1. skatingqueenlari

    skatingqueenlari New Member

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    Help with idea for writing?

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by skatingqueenlari, Dec 11, 2009.

    Right now, I have writer's block. I know I want to write a novel that has a few hundred pages. But first of all, how do you stretch the plot of the course of those pages? How to stretch it so events can fit in between and flow as well as keep and hold the interest of the reader? PLus, The genre that I like is slight horror and action (nothing gory or all, mostly suspense and ghosts and all), suspense, fiction, and sometimes fantasy (not unicorns and mermaids) but make-believe stuff. Any ideas for a book? The idea has to be able to compile onto and keep adding. Plus, how to develop a character well without dragging on with the details? Can anyone help? Terribly stuck here... will appreciate any help given
     
  2. Marcelo

    Marcelo Member

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    Part of being a writer is to make out your own stories. Don't worry, the ideas will come to you--but of course, you will need inspiration and lots of thinking. I suggest you watch movies, read books, etc. similar to the genre you want your story to be (but remember, making your story comes always first than choosing its genre), that way you'll make more or less an idea of what you want to write. Anyway, hope it helped. :)
     
  3. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    If you stretch a plot it will become thin and fragile. Plots need to be built upon, not stretched. Please read this thread about What is Plot Creation and Development?
     
  4. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    there's no easy way to do any of that... first, you need to become a good writer... and to do that, you have to be a good and constant reader of good writing... then work hard on learning what makes good writing and practice till you can turn out work that is up to at least marketable minimums... no one can give you a guaranteed-to-work formula for any of that...
     
  5. Phantasmal Reality

    Phantasmal Reality New Member

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    Rule of thumb: the broader and more general your question, the less anyone will be able to help you. You're pretty much asking us to sum up being a good writer in one forum post, and I'm afraid no one is capable of giving you that kind of answer. Study the craft. Read stories by writers you admire. Figure out what they're doing well, and how you can do it in your own style. Oh, and write-write-write! Practice is invaluable. :)
     
  6. Delphinus

    Delphinus New Member

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    If it feels like hard work to construct more of the plot, then go away, get yourself a coffee or pour yourself a glass of claret, tune into some smooth jazz, and let your thoughts wander until you find a sudden flash of inspiration. Unexpected things can provoke some of the best storylines; for example, reading about Alan Turing's suicide gave me inspiration for a rather insipid and anvilicious short story. The plot was good, but I pulled the writing off incorrectly. Then again, suicide is perhaps one of the hardest situations to write about convincingly, so I perhaps shouldn't have expected too much from the piece.
     

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