Hello! I'm new, my name's Baz. First of all I apologize for any grammatical mistakes this post might have, since English isn't my first language ^^U. So, I have wanted to be a writer ever since I was little. I have only written short stories, poems and poetic prose so far, but I have never dared to write a long story out of fear of the commitment that this implies. Now the thing is, I've had this story in mind for about five years. I have written a few scenes and key plot points and spent all this time developing the characters, their individual stories and relationships, and thinking about what message I want to convey to the story in general. I think I have achieved very complex characters that could do for an entertaining coming of age story, with hints of surrealism, romance, suspense, and a dubious narrator; some of the stuff I personally adore reading. ^^ This is a great project that means a lot to me and I would like to do the story in my head justice, and so when I finally thought I was ready to start writing, I found myself... lost. I don't know how to put all the work I have made in notes and doodles and mind maps into words. I know what's gonna happen and how I want it to happen, but... I can't bring myself to write in order; I lack a beginning and chapters that would be in between my important scenes, if that makes sense. It's like I'm missing some puzzle pieces that seem less important but that I still need in order to get the full picture. I suspect that my problems connecting the scenes and key points that I have written stem from the fact that I have always written short stories that go straight to the point. Writing a novel means getting completely out of my comfort zone. So I wanted to ask for tips on how do you start writing long projects, connecting your important scenes with each other, balancing the story pacing so that it doesn't end up being rushed or too boring... That kind of stuff. Thank you in advance!
HELLO, TWIN!!!!!! You have just described my problem as well!!! I doubt that we're alone. What I have done is I have tried to write out different sections, just to get the juices flowing and put off putting it together for the moment. I know exactly what I want to do in the story, I have characters envisioned, and things just don't click yet. All I can do is keep writing things out, chapter # whatever then chapter # whatever and so on and then I move things around, trying to make a coherent whole. I've tossed chapters that didn't fit and others that I've kept, I have rewritten so much that it's a completely new chapter..... And you know what? I still don't have a book ready BUT....... Each time I do this, I get better. Soon enough, lightning will strike. That's my process.....yours might end up being different but if you're stuck, give it a whirl. Have FUN!!! Scott
When doing the first draft, you do whatever feels right. You don't need to start at the beginning. In fact the beginning is probably best written later, since it needs to set things up and be attention-grabbing and all that. Start wherever you want. You also don't have to write it in order. Any in-between parts you haven't worked out yet, skip them for now. You're going to be doing a lot of editing and revising anyway, that's where everything gets hammered into shape. You don't even need to write decent prose for the first draft. I've heard of people doing it all through telling rather than showing, because it's an easy way to explain what happens. If there are parts that need to be written in some kind of fancy prose, all poetic or whatever, just slap down a rough approximation as a placeholder. Then you work on it later. The point of the first draft is just to get it all down in any form, rough as can be if necessary. Once there, you've got it all together at least and can start refining it. You know, it's also called a rough draft, and there's a reason for that.
1. Ok. So you have all those blueprints but does your story have room to live it's own life, to breath, to have it's own mind outside all those plans and structures? Structural work is guidelining, not detailed. If you make it too detailed, you might kill your strory. 2. Why should you? It was training. You needed that training to see the size and complexity of a big story. Now... Pick the best parts of that training and rething & refeel your story. Make it breath. Make it alive. Take it to the woods and listen to the birds with it. 3. No it does not. Writing a novel is a tough job. You might be able to do it if you stay in your comfort zone and widen it as you go. If you get out, your text will suffer, your workflow will suffer, you love to writing will suffer... Take your long and big story to your comfort zone and be as good and hostile host as you can. Then you might get a good journey together. And while you are thinking what to do, you can ask your story does it like the look and smell of these flowers. ©Alan Aspie
