Does anybody have an idea that has been simmering in their mind for a while, an idea they deem to be so great and significant and full of potential that they're actually afraid to write it. They're concerned that when the idea is written down as a scene it might not be as brilliant as they envisioned. It might highlight their lack of skill in converting a complex idea into written words.
I have a few in my head that I'm a bit intimidated by, but I think with enough research I can get it down as I see it in my head. Perhaps it only takes courage, research, and determination to get that tough idea out for someone to read.
/\ I don't even tend to write stories that involve a lot of heavy research. I fear I'm just lazy :redface:
Absolutely. If there's a scene I'm super excited to write then I'm bound to be anxious about it too but still I'll dive into it head first when the time comes. Hesitating won't get it written.
I have a story I know I don't have enough knowledge of the justice system to write yet. On several occasions I have tried to fake my way through it by studying various justice dramas like Law and Order: SVU, but clearly I need to actually get a book and read... and I'm far too lazy to do such a thing. That laziness in addition to me not really knowing the middle of the story leaves me very unmotivated and almost scared to write.
I finally got to one of the scenes I was excited most about writing in my novel, and I was terrified I was going to screw it up. I ended up writing the first sentence about five or six times before i felt I could actually start, and by the end of it I was so "in the zone" and loving it that it came out, in my opinion, as one of the best I've written so far. I have a few ideas in my head of things I'd love to write, but I just don't think I'm quite "ready". In terms of ability and dedication, because I know that if I start it and don't do as well as I hope for them, that I'll be really disappointed in myself. Almost as if writing it and not doing it the best it can be will be ruining the idea (when I know that I can always re-write, re-write, re-write if it's not brilliant first time!) It's all just a bit irrational, really, but yeah, I get it too.
I don't get scared of my plots, but sometimes they're hard to flesh out because they're complicated for me. Not undoable, just hard.
Of course! It's the no.1 cause of writers' block, according to the author Joe Hill (twitter Q & A). We struggle because we're afraid we aren't capable, or that our families and friends won't approve. Joe Hill's answer was simple - forget all that and just write the damn thing. I have to say, I agree completely. I've produced some of my best, most-improved work when I've tossed all my inhibitions out the window and taken a risk. I've also produced some of my worst writing this way, but I'd rather learn from my mistakes early on.
I tend to be the complete opposite, for better or worse. I'm extremely slow and work on each idea for a very long time until i feel it's as good as it can be. I come out with less rubbish, but I would second all of the above comments and say that simply writing is the way to go. You can re-work something a million times if you want, but only once you've gotten the first draft down. I agree that it is very easy to build an idea up in your head and feel daunted when it comes to putting pen to paper. But the longer you wait, the greater the task is likely to seem. If I reach a point where I'm thinking I absolutely can't do this at the moment, I might take a few weeks break from that idea and revisit it later, possibly work on another project in between.
I have two brilliant, magnificent, wonderful, epic ideas which so far I have been unable to write because I do not feel I could do them justice yet. I tried starting one as a novel but only finished one chapter which I was very unhappy with, and I tried starting another as a screenplay but did not get past creating a save file and title.
No... What frightens me is even daring to think the idea would be perfectly written down the first time anyway, or that I'd stop there and forget the fact I have my entire life to work it out on paper and get it right.
I usually find that when I start skirting around profanities and adult language that the scenes start falling apart, and I get worried about writing things that strong. However as soon as I remember 'it's all private no one is reading anything yet' I feel a lot better about it. I somehow feel my grandparents or someone looming over my shoulder going, 'oh gosh that's terrible language.' I've always fallen head first into epic ideas I've had (and crucified them!) so I'm not worried now. It's not like I can get any worse - surely I must always be getting better!
I have had the same basic idea in my head for more than 20 years in total, developing it further and further and even though I sometimes fear I won't be able to catch every aspect of it in my writing I still have no fear in trying, actually it is the most stimulating thing. I love how I feel when I sort of sink into writing it, it's like disappearing to the outside world and I love that. And I will work on it until I get the feeling I want about it.
I hate it when that happens to me. There's not much worse IMO than having a great idea and not having it come out like it seemed to in your mind.
I know the thread is a few days old, but I had to drop in and say THANK YOU to the person who posted it!!!! I just joined the forum today. I was hoping to discover that I might not be alone on the road to insanity! My novel has been brewing in my head for about 4 months now, with virtually nothing written. I'm reading all these comments and breathing a massive sigh of relief as I'm reading them. A huge, complicated idea for a story? So unsure as to whether or not you can pull it off? Too scared to write? Oh MAN can I relate to that!!!! Thank fu^&%^ing GOD for the forum!!!! Now for a big deep breath and a dive in. x
I actually quite like this sensation. It can be frustrating, but it gives me something to get passionate about and something to get my teeth into. When I get an overwhelming or terrifying idea that might not succeed, I actually quite like it and I get torn into it straight away. And usually, my fears are correct, it isn't as great written down. but any idea that gives you that feeling in the first place is worth pursuing in my opinion.
No, I get excited by the ideas. Often times... I have SO many ideas that it can be overwhelming, but I can usually keep a handle on them. The thing that I hate is the idea is brilliant but I just don't have enough knowledge on the subject... and the subject is like law or medicine, where I want it to be realistic, but don't know even where to begin or how to research. I hate the research part. It's even worse when trying to find a book that has similar ideas to yours but you can't find any novels that are similar. It makes the experience worse, but I found that it's better to worry about those parts when you get there instead of at the beginning because you'll never get anything done the other way.
This happens to me too. One of my characters has PTSD and trying to write that is difficult, because I'm nervous that I'm not representing it correctly or giving enough attention to how serious it is.
