I'm currently writing a story, but here's the problem.... I'm not very good at writing. I have a plot, I have characters, and all day I'm obsessing and making notes on place names, plot-lines, little speeches and other miscellaneous ideas while I should be really revising. I know I can create and visualize every last detail of the story in my head, but when it comes to translating those piles of notes into solid prose, I'll either collapse under the terrible burden of perfectionism or, as is usually the case, I'll get bored. So I have decided to seek out another writer who will help me with my story and, when I feel like giving up, they will push me to go on. I'm looking for someone with talent not in imagination, but in creativity. By this I mean they have knowledge of rhetoric and metaphors and emotive language and paragraph structure and all the other things that make the reader interested in the story. I could never pay attention for long enough in English to learn how to use all those devices and so now I lack creativity, while positively busting at the seams with imagination. And that is how this collaboration will work: I get the ideas, you make them appealing to an audience. Two halves make an author. The plot (Without giving too much away over the internet) The genre of the story is Science Fantasy, a phrase I just made up but apparently already exists. It has many of the elements you would expect to find in fantasy (Gods, Demons, "magic") but uses a type of made-up science to explain it. As you will already be able to tell, its REALLY nerdy. A human boy is taken to a parallel Earth where he is found to have a condition that means his mind cannot be corrupted by taeveological activity (posh word for magic). He is given a book written by a God explaining an exciting field of Science that mankind has yet to discover, as well as the sword of Fasheybia, an ancient artifact of the Gods, that he must use to destroy the powerful defenses that have been placed on a city laid siege to by a Demon clan. On their journey to the city, the characters face the dangerous and exciting mythology of this world. Also, at the end of every chapter is an exert from the book that was given to the human child. If you're interested and would like to read more, post below and I will send you the prologue to the story.
I think what you need is not a co-author, but a writing class. Or at the very least, a critique group.
Yes, and maybe a post over on the introductions thread. From what I've gathered, posts like these don't go over to well on a forum full of writers committed to improving their craft.
Please read the forum rules. You are not allowed to use this forum to recruit writers for outside projects. I'm letting your post stand for the time being because no other member has reported it, and because you seem to be sincere.
It's nothing bad. I didn't ban him and I didn't delete his post. I just asked him to read the rules before posting stuff like this. I wouldn't call it escalation.
Another good call, Minstrel, because we can answer his post. If you just deleted it I couldn't share my enthusiasm. I second this. It's made a huge difference in my work. I started with a rough draft I cranked out all at once then joined a writer's critique group. I lucked out to find an excellent mentor who has been tremendous. I see other people come and go from the group and some of them seem to come back time and time again with very little change in their writing. They're not learning much from the group. Knowing you have a lot to learn is the key. It's the people who write poorly and believe they have great stuff that don't grow. I've also read a dozen or so 'how to write' books. They're not all equally useful. And it's personal, so one that I find useful, others may not and vice versa. There are people born with the skill to write, but it is also a learnable skill. If you believe in your story and want to tell it, don't look for someone to do the work for you, see if you can learn to write. Once you are a famous writer you can recruit co-writers, but don't expect to just provide a plot. Good writers usually have their own.
Critique a few pieces and you can post the prologue in the Writing Workshop for a critique. See where your skill level is at and what you need to work on.
Hate to be a downer, but no writer wants to do the hard yards for someone else, unless they get paid... a lot. The writing part is the hard and boring part, the stuff you like is the easy fun part. The only way to get good at the hard part is to keep doing it. If you get bored, leave it for a while. There's no rush. Writing well is hard. There's no escaping that reality. I agree with others that a writing class or workshop is your best bet.
In the near future, maybe we will have a device that read our minds and translate our current thoughts into visuals or text. Why don't you help fund the project No, really, you just gotta get better. And if you post your work in progress, (when you can; read the rules) we can push you to become better. But you are the one who writes. Otherwise I'm just gonna steal your idea and claim it as my own. No, just kidding. Not worth it. I already have my ideas more than I can write.
I'm going to third this. Writing is a lot of hard work. If your heart isn't in it then move on and do something else. If you really want to do it and struggle with getting the words onto paper take a class, read more, practice. You will get there if you have the drive to do it. If you have the will and creativity to do it the technical skill can be learned. Also Minstrel was not out of line because it is against forum rules. It's a rule to help protect people from potential scams. Not saying that's the motivation behind this post just that there's a reason for rules like that.
mordis... what you're asking for is a ghostwriter, not a co-author... and they don't come cheap!... you'd have to pay thousands of dollars [up in the 5-figure range!] to get someone who's capable to write your books for you and would still have no guarantee they'd ever be taken on by an agent or paying publisher... no one who's any good at it will write your books for you for free... period... sorry, but that's a fact of life in the writing business... and yes, it's a 'business'... so, anyone who says they'll do what you want for free, or for a share in profits 'when the book sells' is just another clueless amateur, so what you'll end up with will be a mess of a ms that agents or publishers won't even read past the first page, much less accept for representation or publication, thus never make a cent to be 'shared'... i know that seems harsh, but it's life... you need to either learn enough about writing to be able to write your books on your own, or be independently wealthy enough to pay a professional ghostwriter and not care if the book never gets published, or never makes enough to even start to repay what it cost you, if you self-publish it... love and consoling hugs, maia
Yeah, There is no possible way mamamia could be incorrect on that issue. That guy, what was his name...Oh yeah Joe satriani said he could teach Steve Vai how to play guitar for free and the same thing to kirk Hammet. What a clueless amature Joe is. and no record company picked any of the three up. What a tragic story it all was.
as it was his first post and it didn't get a very warm reception, s/he's probably been scared off... mordis... if you're still checking this thread, please know the folks here really don't bite... they're normally a nice friendly bunch, so stick around and settle in... you'll find heaps of good advice offered caringly... hugs, m
