1. louismonette

    louismonette New Member

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    Novice in need of advice and inspiration

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by louismonette, Apr 10, 2011.

    Hey guys! Well, if you have read some other post, you might have learned i have a concept already in mind. But this concept requires alot of research and structure before i start writing. And i dont want to take this concept just to write a simple test short story. So in that case i would be willing to try something less complicated just to start writting and to learn from my style of writing and so on. But here is my pickle. Nothing so far inspires me. I think of simple ideas but nothing really flashes from it. Is it because im going around this the wrong way? Do you or did you start with test short storys or you just write one, and build from it until it reaches to a complete form?

    I am sorry if some of my post might seems pretty ridiculous, but i am really cluless when it comes to the world of writing. But i am really willing to learn.
    Thank you for your advice in advance.
     
  2. Tesoro

    Tesoro Contributor Contributor

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    I have never written short stories, like you I don't have illimited ideas and those I have I prefer developing them into novels instead of "wasting" them on something that will never become anything serious. But also because the story concepts I come up with demands more than a couple 1000 words.
     
  3. dnsralg

    dnsralg New Member

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    An idea I've been toying with, but haven't gotten around to yet, is to go on FML, MLIA, TFLN, etc. and pick a random entry to write around.
     
  4. popsicledeath

    popsicledeath Banned

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    Just to correct a few misconceptions. First off, writing a short story with characters, settings and story-lines from a larger work isn't 'wasting.' In fact, many do this not only because it gives them the chance to work out their style and voice for the larger work and investigate their characters, but you can publish a short story independently from a novel, even if it's the same material. That's potentially two paychecks, and having a short form to offer as a sample, or to get people interested in the long form.

    Secondly, if you were to do this, you don't try to condense the entire novel into a short story (that's called a synopsis, not fiction, heh). You just take small story arcs and write them out as stand-alone. Many novels are just a series of small story arcs leading up to a large one anyway, so it's not a crazy idea to extract such a smaller arc.

    As a short story writer, just wanted to mention these things. :)

    To the OP: don't know what to say. Writers write, plain and simple. They don't sit around hoping to be inspired. They write. If the only reason you ever write is some abstract concept of being inspired, then you might want to change something in your routine (and writers often find inspiration doesn't come while they're sitting around not writing, but as they're writing, so, either way, force yourself to write if you want to be a writer).
     
  5. AJSmith

    AJSmith New Member

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    Louismonette,

    I'm not an experienced writer either. I ended up one day with a story idea I had to share, and planned it all out and all that too. I don't know exactly how I got started, but I know getting those first words down is sort of scary. Regardless, I just dived in, and before I knew it, I was well on my way. Just sit down and start writing your story. You can always totally change how you open it later. Write that opening scene, and you'll be surprised how easily it flows. Of course, I hit many stumbling blocks, but I keep forcing myself to do a bit as often as I can. :) Good luck.
     
  6. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    Have you tried using a plot generator ? Just for a quick short story ?
     

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