So I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but oh well. I'm wanting to write a novel that I've been thinking of for a while, but I would like someone to help me and to 'bounce' ideas off of. I'm looking for someone who can help me with setting, character development, flow of the story, as well as the ordering and placement of scene's, etc. I know the general idea of what I want to write, I just am unsure of how to structure it all, and I have 'writers block' on a few of the ideas within the story. Basic details are that its a drama/romance, with a bit of mystery, and its also female/female. If interested, please PM me. = )
You are asking for help with something that must come from within. No idea can ever be as completely developed by you as the one you come up with on your own. Good luck.
You're essentially asking for a writing mentor, or some sort of tutor who would plan it with you and walk you all the way from start to finish of your novel. That's an awful lot of work for someone else's story. Trust me, you will find nobody who would do this for free. People charge hundreds and thousands of dollars/pounds for services like this. If you really need it, invest some money in a creative writing course or mentoring programmes where a pro walks you through how to build your novel, but if you wanna wait for someone who would commit a good 1-2 years to you for your work for absolutely nothing in return, then you're kidding yourself I'm afraid. Good luck to you anyway.
Sometimes one does not necessarily need a mentor, just a trusted friend with similar interests who is willing to discuss it - that's a lot of help by itself. Those come for free, but might be even harder to find.
There are many good writing books out there, giving you the basics of how to get started. Writer's Digest is always a good place to start, as well. Get yourself a subscription to the magazine (if you take them online, they're quite inexpensive.) They also publish LOTS of useful books on writing, getting ideas, setting up your story, and all that other good stuff. Google them, and browse through their titles and pick a few that sound like what you need. Once you have written a fair amount, then is the time to bring in other people to offer feedback on what you've done. But by that time, you'll probably figure out a lot of it for yourself. You really DO need to decide for yourself what you want to write. What you're doing sounds a bit like somebody who is desperate to learn to play the guitar, but doesn't actually like or know any music. You've got the egg before the chicken/chicken before the egg...shit I forget which comes first!
But she's not looking for discussion - she doesn't just want a soundboard. What she wants (or seems to want) is someone who would plan it with her, and that's hard work. Hard work that won't come for free. Friends may endure you for one or two sessions but they grow bored quickly, and they can't really help you plan in the first place if they're not writers themselves. However, I agree with Jannert - reading books on writing would do the job too. For me, I find writing an extremely solitary activity. You just feel like you want someone for the encouragement and to talk your doubts away, but you don't really need it.
They say it's scientifically proven that the chicken came first because if an ostrich laid an egg, and from the egg came a chicken, then you must conclude that the egg was in fact, a chicken egg, meaning that the "ostrich" was a form of chicken - but not the sort of chicken as we know it today - but a chicken, still
Initially I think most of us started feeling the way you feel right now: many ideas but not sure where and how to begin. Writer's block happens when ideas dry up, but you have the ideas so your problem is more like don't know how to execute the ideas into words due to lack of writing knowledge and confidence. The remedy is to keep writing until you gain knowledge and confidence. Another remedy is picking up your favorite novel and read it from a critical point of view. You ask about structure, any of the novels in your book shelf will give you that.
Have to disagree there Mckk - I would say the chicken came from the egg of 2 different birds, neither being a chicken making the chicken a hybrid, ergo the egg came first!
i mentor aspiring writers on a full time basis, stella... so, if it's a mentor you want, just email me and we'll see what you need and what i can do for you... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
Well, thanks for that! A lifelong puzzle, answered at last. I'm so glad I joined this forum! :redface: I think you've put that exactly right, Mckk. You do need to feel you're not alone in the process, but in fact you are! At least during the creation of it. Nice to know other people are doing the same, though.
