a really rough draft and find someone who is great with words to go through it and make it a great piece. I've done these collabs in the past and the writings always have turned out good.
Just write.
It dosn't matter how hard it is or how much it might suck, just keep writing. You'll get better and better, and it'll become more fluid and natural as you do it. Its like sandpapering really rough wood, just keep at it and eventually it'll be easy.
If your problem is with your Muse, however, that's an entirely different problem. That I couldn't help you with.
thanks!
At 1/26/10 05:40 PM, Tri-Nitro-Toluene wrote: Do some free writing. Write whatever comes to mind, see where it leads you. If you get images write them down with as much detail as you possibly can.
^ This.
Basically, I find that a notepad and pencil should never be far from you. If you have an idea, note it down, no matter how silly it may sound. When you feel that you've gathered enough information about these ideas, sit down and get writing. DOn't care where it goes, just go forth and type. Tell us a little about the character, the location, what's going on, who you see, the sounds, the smells etc.
Then, when you've done this for a while, sit back and take a break. If you get any more ideas, write them down. Head back to the computer, save your piece and start to check through it. Does it flow, could I say something better and give the skeleton more flesh. When you've got this sorted, you're writing and you wouldn't even know it ;)
At 1/26/10 06:01 PM, Coop83 wrote:
Thanks for all the help you guys ;D
When i have an idea for something, it tends to stem from a central gag or key point, and the narrative at such a point is broken, my thoughts tend to be erratic, so what i do is I get a clean sheet of paper and write down one of those points so that i don't forget them, if i'm aware that it's from a later stage in the story, i place it further down the page and possibly write a note in brackets of it's rough chronology. From there i tend to expand that point, you should naturally find yourself writing very freely, just let it flow, don't worry about the intro or anything like that because what tends to happen is, by writing like this, you'll be fleshing out the world of the story and will get a clearer picture of what has happened so far as you go. Therefore you'll begin to inspire the beginning of your story BY what you have written so far.
Hope that makes sense, if not i apologise...it's late and i'm tired :P
PSN ID: CatFatius
I suggest writing down everything and then building on it. Unfortunately I hate doing that and only start writing it when I basically have everything down in my mind.
Whatever works for you
I can also backup Earthshine (somewhat related, though his process is a bit different), T-N-T and Coop's advice about free writing. I was only truly introduced to it in the past years, but it's proved helpful in just getting some things off the ground. There's not else I can really add to what's already been said at this point, but I do recommend you try it out in different places. Here at uni, they were kind enough to give us all clipboards. I've used mine to just mess around in my house when I'm bored, by doing a little free writing in different rooms.
It really is oddly effective. I've made jokes in stories that were born in free writing sessions, and considered ideas that I might've not followed up on, but for me it's about testing the water before you jump in. I feel that if you try to go all at it all at once, you'll simply confuse yourself and put yourself off writing altogether.
Following up on Earth's, Coop's, Tri's, and Scarab's advice, I would suggest to not try so hard. Don't worry if you think it doesn't make sense when you start, just keep writing until you've exhausted every idea your mind can think up. Once it's all down, then you can begin to organize and structure it into what you're aiming for.
well, i might not be much help with stories. Dont get me wrong, i can write a good story, but sometimes i get carried away with descriptions, and the plot suffers.
Id say poetry is my forté. My work is usually quite cryptic and discreet, so you have to grasp your own meaning from it. And of course, your interpritation cant be wrong, i like to think my work will hold a special meaning to each individual.
The best advice i can give is write what you know. theres no point trying to express emotion on a subject you have little knowledge about, it wont come across right and wont flow.
Just write from the heart mate, thats the key.
