1. rachey

    rachey New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2013
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0

    Hello, writing my 1st children's novel with problems.

    Discussion in 'New Member Introductions' started by rachey, Feb 16, 2013.

    Hello All

    I'm writing my first children's novel. I have about 20,000 words of planning and notes but am now finding it seriously difficult to actually knuckle down and write the book.
    Does anybody have any tips on how to encourage regular writing habits?
    I have plenty of time but I seem to be spending all of it procrastinating. Has anyone else experienced this?

    I'm really frustrated with myself.

    Rachey
     
  2. Banzai

    Banzai One-time Mod, but on the road to recovery Contributor

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2007
    Messages:
    12,834
    Likes Received:
    151
    Location:
    Reading, UK
    Welcome to Writing Forums, Rachey!

    I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing.

    This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work.

    However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirements. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing.

    Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. The requirements of the Writing Workshop don't apply to the contests, so new members are allowed (nay, encouraged!) to get stuck in and enter!

    If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself, Lemex and Dante Dases) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here.


    Banzai
     
  3. Trilby

    Trilby Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2010
    Messages:
    2,097
    Likes Received:
    73
    Location:
    NE England
    Hi and welcome to the forums.

    Yes, I do it all the time - I should be writing now, but I'm here on this forum, just five more minutes. 20.000 words of planning, seems quite a lot to me, Id say it is time to knuckle down and make a start. Good luck!
     
  4. evelon

    evelon Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2009
    Messages:
    609
    Likes Received:
    24
    Location:
    England
    I have scrabble on my pc - I kid myself that playing a game - or two or three will lubricate my brain and improved my writing. I can spend two hours messing about before I actually get down to work. I don't understand, when writing is a passion, how it can be so easy to get distracted. All I know is that once I start writing, I don't want to finish, so I 'promise' myself a game after I've done so many words, or spent a certain amount of time on promotions.

    Sometimes the greatness of the task, even though you want to do it, can be too daunting but 20,0000 words isn't much when you break it down. If you did 1000 a day, you'd have the first draft done in 20 days.

    To develop a regular habit you do need to stick to it, so it would be better not to overestimate how much you can do at any one session - if you can only realistically do 500 words each day, that's fine, after two days you've got 10% of the first draft done.
     
  5. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2006
    Messages:
    19,150
    Likes Received:
    1,034
    Location:
    Coquille, Oregon
    welcome, rachey!

    are you writing a first chapter book, or one for older grades?...

    sounds to me like you're suffering from over-planning... just force yourself to write an opening paragraph, no matter how bad you may think it is... that should start the flow and you can go back and redo the hook later...

    if still having problems, feel free to email me and we'll see if we can find what's holding you back...

    love and hugs, maia
    maia3maia@hotmail.com
     
  6. peachalulu

    peachalulu Member Reviewer Contributor

    Joined:
    May 20, 2012
    Messages:
    4,620
    Likes Received:
    3,807
    Location:
    occasionally Oz , mainly Canada
    I do this too - lots of planning and then I type out Chapter One at the top of the screen and then ....nothing.
    Sometimes I think it's just the words Chapter One - that's intimidating. So I just start a story in the middle of
    scene as if the reader has just interrupted a party and hasn't got all the information or characters straight.
    That can help as it creates an instant flow.

    As for writing habits - I just read somewhere that writers put too much pressure on themselves to get too much
    done in one day - they said just to sit down and write for fifteen minutes - no stopping and do that every day, same
    time to make it a habit - after a while you'll find yourself wanting to stay longer and when you
    do you length it a little more each time.
     
  7. creative_nothings

    creative_nothings New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2013
    Messages:
    56
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    Anchorage, AK
    Hi rachey! I have the same problems as you it seems! I've recently found the desire to write again and have filled up several tablets with character profiles, plot ideas, etc... but can't seem to get the actual writing started. Perhaps you should try some small, 10-15 minute writing exercises before tackling the main project to get your brain in the mood to write! It used to help me back in college anyways... :rolleyes: Best of luck to you!
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice