nothing about the writing itself is/was ever hard for me... getting it published is another thing altogether!
The hardest part for me? Dialogue. While I think my re-drafted dialogue is okay at best, right now, I can't shake the feeling like I'm not hitting the nail on the head when it comes to my character interactions. Many of them seem like telepaths who can read every lie and truth spoken by whoever they interact with. They can also analyze every meaning and allusion in seconds, also have the ability to cut through bs to get with the meat of the ideas. So my dialogue is all over the place and just off.... But then again I've been reading the Dune books recently and that seems like the style Herbert wrote in. it's just rubbing off on my writing. I don't know if it's working so well for me though.
Usually the writings which satisfy you the most are the ones people would like to read or enjoy reading.... so, I would say concentrate more on what satisfies you and not worry so much about other things. As for what part of writing is the hardest.... I would say every aspect of writing, beginning from first draft to the final proofreading, is hard work, but equally satisfying and enjoyable. There is nothing I hate doing in the writing process.
Definitely the editing, I often change or delete what was there for something else, and then invariably put it back at a later edit. One thing I’m not looking forward to is writing romance / sex scenes, when (if ever) I get around to writing a story that needs them.
For me it's the combination of the blank page and the displacement activities. I had a day off work today, and decided to use it to write two 500-word assignments for a writing course. It took me until 8pm to get the first word down. I got a lot of trivial jobs done around the house, though
Just like RobT, I tend to avoid romance and such. Apart from that, it differs from one story to another... in one story I can't figure out an ending, another I have difficulty with characters, yet another I just don't want to edit
For me, the hardest part is that point about 20 pages before the end when I know I am about to finish the manuscript. I tend to become very attached to my characters and it's sort of like seeing someone you love dearly sailing away on an ocean liner or boarding a plane and you know you'll never see them again. Even when there is a door left open for the possibility of a sequel, there is this big gap where my characters' lives go one way and mine goes another and, only if and when they come back to visit for that sequel, will I ever be able to catch up on their lives. But that's just not the same as living through it with them. (Okay, I think I need to ask the matron for my thorazine now.) Saying goodby has never been easy for me.
I tend to have a hard time describing actions scenes in detail. And I don't feel comfortable with having my MC kill off other characters.... But the most frustrating thing, is finding te balance between indulgence and audience-awareness. I'm a very insecure person, so at times I seek too much approval. But at times I fear what they will say, so I keep to myself and write as I please. But then I realize I sound stupid, and the cycle starts all over again.
I find that I have the hardest time actually writing and keeping something. I get turned off a story because I'll start writing it and it'll seem so lame in parts, or I'll feel like i'm not doing a good enough job writing it. Also, maintaining the balance between dialogue and description. How much is too much etc.
The bits and pieces of the story that do not interest me as much as other sections. This leads to bad writing, so I try desperately to avoid putting myself in this situation. Granted, that doesn't always happen.
At the moment, I'd say I'm having two main problems. One is distractions -- all the other things I end up doing that need to be done or are easier to do. Like making this post. The other has to do with my actual writing; I'm noticing that I have great gobs of dialogue and not enough action. I know I'll fix that when I do my rewriting but it's worrying for right now.
I would say the hardest part in writing is getting started. I know I'm supposed to "Just write" but I get distracted and I start procrastinating. It doesn't help that occasionally I doubt myself as well. Then when I get something written down (after days of delays) I'm not really pleased with what I've written. It's actually easier when I'm writing for writing classes, because it forces me to write. I hope I can set up some self-discipline to simulate that kind of pressure.
Similar to Diablo, I have problems starting. I can have an entire chapter or scene playing over and over in my head, but when I try to write it out, my vocabulary runs away on me and I have no clue how to even start it. Coupled with the fact I'm an innate perfectionist, it's a difficult roadblock to overcome for each chapter.
Well, hopefully you can deal with it better than I can (and since you said you overcome it for each chapter, I think you can ) This problem has plagued me for years and it's probably why I have never finished an entire novel. I'm hoping I can overcome it.
@Diablo: I keep telling myself "It's only you. There is no one over your shoulder to point out the imperfection, only you." and reminding myself that even if it isn't perfect the first time, tweaking later will fix that. Then I find I can write again . Good luck!
getting started is probably my toughest writing hurdle. I hate editing and rewriting, but I love how my writing gets better after I do. I hate that my pace tends to reflect how quickly I want to be done with writing a section rather than its natural pace, parts that are boring or annoying to me end up super short and the heavy emotional parts that I love writing end up too long, its very frustrating. I hate how defeated I feel when I look at my story and see that it's unfinished. most of all I hate when people ask what my story is "about," it pisses me off, because I don't think a story should be about anything, its just a story, and I just want to clock these people.
THIS: I also find the middle a little tricky in SOME case, non in all of them (Don't know why) Descriptions... to know when it's just right. I'm afraid of boring whoever reads that because too much descriptions bores ME. Maybe that's why I go lightly on the descriptions... But the most difficult must be in the revising/editing-phase: TO KNOW WHEN IT'S READY. When you have done all you can with it and it won't get any better than this, at least not right now.
Actually putting words on the page. Making what you see clear for readers, so they can see it as well. Making sure your character isn't a mary-sue Actually finishing the story. Yep, that's it for me.
Having to organize everything. I usally end up jumping back n forth which kills my writings and I end up quitting the whole story in all.
The most hardest thing for me when writing is how to start the story and when to end it. There are tons of times when I catch myself staring at a blank sheet of paper, or a blank word document for hours waiting for the words to just flow out. I've discussed this with a friend of mine (he also wants to become an author) and he told me that starting and ending is hard for him also. Though, for many other writers, the difficulties will differ. Though I find it quite interesting because some things I find easy, others find difficult; and I'm sure vise versa.
The part where I actually have to get motivated to actually write. Having observed and worked with a lot of aspiring writers, I've found this is the hardest part for most of them, just sitting down and taking the time to actually work on their writing. So hard, that simply not making the time is the number one reason people don't become writers (by definition, but also figuratively, as in they aren't writers if they literally don't write, but also people WANT to be writers but don't take the time to put in the work, etc.).
Beginning a story. I don't have a problem with motivation, or getting myself ready to write. I do have a problem finding the right tone for the story. This means I often find myself rewriting the first paragraph over and over again, looking for the tone the story needs. Most of my stories take place in a world very much like the real world, but only slightly different, and things can happen in my world that pretty much can't happen in the real world. It's hard, each time out, to begin describing scenes and events that are almost real, but allow for fantasy elements to creep in. Once the tone is right, I can write with confidence. But getting that first paragraph down is a monster of a chore for me.
