Ha! The curse of the note-taker. That's not a bad premise for a story... Well the "novel" is about a young man who is selected to be the next Blade Keeper. It's kind of like The Giver, only with a magic system, fighting, alternate world, and darker story. If you want to know more help yourself to all 66 pages. Before you know it, the story turned into a complicated trilogy in my head (and notes) and I realized that there was no way I could tell the story I wanted while being a toddler in the field. So I decided to write the most ridiculous story I could think of as practice. That idea happens to be about a teenage wizard who drops out of high school to pursue a rapping career in a fictitious version of Detroit. Its utter nonsense, but the point was to create something so ridiculous that I wouldn't care if the story turned out well. Well- I ended up caring and now have 25 pages of notes for a 12 page story.
With respect to Mckk I would suggest that the first target should just be to write and stop making notes. You have 1,500 words. A GREAT START. Have a target of 1,000 each day or so for the next week and come back and let us know how it's going. No pressure on quality or consistency. Just build up a habit for a couple of weeks and prove to yourself that the ball is rolling and only needs to be given a gentle push each day. If you miss a day don't worry ! get back to it the next day.
It used to be that I had more notes then actual scenes and pages for the books I wrote. I chucked this up as being because I didn't always have the time to sit there and write out the ideas in my head (I'm gone 8-12 hrs a day for work), so I would just jot down notes on what I wanted. But then I noticed that all my notes were over taking my work space, and I had no idea what in the world half of them were supposed to be about, or what story they really were for because I never actually labeled them! It was disastrous. Now, dun get me wrong, I'm not saying notes are bad, but they're definitely not something you want to be the soul focus of your writing. So when I finally had extra time on my hands, I attacked my notes and reduced them down to a manageable sized notebook (although that thing looks like it's bursting at the seams). I took all the important notes that I knew I couldn't exactly remember and jotted them down, then I just took the rest and tore them up and threw them out. I told myself if I destroy them, then I can't go back to them and waste time on them instead of the writing. A lot of those notes became scenes for the stories they were meant for too. So it really cleared up a lot of space, and a lot of time. Now, when I feel the urge to write a note about something in a story, I fight to ignore it or keep it sealed up inside my brain until I can sit down and force it into an actual scene or part of the story. There's a lot of times that note I had doesn't become part of the story because it wasn't that important in the end. I do still write some notes, but this is mostly for research purposes. When I do write the notes now, in the middle of the page at the top I write what the story is, and under that I write what the notes are so when I need them, I can just take a quick glance at the titles to find what I want, and not spend a lot of time skimming through all the notes. I've even gotten into separating each story's notes into their own binders and notebooks, but I mostly have everything on the computer to save space. I would definitely suggest trying to organize your notes and force yourself into writing instead of note taking. It won't be easy, but then again, when is a hobby overly easy?
The Giver sucked... lol. Such a promising premise too, but seriously, the writing... ugh. Teenage wizard dropping out of school to pursue a rapping career sounds very manga/anime and why not? Are you still having fun with it? @Howard_B - don't worry, I am by no means encouraging the OP to keep growing notes! You're completely right, OP should just get writing. Now, if only those notes were you know... bank notes
Yeah The Giver is by no means literary classic but it does accomplish something I really like (or at least liked back 5th grade) in the first few chapters. The scene where the young protag is sitting in the auditorium with all his friends, and they are chosen for their respective roles roles in life and he is just...ignored. The tension that builds as he awaits the decision that will shape his entire future was palpable. I could relate with that feeling of nervousness so much that I still remember it now 15 years and hundreds of books later. And to answer your question I am still having fun but not in the same way. When I first started, making the most ridiculous story possible was the fun part. I considered the story a joke, and that joke was to make this ridiculous premise seem grounded in reality to whoever read it. Now I still think the premise is funny but the fun factor comes from crafting the plot and characters, etc. This whole experience has actually been enlightening and provided some much needed self-realization. I've realized I enjoy world and plot building a lot more than crafting prose.
Hey Howard, let me just say thanks. The fact that you've taken time out of your day to encourage a complete stranger gives my faith in the human race. The world needs more people like that. Honestly, I didn't work on anything over the weekend. I never do. I try to keep the misses happy and entertained. However, I am about 90% done with the first draft. It's messy. REALLY messy and needs a lot of work, but that's what revisions are for huh?
