I have been planning and plotting a novel for some time, and I'm anxious to get started on it. The only problem, is that when ever I start a novel, the plot loses focus and it goes downhill. Naturally, I don't want that to happen this time around. I want to be confident in my novel, because I'm already starting to think that the plot idea isn't very good. How do I become more confident in it?
Well that is a hard one to answer. You could just write out the beginning or whatever part of the story and start asking for a general opinions on your work. I tend to have a hard time writig period just because I am so judgemental of my writing. I got to a point where I just post it and let it be, good or bad. Since the truth is you need both to flush out the good ideas. So in short just try getting other peoples opinions and see what they think. You might just be over judging what is actually a good idea. Praise never hurt anyone anyways and neither did constructive criticism on how to improve the idea.
To begin with, make sure you understand the difference between plot and storyline. The storyline is the chronology of events in the story. There is one storyline in a story, although you could partition the events into separate storylines based on arbitrary criteria. A plot, on the other hand, is a story component with a very specific structure. It consists of one actor, one goal or objective, one motivation, and one opposition. It is very common for an opposition to itself be a plot. The motivation and oppsition are the forces that move the actor toward and away from the goal or objective, respectively. A story typically has many interacting plots. Plots are what drive the events in a story, in much the same way that physical forces accelerate particles along a path. If a particle isn't moving the way you need it to, you introduce a force. In a story, you provide a plot. Construct your plots to propel your story in the direction you wish it to flow.
I agree with Rassidan in that you should try posting part of the story to see what others think. Any praise you may get could help you be more confident, and any constructive critisim could be used to improve what you already like. If you've been planning and plotting this for a while, you obviously liked it at some point. What's making you change your mind about it? Think about why you liked it in the first place, what made you want to write about it. I myself have that same problem sometimes, I start to lose confidence after getting maybe a couple chapters in. Going back through to what sparked my idea in the first place sometimes helps me get back into writing it.
I'm always insecure about my plots. They shift around like a pubescent boy trying to hide his boner in math class. Then again, I have no confidence in my writing either. My sentences mumble; they're tepid, rhythmless.
Posting your writing is not for validation. Posting your writing is part of learning to give and receive critique effectively, so you can find and resolve weak points in your writing on your own. You will see your own progress as a writer. That means a helluva lot more than polite "Nicely done" comment sfrom strangers. There are no shortcuts. Work the process, and your confidence will grow.
Confidence is overrated. Just write the damn thing. The worst case scenario is that you learn something about writing.
Why be scared of a first draft that doesn't EXACTLY follow the OVERLY RIGID plan that you labored to perfect? I'd rather have the outline roughed out and let the characters map the plot out and allow their reactions, actions and in-actions add an entirely new dimension to the story. Nut out the first draft, focusing on story, story, story and let the stitching of the plot sort itself out with subsequent drafts.
The critique is actually what I was aiming for. Whether good or bad it all helps. I personally love having people break apart my writing and tell me the good with the bad. The better the critique and the harsher tells me when I go back for an edit my story will be stronger for it. And I agree a job well done means about nothing, especially on a rough draft. You want the negatives to fix the plot holes and the redundant information as much as possible but unless you know a few editors or people who are not going to just praise your work as the greatest thing ever, posting it someplace where other writers can see it will generally yield something useful as far as a critique goes.
You need to just go for it. You learn by doing, not just by planning. I know some writers who plan and plan but don't actually start. But I promise you, once you start writing and getting into the flow, new ideas will present themselves. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. A first draft is never perfect, and you'll be able to go back and make it better in your revisions.
Hi, May sound to simplistic but just write, then post and take it from there. let it develop and evolve itself. You may suprise yourself, but unless you try you will never know. Go for it!
