What I do is I try roleplaying for a bit, just to get words out and ideas down so that you don't lose touch with your writer's side. If you wait the writer's block out for too long, you'll find yourself not wanting to write for months. And that can be even harder on the mind that's used to writing.
Leaka- not to be mean, but do you know what a contraction is? 'Its' isn't the same thing as 'It's' (ie 'it is', contracted) etc. That's, not thats etc... These are things that make it hard for anyone to be taken seriously as a writer. It's not bad doing them once or twice, but when you do them constantly it gets difficult to see past these mistakes as just accidents (everyone typos and misspells on occasion). And when your basics aren't very good, the natural bias is already against the contents of the writing. Not that you should give up writing. As everyone has pointed out, you are very young. Keep working at it. And perhaps pick up The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. These are great starts for the nitty gritty of things. I refer to them all the time when editing. Good luck. I almost gave up writing at your age, and 11 years later I'm super happy I didn't. Hang in there. Also, I failed honor's english in high school. I now have two college degrees, one in English. High school isn't the beginnning or end of the world. You'll pull through. Keep reading books, it's the best hobby ever.
If you're enjoying your writing, and want to work more on it, then you should take it seriously. It can develope into a great talent that can do great things. Writing is a very noble thing to pursue; don't get yourself down on it! Writing, like any other talent, takes time. Practice, practice, practice! Correct your errors on your writing, then correct the errors you made on the corrections of the errors. Delete and add things to a writing. Polish your work as much as you can. Organize your ideas and eliminate things you think you may never use or write about. Take notes when you get more ideas, then narrow those down. Work on inspiration, and try to avoid writer's block XD And Leaka, people are always going to be better than you and me when it comes to this. That's reality. But if you can have contact with those that have more experience than you, learn from them. Ask them questions and ask them for any available help. Take their advice, and don't let what they say put you down; use it for your work and be grateful. Use anything you can to your advantage in your writing (as long as it doesn't hurt anyone heh), and you will progress. Hope I helped ^^
Keep in mind that an absolutely negative review is probably the best thing. While a supporting review can help you augment where your writing really excels, a negative review shows you where you really need work. Personally, flaws always outshine positive points in anything I read - I would rather read something with very little going for it and no flaws than something moderately good rife with errors. One of the things I've noticed in your writing is punctuation and grammar. If nothing else, start using Word. Pay attention to sentence structure and punctuation in what you read. It will help you immensely. Here are some general tips I've learned (though they may not necessarily apply to you, but they're good to keep in mind) -Pay attention to how people talk - while you should cut out alot of wasteful chatter that doesn't add to the character, emulating true speech is needed for good dialog. -Define your characters well. If the only difference between the characters is a physical one, it gets annoying. Try to at least grant them minor differences in speech, and speech patterns - you can throw in extra pauses or commas for someone who pauses frequently. -Spell it right and make sure the grammar's proper enough - if it's full of errors, it's full of major annoyances. Every single noticeable error is like a giant red beacon and burns into my retinas.
I have to add 2 cents here (to all the other 2 cents that have been given). A lot of people here have referenced your age - I hate to echo that cuz you'll tune me out the moment I do but, honestly, it does have something to do with it. Perhaps your thinking "yeah, but the guy who wrote Eragon..." - that was a 1 in a million kind of story. Child prodigies (which he arguably is or isn't - the fact remains he's popular and published) are VERY rare and VERY few. So the rest of us not-so-prodigious folks had to or have to learn that our writing is going to be good but not everyone is going to bow down to our talent. I haven't read your stuff - I'm sure it's good but perhaps not as "stand-out" as you thought. So what? So it isn't perfect? Big deal. You enjoy what you write and obviously other people do. If it was jaw-dropping amazing you wouldn't be here growing with the rest of us. You'd be at book signings in New York and London. As for Grammar. It's extremely important but it requires practice and understanding. If you want to be a great writer then you have to be willing to pay the price when it comes to grammar (or have a lot of money and patience for editors). I once thought that I would screw the rules and my writing would be so brilliant that everyone would say I innovated the rules. HA! You can probably see in this post that my writing tends to be more confusion than clarity. Grammar is like the barre in Ballet and the exact same principle as busywork homework in math. Ever notice how your math teacher makes you do 300 problems that use the exact same principle? It's because some things have to be beaten into our heads through regular, exhaustive practice. Grammar is the mathematics of writing. It has to be LEARNED and practiced and practiced and practiced and practiced. You have to learn it (like the Viking guy said) layer by layer. To snub grammar damages only you and to think that you were born with perfect grammar is asenine. It's like thinking you were born with a great vocabulary - nope. Word by word. Principle by principle. But even when you're a pro you have to send your books to editors who will hack it to bits - it's a part of a writer's life. Period. If you don't want to deal with that then you have to ask yourself "who am i writing for?" Do the best you can now. Produce the kind of things that you are proud of and be proud of the things that you produce (how's that for cheesy?) and I promise you that if you keep at it you will see your name on the spine of a book someday! zb
When I get that I just talk the story over with a friend, explaining the characters and the plot to someone else really helps me get going.
My new tactic is to do what I would never do if I were truly sane-- give up on concocting a novel for the moment and just write a short story. Yep, that's what I'm going to do to beat my own writer's block... maybe my point here is to think outside the box or try a new angle. I am the teensiest bit more motivated...
Hi, I'm a n00b within the confines of these forum walls, so here is my introductory posting. (Years from now, I hope to look back and say it was the beginning of something great.) ANYWAY, for the longest time, I have been able to come up with ideas for short stories, novels and scripts, and often have started getting them down on paper/digital media. I always find myself stopping after a week of working on it though, I quickly become tired of it... more often than not, I become aware that I could do better, and simply throw away any progress I have made. I was just wondering if anybody could give me any tips on not just keeping motivated, but believing that I am good enough to have started in the first place. If that makes sense? (I currently have the GREATEST idea for a story, but don't want to start writing it, because I just know what will happen to it, and I want this one to be different)
The most recent thing that happened to me, similar to you, was finding myself with an amazing idea but hating the writing. I'd already done about 12 or so pages in the third person, but I hate how I write in that format. So before I got too depressed I decided to hell with it and now I'm writing in the first person. I believe it improves the quality of my writing and makes a better story. Not only that, I'm finding myself returning to the story eager to write. Another thing I realised was that I tended to write overly long chapters. To make my writing addictive I've started writing much shorter chapters (900-2000 words), and this means I can complete a full chapter in a single sitting, giving a greater sense of accomplishment. Anyway, that's just the current way I've overcome this problem.
Mojojojo0, You'll just have to sit down and type out that first draft, knowing that it will need revision and editing...more than one to be sure. You have to have faith that what you will ultimately produce will be good enough. You have to be willing to devote the time. Writing, while often enjoyable, is work. It's hard. It takes time, effort, energy, concentration, and draws you away from other activities you could be doing. You have to make it a priority. Not necessarily the top priority, but it can't be at the bottom of the list. It takes self-discipline and internal motivation. Others can support and cheer you on, but ultimately it is you who has to do the work and follow through. Getting that first draft finished, will feel great, and rejuvenate your spirit. Enough possibly to research and edit and revise and do what it takes to get the work in shape for submission. Then there is the writing while the work is out there. Getting another story/novel ready. You'll find that by the time you are through your initial novel's first draft, you'll look back on the first chapters and see how much you've learned and improved...and will be able to make the second draft superior to what you initially wrote. And probably your second novel or short story, etc. will be better in many ways that your first, as you learn more about writing and telling stories. If you want hard enough to endure and follow through, you will. If it's not in your heart...if you can't self-motivate, then it won't get finished. Maybe start with short fiction (it's not exactly the same as writing a novel--but there are a lot of similarities). Shorter projects, shorter spans of concentrated effort, and still ending up with a completed project. It all depends on your goals and the stories you have to tell. Hang in there! Terry
I've found if you want to write something longer, you have to think about it a little while first. Then, you do a some research. It's nothing serious, just a trip to the library or some time on the Internet. You do that to see how feasible your idea really is. Then you think about it some more. Eventually, you sit down and start writing. This is the difficult part, because if you want to write something longer, you have to almost obsess over the story. For me, I have to think about it every day... When I wake up, when I go to bed, when I'm eating a grapefruit or when I'm walking to class, that story is in my mind. This obsession eventually leads you to understand your story more so than just a couple of ideas that sound good to you. When you understand it, you have a greater desire to sit down and write it. Additionally, many writers set off a block of time during the day and force themselves to write then. Even if you're just writing about how much you don't like some band or you're writing about what you did last night, you're still writing. After spending some of that block of time getting yourself into the mood to write, I think you'd spend the rest of it working on your novel/screenplay/short story etc. Good luck.
I was going to say basically the same thing as TWErvin2. The first chapter I wrote in my novel I loved, initially. Then I reread it and hated it. So I revised it and revised it and revised it until I felt good about it. I spent so much time doing that that I didn't even start my 2nd chapter. I realized that the best thing to do is just to write... Now, I am on my 11th chapter and over halfway done for my middle grade novel. It is hard just to keep going. I keep thinking how horrible chapter 9 and 10 are, even though they aren't, and am tempted to go back over them. I think it is wise to just keep the flow going, even if you hate it, and then go back and revise it in the end. You may still hate some of the writing, but I am positive there will be a lot you can keep!
I agree with Twervin and others who posted. I think the biggest thing is to start writing and once you get a flow going, avoid stopping as much as you can. As long as you have that idea in your head you should be able to carve a story out around it. Then, try not to be too critical on yourself as you complete the first draft. You may go back after the thing is done and completely throw out 30 pages or more, and you might end up rewriting, but having the whole thing in front of you will be satisfying, and give you a great milestone to work from. Also, if you come up to any blocks, try bouncing ideas around writing forums like this one, etc...
Just keep writing. You will do better when you revise. At least give yourself something to work with.
What I usually do is take the concept of the story, then begin to play it out like a movie in my head (yeah, I know. weird, huh?) From there, I just sort of play with different concepts until it fits together. After that, it becomes a matter of describing the movie in your head, then revising the description. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for what keeps me writing, except that I want to tell a story only I can tell.
Another thing that I would suggest, and is something that I have employed many times, is to set aside a time every day to work on your writing. Just an hour or so, that way you do not get to burnt out writing in big chunks of time but you still get it done. It has worked for me . . well hope that helps.
i totally do that too! i've even got soundtracks playing when that happens i am also struggling with the same problem and realize that there;s no point in making it perfect the first time if you're just going to revise it later. thanx guys you helped me out of a rut.
Hi, I'm a noob too and have the same general question(s) mojojojo has. All of these responses have hit the nail on the head for me, except that maybe I can take the dilemma a little deeper. I've done all the research already, and I know the course of my story inside out. I am experiencing fear about putting those "first words" down on paper because of how they will project the ultimate direction and unfolding of the story. There are several different places (geographical and historical) where I could start the story and several different people who could start to tell it. Where and who I choose to start the "telling" will influence the "voice" for the rest of the novel. Or so I keep telling myself. I keep letting quandaries like this put off "the starting" of just doing it... Basically, I think I am suffering from "information overload" in that I know who everyone is and I know everything (for the most part) that will happen. Just write it, "damn it", right? cheers, daryl
Pretty much. Keep in mind that what you write down is not set in stone, especially in this world of computers and word processors. Revising does not mean you have to type or scribble an entire chapter over again from scratch. Revision is particularly your friend if you have this reluctance of starting because what you write drives all that follows. You WILL revise, both in minor cleanup and major restructuring, so don't be afraid to write down the idea of the moment and see where it takes you.
Oh, I am glad to hear that someone else does, and recommends this practice. It is what I have been doing off and on over the past 2 years while I have been researching, plotting and developing my story. To think that by going "deeper into it" while writing is a key option excites me. Thanks!!
I'm trying to write a piece of creative non-fiction. How does one go about tackling writer's block when it comes in a strange form? What I mean is, I know exactly what I want to write about (generally), and I have a lot of "ideas," but the gravity of the subject makes it difficult for me to get past a few sentences before I get frustrated and decide it's essentially "unworthy." It's not so much that I don't have the words, feelings, stories, etc. to create the piece, it's that I don't know how make everything gel. I'm not sure if this makes sense. I guess the problem is that I have ideas, i just can't structure them, or don't know how to make them cohesive enough to make a clear and creative piece that doesn't suck. Any ideas?
I'd say tell your internal critic to shut the hell up. Just write your ideas, expamd on thme where you know you can, but don't try to fine tune it at this time. Get the first draft pulled together, and then you can organize it and begin to flesh it out in the first couple revisions. Accept that it will look rough for quite a while, and just focus on the health of the foundations.
the so-called 'writer's block' is sorta like jet lag... if you don't believe it exists, it won't bother you... like cog says, just go ahead and start writing any old way and see what happens... i've never had either 'problem' thanks to not believing there is such a thing... when i come to a sticking point on one piece of work, i just switch to another till the first one kicks back in... and when traveling around the world [which i've done literally and for many years], i just set my watch for whatever time it is when i arrive and then act as if it is... et, voila!... no supposed 'jet lag'!... mind trumps matter when you let it... love and hugs, maia
