If it's true you're screwed because you would already have written and sold a novel if you had it in you. But then, if it was true people who have that gift wouldn't have to be taught to read, or write, or grammar, or punctuation. In the real world talent is the name we give to the ability to learn some field more quickly than most. So maybe you have talent for writing fiction and maybe you don't. But you'll never learn which it is till you take steps to train that talent. Yeah, right. with no effort on our part it just comes to us and we sit down and turn out deathless prose. Seriously, did you do anything toward finding out what the pros have to say about that? Have you missed the fact that they offer four year degree courses in professional fiction writing? Don't you think that at least some of what they teach might be necessary? Get rid of the belief that the story idea is what's needed, because story comes in a distant second to writing technique. And that's a learned skill. Unless your writing in and of itself, can capture the attention of the reader they'll desert you before the end of page one. And what good will that good idea do you if they never get to it? You, like everyone else who went through the public educational system spent twelve years of your life learning a general skill we call writing. Before you can write as a pro, you need the knowledge that a pro takes for granted. In that, the fiction writing section of the public library is a great resource to at least make you know what you need to know. “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” ~ Mark Twain
Couple of random thoughts... 1) You have a collection of detached scenes. Have you ever tried to do an outline of your story? I dismissed outlines for years as a colossal waste of time. I also didn't complete a single novel, until I did a rudimentary outline of a story and made notes about the characters, etc. That was back in August or September. I finished my first novel in December. The outline gave me a road map to follow, and the individual 'scenes' in my head were far easier to assemble with it. 2) The time it takes to write will vary greatly, simply because everyone spends a different amount of time working on a project. I've worked diligently for 3-4 hours every single evening; longer on weekends. I've also let the thing sit for a week when I felt I needed a break. Some people only have an hour a day to write. Others may have an entire day, every day. You can't put a clock on writing a book. 3) Worrying about your project being 'interesting' is a waste of time. If it's interesting to you, then it's interesting. Your next task is to make it a desirable 'telling'. I didn't get my first, best idea until I was 47, and I'd been wanting to be a writer since I was in high school. It came to me in a dream, and it took me 2 years to even start writing it. 4) Do you need talent? Yes, I think so. I have a 'gift' of wordcraft. Don't know where I got it, but it's there. The ability to string words together fluidly doesn't necessarily make me a good storyteller though. I think that is a bit of talent, but can also be learned by reading others. The ability to use words can also be learned, but you also need some talent there, too. I think the OP has the ability to write, but may need to hone the storytelling aspect. 5) Final thought: when the magic happens, you'll know it. The entire novel won't write itself, but you'll start filling pages in a way that just feels natural and right...and you'll know you're onto something. When, exactly, that will happen no one can tell you.
Apologies if this reply is overly long, but here goes ... From experience and talking to various writers over the years, whether a novel will ever be written let alone published, depends on four basic things: How do I write? Writers can preach the different methods but in the end it's what works for you. I know writers who meticulously plan the whole story like it's a business plan rather than a work of art. Having tried it, planning tells you if you have a good story and removes those dead-ends, like someone giving you the solution before you go into the maze. But that spoils the fun - there are few surprises when you plan. And then some writers really don't have an idea beyond a handful of characters and they hope or believe that the idea will come along during the writing. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't and they write 90,000 words of nothing but characterisation without a plot. But then having a good idea without good characters, or, as mentioned a few times already, without the skills to write the good idea into a good book, won't help either. Especially if you don't have the time or space to learn those skills ... Where do I write? Your writing environment can be as important as all the talent and skills in the world, because from my own experiences, having the time to sit down with a clear head is a big factor as to whether you can actually get the book written. If you are tired, distracted, demotivated, it doesn't matter if the book will be great because you'll never get the chance to write it. Writing with kids on the arm, with neighbours playing loud music until three in the morning, writing on the bus or train, in a crowded room, can't be easy either. When you've got illness in the family, or you have an erratic illness yourself, either physical or mental, can greatly affect your writing. Depression is the killer of motivation, and sometimes writers can get depressed because they can't write, which means they write less, a vicious circle worse than writer's block. Then there are stresses in the working life, such as too much pressure from management, the threat of redundancy etc etc, or pressures in personal life with relationships or the lack of relationships. Like all the great scientific discoveries, the environment for writing appears to be a big factor with its success. It effects whether you are even allowed to sit down at the keyboard or put pen to paper. And that's even without another big factor: motivation… Why do I want to write? I've seen it in other forums, though not as much here, but there are a lot of writers who think to themselves "I want to make lots of money like JK Rowling, or Stephanie Myers. They write books, and it can't be that hard to write a book, can it?" That may be simplifying the thought processes of some, but I'm amazed how many aspiring writers are only writing because they want to be like Myers, Rowling, King etc. because, like entering the lottery, they believe that one day they'll earn millions. Don't get me wrong, there are authors out there who will only write for money, and confess they wouldn't even bother if they weren't being paid (Jeffrey Deaver springs to mind). But there are also writers who would write even if they weren't paid because they have a love of story-telling and the written word (Stephen King springs to mind). I'm not going argue one approach is better than the other (if it's right for them, then it's right) but I'd argue writing purely for profit does little for motivating aspiring writers when the going gets hard. The advice I've been given and passed on since is that there are easier careers than writing. If you are smart enough to write a good book, you're smart enough to get a well-paid job, and the odds of being in a well-paid job are better than being a writer earning a similar amount. In other words, if you're only doing this for money, the odds of you earning enough to live on are about the same as winning the lottery. Really, your heart won't be in it. And writing is about passion. Passion is a great motivator to sit down every day and write, whether the writing works or not. If that passion springs from an earlier desire to write from youth, that might be enough to motivate you to write when you get older, but there is no guarantee you'll capture the same inspiration and the will to write you had when you were younger. In fact in can do the opposite. I have a friend who was a prolific writer when he was a teenager, writing a book a year. Now he's lucky to finish one every five to six years, yet he is always comparing that productivity which does him no favours, sinking him into a deep depression whenever he looks at his writing. He recognises that his environment has changed, but still the spectre of that prolific writer haunts him, even though now he is a much better writer. Which brings me nicely to … Can I write? I'd go with the argument that writing can be taught, either in the class-room, or through interaction with writers on forums like these, and through reading lots of books, and through writing regularly. Also the advice of professionals is important (again through forums like this, but also through their own writing-books; I'm reading a great one at the moment called Wonder Book by Jeff Vandermeer). The skills (or tricks) of writing can be learnt by reading and doing (doing is really important - it's like playing sports; reading about how you can execute a perfect jump on a snowboard is a different world to actually trying it yourself), but I would also go along with the ability argument: if you are born with it, it can make life easier. I say ability, not talent, because having a vivid imagination didn't feel like a talent when I was growing up, suffering horrible nightmares and living with irrational fears as a child. Yet that vivid imagination has certainly benefited my writing and my creativity. I am lucky that I've inherited a dogged determination to succeed, to sit down and work hard at my craft. I don't have to will myself to sit at the laptop; I do it without any struggle, because it's natural to me. I inherited also, a certain objectivity to take criticism with a practical eye, rather than personally (though I'm the first to admit to being enraged by non-constructive criticism!). All of this helps me as a writer, sometimes more than the skills-set I've learnt along the way. ~ During my time writing and talking to writers, I've discovered there are no right or wrong ways to write or be a writer. There are just ways. And I can't speak for everyone here, but many aspiring writers, professionals too, have questioned whether they should continue writing. At some point what you'll need to ask yourself is whether writing is for you, and whether being a writer appeals more than the writing itself. If the latter is the case, then personally I wouldn't pursue it further - as the pros say, a writer is someone who writes; a dreamer just dreams about being a writer and could be happier spending that time doing something else.
Well ...this is just about the best post I've ever read on this forum. I especially liked the bit about needing a decent place/opportunity/mindframe to write. People who beat themselves up because they can't keep to a writing schedule because 'life' gets in the way should cut themselves some slack. There is a lot of difference between just thinking/dreaming about writing, making elaborate plans and outlines that will never amount to much—and fitting snatched writing moments in around a busy life. This post should be a sticky. I'll certainly read it more than once.
Excellent post. Younger writers on this forum, take note... Much of this can be summed up with one sentence: you need the discipline and the passion to be a writer
I'll add to that, there is no age limit (minimum or maximum) for the inspiration for a story to develop.
I once took a course on John Milton (Paradise Lost, etc.), and I remember the professor talking about how agonizing the craft of writing was for him. I don't remember the details and should look it up to refresh my memory, but apparently he slaved constantly and had a difficult, difficult time. Obviously in the end he produced an English masterpiece, but there is probably a good reason why some of the best writers are also the most tortured. Perfectionism is something you have to take into account, too. Many of the best authors are also very driven. Talent makes it easier, but without the discipline to hone what you have you may as well not have it. Also, there is such a thing as a dry spell among writers. Harper Lee comes to mind first, but I think Fitzgerald had a lot of trouble, and David Foster Wallace took a lot of time between novels, too. Anyway, try not to get discouraged. There aren't any rules, but it is a general pattern in life that real quality takes time. It's better to wait and get it right than rush a book before it is ready. Writing that is forced produces a 'forced' product, too.
Just a little side note: Don't let Stephanie Meyer of all people discourage you. She may have written twilight in a short period but it really, really shows. Some authors take years to write their novels. One of the things that saps inspiration the most is trying to rush it.
Life sometimes gets in the way. If you didn't have the distractions maybe you would be further. But priorities will always get in the way. Now once you are established and being paid, then you count the time you are writing as work. Getting more done.
Here you go make you feel better (if i can post it) Famous books first drafts. Very enlightening. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-storytelling-animal/201203/crappy-first-drafts-great-books
What's the rush? No one is waiting for your book. Take as long as it needs. My passion project has taken 6 years so far, on and off. You don't need talent to write, only passion. Talent helps you write well and get published, but that's not always needed to enjoy the process.
I LOVE this! Look at those first drafts! Aren't they beautiful? Full of ideas and garbage and corrections and rethinkings ... this is great stuff! It proves you don't spew genius onto the page willy-nilly. Genius takes work. Lots of work. Thanks, @SuperVenom, for this link. It's a reality check some people here need.
Its great to see even the greats struggled, learned, changed and reworked. People may be born wigh an abilty but you still have to work. Those without abilty just need to work harder. Hopefully this has greyed the area. Glad I could help.
Thanks Jannert, thanks Mackers I'm a newbie here so thanks for the likes! Didn't mean for the post to be so long ... It's something a friend and I have been talking about recently. He's having similar problems to ILoveWords and this was pretty much my advice at the time. Glad it's been helpful!
The fact is that very few of us, if any, will ever be regarded as 'great writers'. It shouldn't even be a concern.
Generally I'm not the kind of guy who cries a lot, but it's not beyond me to cry if I for whatever reason experience something very sad or personal. But that's not what this post is about. To my my pramarity characteristics is that I'm a massive nerd/geek/fanboy of various franchises and also intensely nostalgic, so in addition to loved ones dying, the only things that can make me cry are thinking about the past and watching fiction or thinking about fictional characters. This is all fine, but recently, most notably just prior to writing this, I wrote a very emotional scene for the novel I'm currently working on. The thing is, I shed a couple of tears during this. It's never been this noticeable or intense before, from what I can remember, but I recall having felt genuinely sad on behalf of some of my characters when thinking about their sacrifices, unluck or loss of loved ones. Is this good or bad? Does it somehow suggest that I'm a complacent bastard who's so cocky, arrogant and grand he's emotionally moved by his own stories, plots and characters. Or does it merely imply that I'm good at putting myself in other's shoes, that I'm sympathetic and empathic and that I'm capable of writing truly realistic and heartwarming/-breaking stuff? Am I the only one who does this? I'd appreciate your input.
It is neither good nor bad in of itself. If what you wrote moved you, it is good in the sense that you care enough to be moved. However, that is no indicator of how good your writing is, or how well it will move others. It can only be bad if it affects you to the point that you find writing painful.
I've cried when I wrote one of my scenes. I don't think it's weird. You spend a lot of time with your characters, and (especially if you're not a planner) you don't know exactly what will happen to your characters. Nothing to worry about.
