With words and thoughts. Not long. I write when the mood strikes me, so the words are already there. Grammar and all associated forms. I don't know. I think about writing the story more than I think about all that stuff. If it ends up having any of the I's, lucky me. If not, I'll write something else. I've got the rest of my life to write novels. I'm not particularly fussy if some time gets wasted on it, since I enjoy it.
Hello I've just finished my first draft, and when I began editing one of the first things I noticed was that my first paragraphs may not be up to scratch, but I'm not sure. Let me explain. Currently, the first few paragraphs are centered around the main character's, er, character. I've read a lot that your first paragraphs need to be really gripping, so obviously I'm worried about having a lot about my character right at the beginning. However, In my novel, I'm working on the idea that the readers (young adults, btw) will identify very strongly with the MC, so in some ways I think that it might be important to get character details in early. The other beginning I've considered is to go straight into the action sequence that currently follows the piece on the character, and then deal with the character's background later on. What are your opinions?
Background is boring. Get right into the story. Let the character be a stranger at first. Make the reader wait a bit, maybe even work a bit, to understand the character. Unanswered questions keep the reader reading, to try to find those answers.
Starting with background is, IMO, nearly always a mistake. If you look at the details of your character that you think that your readers will identify with, are you sure that you can't get them seamlessly into action, rather than having to present them as background? For example, if you wanted to convey that your main character is a recently married young woman who loves cooking, you could start with an argument with her husband that results in her being so distracted that she ruins a dish. That way, you get the action, and you get the background in for free. Now, doing this requires a lot of subtlety - one thing that's even worse than an open and honest infodump is a badly concealed infodump. But you could give it a try and beg some test readers for their take on it. ChickenFreak
ChickenFreak's got it... show that background instead of telling it! It takes practice, though, and you want to be careful that you don't go out of your way to show that your character loves monkeys or something by throwing in a trip to the zoo that has nothing to do with the story. Subtlety is the key -- you've gotta gracefully slide the details in and make them part of the action whenever possible. Done right, you can show in a few lines what it would take you a few PARAGRAPHS to tell. And along the lines of what Cogito said, leaving voids -- so your readers are left feeling curious about your character -- can be REALLY effective. Well-placed voids can make your readers turn page after page after page, hungry for the answers! Just make sure you reward them by filling in voids on a regular basis... don't leave them with a growing pile of mysteries and no satisfaction. At the very least, give them enough that they can put the pieces together themselves and feel as though they've figured it out! I know I'm always happy when I put two and two together and figure something out while I'm reading, ha ha!
I was having a preoblem with trying to come out and say what was different between my fantasy race and normal humans in the beginning and opted just to drop hints throughout the story. It allowed for my main character to have an edge of mystery that is slowly revealed as the story goes. So needless to say I would say option two myself.
Thanks so much for all your opinions. You're right, thinking about it. I need to get into the story immediately rather than swamping the reader with background.
I agree, get right into the story. Integrate the background into the action or dialogue. After re-writing the first several chapters of my short story several times. I have decided that the best opening for my story is a dialogue between two of the MCs describing to each other the background. This works well by giving the reader details while getting them interested in the characters and keeping them engaged.
Alright so like many other writers I have a clot of ideas, all piled up probably more then I need. Heck sometimes I feel I can spend my entire life writing about the mythical fantastical world in my mind. Thing is I doubt people would like to read about my utopia and how people find that it isn't really one and etc. Any ideas on how I should begin writing my tale?
Start typing. Your story is in your head and you need to get it on paper. I never had the luxury of asking 'where do I begin'. Once you pour your thoughts out, you can start sifting through the rubble. In there, you will find a gem. You can then polish it. What is your story? Only you know. Every story has a beginning. So I ask of you: Where does it begin?
Weirdly enough, I dream of my stories than write them...or finish what I start when I write. However, I have a great idea, but I don't know how to get it from my head to paper, and I'm in love with the story line. Also, does anyone have any motivation tips? I really love to write, but find it hard to do, with the schedule I have. Thanks!
You can try and make an outline before you begin the actual writing process. But as far as motivation, you have to get that on your own. There is no secret trick to that.
Hmmmm....not so much of what I was looking for. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm having a hard time placing what I see in my head, to making sure it's equally conveyed on paper. Also, I wasn't looking for motivation...but ideas from those with a full schedule, that still incorporate writing into it. Thanks though.
Stop trying to write it for the time being. Use other mediums to capture the ideas. Only pick up the pen and paper when you feel comfortable.
I have this problem sometimes too. I tend to let it ruminate in my head for awhile. I write down the essence of what I want - which it never ends up being - just so I don't forget. I have many ideas each day and I have a Word file with each one. When I'm bored or need ideas, I go there and try to recapture my ideas. Then, I try to write an outline as a guide. I also have a ritual before I write where I take a long bath and think through the details. Then, I go write. I know when I do that it won't even be remotely what I want, but I try to get it down. Then, I begin again and chip away at it. It does take some motivation, and I need a good chunk of time for this, which I don't have. I find it hard to just write for an hour. I need several hours in a row to let my creativity flow. I find if I'm tired or moody, the words and ideas won't flow. I have to be in a particular mood. That's why I don't think i could be a professional writer. I cannot write on command. I have to be inspired and just let it go from there. But, as for you, put something down on paper so you don't forget the details and the main idea. Sometimes, I have ideas that don't seem related, but I put them all down together and then sort them later. You may feel good to have gotten something written down at least and then you can begin to craft your story from there. If it doesn't have the feel that you want, or the sequencing, or whatever else you feel may be lacking, you'll fix that. There's really no easy answer to your questions, but you just have to start or you won't finish! Good luck to you!
You specifically asked for "motivation tips," so if you don't want "motivation tips" don't ask for them. And outlining helps with getting your ideas on paper before you write it. It will make the process for you much easier. Though, not everyone outlines, but in your case of not being able to get your ideas out, it will indeed help you. Start small and with the most vivid ideas you see in your head and wright them down. Once you have enough ideas written down and a game plan for writing the actual story it will be easier for you. As far as scheduling tips (I assume this is what you really wanted tips for) try and set aside an hour or two a day to get some writing done. Even if you have to replace some other hobby or recreational activity. Books don't write themselves; you, yourself, have to decide how important is to you and then make it happen if it is what you really want to do.
Don't worry, this is quite normal. Try some new routes and try to find a new motivation to do it. Hoped this helped.
I experience this all the time. The best thing I like to do is to, as useless as this may sound, start it. Just jot down a paragraph or two for an intro, and if you like what you see, just keep going with what makes sense. You could also try just making a poem about your story. This works for me alot, just trying to capture the essence of a character of event with just a few lines.
This also works for me. I have an idea, but can't decide how to express it through writing, so I just sit down and start writing. It might come out horrible and more or less worthless, but at least I put an effort into starting it, and that effort gets my mind working and new and better ideas flowing. This is how I have started my new book and so far im a decent amount into writing it. It's worth trying at least in my opinion.
To some extent, I think that this is a matter of practice. I've used the analogy of learning to drive--at first you're painfully conscious of carefully gauging how much to press the pedals, when to start steering a turn, when to release the wheel after a turn, and so on. And eventually you realize that these things have become entirely unconscious, and you're just driving. I think that the same thing is true of getting your thoughts from brain to fingers to keyboard to screen. It starts out incredibly awkward--you can't possibly type fast enough, and even if you could you're not sure what words to type, and it seems as if there's no link between mind and screen, and the action of typing and watching the screen seems to muffle the characters that are trying to talk in your head. But with enough writing, it starts to feel as if that link is forming. I don't know if I do this by slowing down my mind, or....well, I don't know what I do, but I know that the awkwardness is less and less, the more I write. So I'd suggest that you just write, and if you fear that you might somehow damage your mind's vision of the plots that are most precious to you during this practice phase, write something that's less valuable to you. And it will take a fair number of words--for example, I was probably thirty thousand words into my first NaNoWriMo before I noticed that the mind-to-screen process was a great deal less awkward than it had been when I first started. I've probably written at least a couple of hundred thousand words since then, and the link is still pretty flimsy-feeling. (Only a small percentage of those words have been fiction, though, and fiction is where it's flimsiest.) The thing that drives me to "just write something, for bleep's sake!" is my blog. Being part of a blog community, reading others' blogs and getting their comments on mine, motivates me to keep my blog alive. And then once I'm writing, that may motivate me to go on to work on something else--or if it frequently doesn't, at least I'm keeping my hand in. Editing since I noticed that you're more concerned about schedule: And a blog post can be a quite small bit of writing, so you go through the idea, writing, editing, and "publishing" cycle in a quite small amount of time. ChickenFreak
I think the suggestion to make an outline is pretty good, especially considering 1) You're not entirely clear on how to convey the details, but you think it's a strong story and 2) You are pressed for time. A good outline takes time itself, but think of it as an investment that will save you tons of confusion and editing later. As for your schedule, sometimes you just have to make time to write, if it's important to you. I get up a stinkin hour and a half early every day so I can get some writing in before work. I hate it, but that's where the time can come out of my schedule. You gotta do what you gotta do. Identify your time stealers (TV, internet, video games, wasting time with friends) and eliminate them. (Don't eliminate your friends; that's illegal.)
@mickelarr Oh, god, me too. 6am every day, but there's no other part of my day with it to spare, so we suffer.
