Hello! I'm new to the site, just joined yesterday and/or the day before (I forget the specifics). I have actually been writing, or trying to write, for a very long time but haven't really done much in the way of finishing original works yet. I have mostly written fan-fiction, but have attempted and planned original works, they just end up constantly revised and at times forgotten about due to lack of motivation and/or ideas as well as anxiety which I am plagued by. I tend to have a hard time getting my ideas off the ground at first, but some of my concepts are actually very old, from 2011 or so. Again, just endlessly revised and never actually fully completed yet. I have thought about perhaps publishing a novel and/or getting into entertainment (online and/or television) but am unsure how to start and currently can't afford college (or most of anything, really). I came here to help myself refine my writing skills, get criticism both positive and negative, and meet some new people as well, since I really need a site like this to be honest. Since I'm not used to being a real big forum user and am a fair bit shy I may not post a lot at first.
Hi there! Welcome to the writing forum! I'm new too and no starting out can seem daunting, but there's no rush. I think everyone starts out with fan fiction. What series did you work on?
Thanks for the welcome1 And welcome yourself, then! And that is probably true, haha. Most of the series I originally wrote for and have written for (admittedly I am still writing fanfiction) include American Dragon: Jake Long, Total Drama, Danny Phantom, Dude! That's My Ghost, Sonic the Hedgehog, and various crossovers as well as other shows I kind of want to try writing for as well. Though I also need to work on my original fiction too,which so far has only been various outlines, plans and revisions but nothing ever completed. It's like I never feel like the plan is good enough to make into a finished work, haha.
I understand it may seem like a big leap going from using someone else's characters to creating your own. But let me give you a tip. In my experience, no idea, no matter how creative it is, is completely original. The plots and personas tend to be interesting combinations of people either real or fictional, and our personal experiences. I wrote fan fiction for years with bits and pieces pulled from my favorite tv shows, book series, and video games. It took me a long time before I came up with an 'original' story that I felt strongly enough to go forward with, and like you, many other stories were developed, then dropped because they just weren't working for me. As for the one I'm working on now? How do I put this? I really liked the idea to the point where if someone else wrote a story based on that plotline, I would read it in a heartbeat. Problem is, I couldn't read it, because I hadn't written it yet. The story also had a life of its own which helped. Try not to overthink what the topic of your story will be. Go with something that you would want to read, that deals with issues you feel are important. I hope that helps.
Thanks so much for this advice, definitely gonna take it heavily into consideration, and it's so true! I'm practically the same too! I really need to set time aside to focus on my works. And of course to explore the site a little bit more.
