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I'm an aspiring writer of fantasy and historical fiction who has a few short stories under his belt, but no novels, and right now I'm frustrated with the whole writing process. One of my problems involves plotting. I can think up settings and characters fairly easily, but not so much plots that could sustain a full novel. When writing short stories, sometimes I can generate a whole plot in my head after winging or pantsing the first scene or moment, but I don't know if this approach could work for longer stories. I do know that I need to have a setting at least partly developed before beginning to write, which brings me to the second problem: research. Researching isn't necessarily hard per se, but the sheer volume I have to do before writing certain stories intimidates me. I worry that by the time I finish researching a certain subject I might lose enthusiasm in my original idea or get distracted by another. Speaking of distractions and losing enthusiasm, that may be my biggest problem. My muse is extremely fickle and short-lived. Often I get all excited about an idea but over time burn out on it, get distracted by another idea, or most commonly realize inherent flaws in the original idea and thus can't continue the story. I am not the kind of guy who can slog on with a story after losing inspiration or realizing its basic flaws. I really want to write novels someday, but I have lost confidence in myself.
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Aug 11, 2012 20:00
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| # ¿ May 6, 2024 22:05 |
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HiddenGecko posted:It just sounds like you're still figuring out your own personal process, which is going to unique to everyone. You should stick with it until you produce material that you're satisfied with and/or your beta readers are satisfied with. Everyone has a different method. For example, I figure out how my story is going to start and I make sure I know the ending before I start writing, everything in between is up for grabs as far as I'm concerned. Even then, your tools will also dictate your process to some degree. I use Scrivener and am starting to write in a rather non-linear pattern and rewriting later when I have all the little bits I want, then I just slap on some glue and moulding. If you're using Word or GoogleDocs you might be writing in a linear fashion from start to finish, which has its strengths and weaknesses. But in the end it boils down to what works and what gets the job done, which is going to be different for everyone, you should just keep at it until you find this process for yourself. I have Scrivener too, but haven't used it in a while (dunno why). In the past I did like its organization system. quote:gently caress your muse, you tell that muse to get in the drivers seat and do his or her job. Writers are not at the behest of muses and writers who find themselves chained to some farcical notion that they need to be inspired when they're writing never get anything done because they have to be "in the mood" before getting to it. Your first draft will be poo poo, your second draft will be a little less lovely, you won't be happy with your final draft. If you can get in the mindset that you have to compromise the ability of your your manuscript to work with the vision in your head you'll be off to a good start. You raise great points. I do need to shut up my inner critic and stop being a perfectionist, as that has never gotten me anywhere. Thanks a lot!
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Aug 11, 2012 20:48
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