Hardest Part to Write?

Discussion in 'General Writing' started by HellOnEarth, Apr 10, 2007.

  1. SonnehLee

    SonnehLee Contributor Contributor

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    I've always been able to fit words together. I can easily sit somewhere and dream up a situation and write it down. But I have problems with plots, making up conflicts and such.
     
  2. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

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    I more have a problem with plots, thats if I have any problems at all.
    And that's simply down to mini moments of writer's block, and that is easily aviodable.
     
  3. Shadow Dragon

    Shadow Dragon Contributor Contributor

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    Putting it into words is harder for me. I can come up with a really vivid scene in my head, and then have no idea how to write it out.
     
  4. TwinPanther13

    TwinPanther13 New Member

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    i see a book like a movie in my mind. for me it is putting that movie into words that are entertaining to read. A lot of stuff comes to my mind as far as what to say but I would be in one place describing it in detail to the max and i have these huge space operas in mind so that does not work.
     
  5. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    i find neither difficult [or a struggle], so can't come up with an answer to your question...
     
  6. alanmt

    alanmt New Member

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    Neither are difficult for me, either, but let me assure you that I do not intend by such a statement to imbue my post with the natural implication thereof: that I am a wonderful, experienced, skilled, and condescending writer, and you are not.

    Actually, I find plotting to be the easier of the two. While my actual writing does not always - or usually - follow the path I mentally planned, I am usually pleased with the deviations, after a good half dozen edits, anyway.
     
  7. Daisy

    Daisy New Member

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    I have found both difficult at times, but probably plotting is hardest for me in a novel length story. I am usually happy and excited with the first two or three chapters and know I have a great ending in mind. But then I can't seem to get through the middle and string it all together the way I see it in my head. It gets so boring.

    I was complaining about this yesterday and my son said, "Well, Mom, skip the middle and just go on and write the end. Maybe it will help you with the middle if you write out exactly where you think you're going."

    I don't know if it will work or if I even want to find out, because I don't usually write that way, but I am considering it. Can't hurt, I suppose. I can always trash the end later if I'm led off in another direction by the characters.

    And perhaps it will be a good learning experience. I've only been writing fiction for about a year now and I am hoping some of my plotting problems will be solved by experience.
     
  8. penhobby

    penhobby New Member

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    I am also going to say both.
    I know the basic plot of my stories. The problem, I'd say is how massive the plot is. It is a story that takes place over six novels. So making sure they run smoothly together is the problem. I am constantly finding loose ends that need to be tied down.

    As for feeling at a loss for words, yes I think every writer goes through that. Many times I will sit at my lap top trying to come up with the perfect wording for an emotional scene. Sometimes it helps to leave it and go into another story for a while. Anyway, that’s my take on this.
     
  9. Acglaphotis

    Acglaphotis New Member

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    I tend to overthink the plot, characters and such while leaving actual writing completely unattended.Being a procrastinator doesn't help.
     
  10. Chickidy

    Chickidy New Member

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    I have trouble coming up with plots, characters and writing are a strong point, but besides coming up with vague, interchangeable scenes, finding something to write about is a real big problem of mine.
     
  11. tehuti88

    tehuti88 New Member

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    That's a hard one to answer. :/ I'm not even sure I could pick one. I think for me it depends on the story and the situation. I don't plot things out ahead of time but I do keep ideas in my head. Sometimes, like with my current WIP, it's hard to put all the right plot elements in place and even to figure out how to fill in some gaps; other times, I might know what I want to happen, but I'm unsure of the words I should use to express it. Or, more often, I worry that the words I use won't convey the idea properly (e. g., a death scene might come across as hokey or silly).

    I think I'd probably have more trouble putting plots together than with putting words together, though.
     
  12. FantasyWitch

    FantasyWitch New Member

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    Its not havingg prolems with plot persay hat i have butt problems with connecting parts of he plot togeher.
     
  13. Alex_Hartman

    Alex_Hartman New Member

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    What do you have the hardest time trying to write?

    I know that I have the majority of mine planned out, but I cannot think of a beginning no matter how hard I try. I've spent all summer trying to write different beginnings, but I still haven't really found one.

    So, what do you think? Beginning? Middle? End? Characters? Anything else?
     
  14. Heather Louise

    Heather Louise Contributor Contributor

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    I tend to fine the beginning of mine start really good, and then it all starts to deterirate from there. After the first chapter or two, my writing gets sloppier, the description less and it juest becomes crappy. I then lose momentum.

    If I do manage to get past that stage, I can go on, get right the way through and then be at a loss of how to finish it. I am near the end of the first novel I have goten this far on, and because I have never finished another peice, I do not know how to do it. So I just ... stopped.
     
  15. Alex_Hartman

    Alex_Hartman New Member

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    Hmmm...

    What I did since I couldn't think of my beginning was just write what I knew would be in the story later. If you did that then maybe it wouldn't go downhill from the beginning...but I think that it would be hard if they aren't organized...
     
  16. Etan Isar

    Etan Isar Contributor Contributor

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    It depends on the particular story, for me. Sometimes end, sometimes begginning, sometimes middle.
     
  17. Nilfiry

    Nilfiry Senior Member

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    Varies among my manuscripts, but overall, I find the middle the most difficult to write. The middle is where the most stuff happens.
     
  18. Silver Random

    Silver Random New Member

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    Same for me as for you - beginnings

    4/5 months since i wrote the prologue to my current work. I've had the basics planned out for most of that, and i just came up with a fairly detailed outline recently. Took me about 2 months to write Chapter 1 though, and then another 2 to do Chapter 2. And while i'm really pleased with my Prologue, i still dont like the first 2 chapters... but now i've started i will hopefully just keep ploughing through, and go back and redraught them later.
     
  19. Scattercat

    Scattercat Active Member

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    Endings.

    Not the ending itself, even, so much as just getting to the ending. By the time I've written the first half of the story, I know how it's going to end up, and then I get bored. I know how it ends, after all. I want to go write something new!

    I have to force myself to finish stories, or else I'd be buried under a deluge of halfway-done manuscripts.
     
  20. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    I usually have the beginning and the ending figured out before I start writing. It's the large chunk in the middle that gives me a hard time.
     
  21. Kylie

    Kylie New Member

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    I think, for me, it's actually doing it. The writing process itself...comes fairly quickly and easily. :)
     
  22. soujiroseta

    soujiroseta Contributor Contributor

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    i often find that the middle part, the real meat of the story is the hardest to write. i always, without fail hit a brick wall at 60mp/h when i get here, and it aint pretty:p
     
  23. Ennui

    Ennui New Member

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    Characters are marginally perplexing to describe.I am stuck at that point.Characters must be evident but I cannot do it duly.
     
  24. Sephie913

    Sephie913 New Member

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    I agree. I get momentum as I go along, but when I hit a bump, roadblock, or detour of any kind, it's hard to watch.

    but at the same time, I love just making up things to fill in the story in the middle, and I love connecting the dots, so to speak. I guess it's any part directly before a part I really want to work on.
     
  25. Little Miss Edi

    Little Miss Edi New Member

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    Those weird filling bits between the good stuff. :p

    Beginnings are great, love 'em. The Middle is tough but worth the effort and at least there's plenty going on. Ends are always quite satisfying (I'd imagine) but those bits inbetween ARGH!! With travel, or sitting around, or contemplating the next step before actually taking it, or having reached the place waiting for the thing that has to happen next.

    I'd put those awkward inbetweeners in Room 101! :D
     

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