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How the hell do you not quit writing over and over again, after getting about 5k-10k words into a story? It's a habit I cannot kick and it's frustrating.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:41
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It's frustrating to come up with an interesting character, but then have no kind of "arc" for them to exist in a story. Like if you came up with Dr. Gregory House. Okay, he's an interesting character. Now what? What does he do? for 1000 pages? That's the trouble I'm having.
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Aug 30, 2014 08:09
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Liam Emsa posted:It's frustrating to come up with an interesting character, but then have no kind of "arc" for them to exist in a story. What do they want. Why can't they get it.
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Aug 30, 2014 08:30
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Liam Emsa posted:It's frustrating to come up with an interesting character, but then have no kind of "arc" for them to exist in a story. Gregory House has an addiction to pills and at every juncture he has to balance his own demons with what he's doing at hand. Thrust him into new situations unwillingly by changing the environment, like, a sudden hurricane causes people to flood into the hospital making a huge influx of angry patients come in. While dealing with this, House notices that the security cameras aren't hooked up to the emergency generators and are offline. It's now his chance to go raid the drug storage rooms while the current doctors are all occupied. If you want more cliche and drama, have one of the younger doctors spot him going into the storage room and have to deal with keeping the secret or not. Voila instant television sensation. Just add hot water.
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Aug 30, 2014 08:31
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My problem is that the premises of my plots and stories always fizzle out, and I don't know how to keep them going. Okay, the sorceress hires them to steal the jewel. They give it to her. She pays them and the job is done. They go home. 
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Aug 30, 2014 08:40
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Blue Star posted:My problem is that the premises of my plots and stories always fizzle out, and I don't know how to keep them going. What if they don't steal the jewel because it belonged to some poor man and is the heirloom of his dead wife? What if they keep the jewel because it has mystic power and use it further their own goal? What if the sorceress betrays them by not paying them? What if instead of going home, they go to the dollar store to buy some some of those cheap stones and sell them as "mystic jewels." Throw some curve balls into your story. It keeps readers interested and, more importantly, writing something unique is more fun then writing something played out.
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Aug 30, 2014 08:52
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Blue Star posted:My problem is that the premises of my plots and stories always fizzle out, and I don't know how to keep them going. The jewel is a fake. She blames them. Now they're on the run and need to clear their names.
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Aug 30, 2014 09:16
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Blue Star posted:My problem is that the premises of my plots and stories always fizzle out, and I don't know how to keep them going. You could probably make a whole story about getting the jewel, with a suitable elaborate heist.
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Aug 30, 2014 09:24
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I should mention that that was just an example off the top of my head. That's not actually what my book is about. But thanks for the suggestions. I know that you need to have unexpected things happen, but I guess I'm just wondering how to construct plots. I have a vague idea of what my story is going to be about, and I have an idea as to the protagonist and a couple of other characters. I also have an idea as to how I want it to end. But how to get from point A to point B?
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Aug 30, 2014 09:39
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Blue Star posted:My problem is that the premises of my plots and stories always fizzle out, and I don't know how to keep them going. the jewel has triggered a curse. it's given her some strange side effects... she needs it back. Unfortunately it's locked in the sorcerers tower... she's gonna need some help. edit: I shouldn't write while I'm this exhausted. Zip fucked around with this message at 19:24 on Aug 30, 2014 |
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Aug 30, 2014 09:58
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I almost never write serious stuff. I write to entertain and I do pretty well. Square peg, round hole etc.
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Aug 30, 2014 14:56
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Blue Star posted:I should mention that that was just an example off the top of my head. That's not actually what my book is about. But thanks for the suggestions. You have a vague idea of what your story is, and an idea on the protagonist and the other characters and an idea for how you want it to end? It sounds like you need to pin down some more things first. There's no point in worrying about how you want to arrange the living room furniture when your blueprints are only half finished. Just start writing, while thinking about the story. Along the way, you can probably think of a lot of possible twists and turns. Start with the characters. Plots are a dime a dozen. The plot is always going to be less important than the characters. The thing which makes your story truly yours are the characters. Who are your main characters, what do they want, how far will they go to get it, and what's in their way? Start with the characters and use them to determine how to shape the plot and complications. Stabbey_the_Clown fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Aug 30, 2014 |
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Aug 30, 2014 16:07
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"But then..." should be the favorite two words of anyone in this thread IMO.
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Aug 30, 2014 18:11
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Sitting Here posted:"Butt hen..." 
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Aug 30, 2014 18:21
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Aug 30, 2014 18:25
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homina homina
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Aug 30, 2014 19:24
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Something else to consider is "how is this character a horrible choice for the position they find themselves in?" That's where fun drama is. Consider Luke Skywalker; a whiny farm boy from a backwater planet who, while delivering a message to a neighbour, finds himself whisked off into a war despite having no experience in combat of any sort! Along the way, he discovers qualities within himself and becomes a hero, but you'd never think at the beginning that the starry-eyed kid whining about going to Toshe Station with his pal Biggs would be heroic in the least.
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Aug 30, 2014 20:30
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Don't let them get the jewel. In fact, don't just let them fail to get the jewel, but have them gently caress up and destroy the jewel. Now there's a pissed-off witch coming after them, and they need to get a replacement. Think of each conflict as a yes-or-no question: "can my rag-tag team of chums steal the car and save the day?" Answer them with "yes, but" "no" or "no, and." Remember, you're not running a tabletop roleplaying game. You don't need your players to go home at the end of the gaming night feeling satisfied to make sure they come back next week. You need to make characters people want to see succeed, give them a task to succeed at, and have them fail horribly. Over and over. The book ends when you've finally had a solid "yes, and" to a major question. Wungus fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Aug 30, 2014 |
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Aug 30, 2014 23:24
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Blue Star posted:Okay, the sorceress hires them to steal the jewel. They give it to her. She pays them and the job is done. They go home. One of the stones was transmuted into the form of a girl who does not realise she has the power of a minor god.
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Aug 30, 2014 23:51
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Bobby Deluxe posted:The sorceress used the stone to destroy their home. They need to find bigger stones so they can do battle with her. please dont post anime fanfics
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Aug 30, 2014 23:56
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I'm pretty sure it's Rocky IV.
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Aug 31, 2014 22:53
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I think I've forgotten how to let myself busy write poo poo to polish up later. I don't know what happened. Maybe it's finishing academia potentially forever and not having to hone that skill for class I whatever, or my copywriting/content writing gigs drying up, for the same reason. Maybe just recognising my problem will help.
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Sep 2, 2014 03:21
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There's been recommendations for the Alphasmart Neo in this thread, but it's been discontinued and is impossible to get in Europe/Novorussia. What are good, affordable alternatives for someone who doesn't want to write with a pen? Preferably something you can do on the couch. A typewriter? I'm asking because I've noticed that I'm a little more productive when I'm writing away from my desktop PC. I don't want to blow huge wads of cash on this though.
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Sep 2, 2014 09:36
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I'm currently using an old laptop just powerful enough to run Ubuntu. Enough power to run the built in word processor, but not enough power to play games or watch videos. Ubuntu because it's up and running in seconds and I don't have a clue how the back end works so I can't install a bunch of distractions.
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Sep 2, 2014 09:52
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Entenzahn posted:There's been recommendations for the Alphasmart Neo in this thread, but it's been discontinued and is impossible to get in Europe/Novorussia. What are good, affordable alternatives for someone who doesn't want to write with a pen? Preferably something you can do on the couch. A typewriter? I bought an alphasmart neo off ebay a few months ago, from this guy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEO-AlphaSmart-Portable-Word-Processor-Writing-Tool-USB-cable-New-Batteries-/251127842391
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Sep 2, 2014 15:27
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Submitted my sample of the novela for the Tor.com thing posted a littlw while ago. I am going to end up with something like over 17,500 words. If I don't get selected, what do I do with it? What can you do with a fantasy novella?
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Sep 2, 2014 16:53
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Nothing, really. Giganotasaurus does take fiction in that range, but after that...
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Sep 2, 2014 18:32
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Shageletic posted:Submitted my sample of the novela for the Tor.com thing posted a littlw while ago. I am going to end up with something like over 17,500 words. If I don't get selected, what do I do with it? What can you do with a fantasy novella? ONE OF US! ONE OF US!
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Sep 2, 2014 19:14
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Entenzahn posted:There's been recommendations for the Alphasmart Neo in this thread, but it's been discontinued and is impossible to get in Europe/Novorussia. What are good, affordable alternatives for someone who doesn't want to write with a pen? Preferably something you can do on the couch. A typewriter? Ya I bought mine off eBay... You can't use eBay where you are at?
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Sep 3, 2014 00:48
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if you need to, you could buy a cheap netbook and make sure it doesn't have any distractions installed or available on it.
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Sep 3, 2014 00:51
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I've been reading more on fiction advice and there seems to be a general consensus of "to be a better writer, just keep writing." I get it, but what is the process like for you when you sit down uninspired and need to just write about something? Does it have to be from where you left off on a story or do you just have a separate file for random writing practice? Where do you store these random musings (I use Scrivener for reference)? These probably sound like simple questions, but I want to be serious about getting better at writing fiction. This includes basic issues like eliminating cliched writing/characterization/etc, writing exercises when you're not inspired, confidence in writing concise details/scenes, etc. Are there any 101-style fiction writing books/blogs/resources for these kinds of issues? [e]: Plus I'll set aside time to read this thread and the Creative Resources (for writing) thread back to end. Teriyaki Koinku fucked around with this message at 14:18 on Sep 3, 2014 |
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Sep 3, 2014 14:14
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TheRamblingSoul posted:I've been reading more on fiction advice and there seems to be a general consensus of "to be a better writer, just keep writing." The answer to being uninspired is to get inspired. I know that sounds dumb, but it really isn't, there are several ways to grab some quick and easy inspiration. One easy way is to look at images of something maybe vaguely interesting to you, or maybe just completely random. Something catches your eye and you write something about it. I guess it's prompts, but it's a little more selective than that. Read something and think, "I like the idea of this story but it's actually kind of dumb" and then do your own take on the idea. Make a Dropbox folder, fill it with word documents. Get into honey, or just bees in general. Learn to admire their elegant design. Take up a hobby. Stop trying to eat healthier, and start actually eating healthier. Start a blog. Write a blog. Every time you get an idea about having an opinion note it down as a potential blog post. Get into animals. Visit a zoo. Look at the penguins for a while, then the seals, watch their large forms cut through the water. Those animals need nothing more than their existence to be happy. What does that make us? How can writing enhance our simple existence. Watch a movie. A classic you keep putting off, something you usually wouldn't. Tweet about it afterwards. Learn a new recipe, something you think you wouldn't be able to pull off. Mess up the first time, but learn from it. Practice. Eventually master that recipe.
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Sep 3, 2014 14:26
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And always wear sunscreen.
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Sep 3, 2014 14:29
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^ All writing is writing, basically. I'm currently working on a thesis and though obviously there's not much creativity there I still have to think carefully about the effect and impact of my words. It's not going to help me with plotting or structure but I continue to insist to myself that all writing is writing 
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Sep 3, 2014 14:30
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TheRamblingSoul posted:I've been reading more on fiction advice and there seems to be a general consensus of "to be a better writer, just keep writing." fwiw I don't really write apart from thunderdome, but I've found that monstrously good in progressively hunting down and murdering my Clever Little Tricks.
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Sep 3, 2014 21:58
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Malloreon posted:I bought an alphasmart neo off ebay a few months ago, from this guy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEO-AlphaSmart-Portable-Word-Processor-Writing-Tool-USB-cable-New-Batteries-/251127842391 Thanks! I've already seen that, but with shipping and tolls the thing comes at 75$ which is a bit higher than I expected and I'm not sure if an Alphasmart Neo is worth that much. I can get a used typewriter for 10-30€, but then nobody had anything to say about those so I guess that option isn't hugely popular?
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Sep 3, 2014 23:15
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A typewriter seems more trouble than it's worth. If the aim is to eliminate distractions, why not save your money and cultivate better focus? Cheaper and you build a valuable life skill
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Sep 3, 2014 23:18
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Install Focuswriter and disable wi-fi on your laptop.
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Sep 3, 2014 23:53
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Wife and kids? Earplugs. If you want to write, you'll write. No amount of baby blankets and pacifiers are going to make you write. Man up. Or do like I do, and plan to man up tomorrow. Or the next day. Depends on what's on TV. I didn't earn this avatar by eliminating distractions my friend. chthonic bell posted:How the hell do you not quit writing over and over again, after getting about 5k-10k words into a story? It's a habit I cannot kick and it's frustrating. I beat this using the snowflake method, plus the plot/synopsis method, plus note cards. Write your entire story on one page. Then write your story, chapter by chapter, giving only one paragraph to each scene. If something amazing pops into your head, (like a phrase, a surprise moment, whatever) write it down, but continue writing your story from afar. Once I knew how the story was going to end, and what I was writing towards with each chapter, it was easy to break past that 10K mark. And yes. YES. Allow yourself to rewrite any given part as you get to it. It is impossible for me to write a book/story linearly. It's so much easier/more fulfilling knowing what I'm setting up. It allows for foreshadowing, hints at character flaws, etc. magnificent7 fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Sep 4, 2014 |
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Sep 4, 2014 00:38
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magnificent7 posted:If you want to write, you'll write. No amount of baby blankets and pacifiers are going to make you write. Man up. Or do like I do, and plan to man up tomorrow. Or the next day. Depends on what's on TV. I didn't earn this avatar by eliminating distractions my friend. this quote rules because it's good advice and hilarious mag7 all at once
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Sep 4, 2014 03:17
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