I was just wondering if anyone has ever found themselves in a similar situation. I have thought out a plot that I absolutely love, and am working on a detailed outline (that's just how I work). As I am writing it though, I feel like it might be too advanced for my current writing skills. It is a very complicated plot, and if not pulled off well, would come across as unbelievable or even cheesy - which of course, I don't want. I started writing seriously over a year ago, and I see my writing improving week by week. I'm almost considering shelving this plot until my writing reaches the level I think this book deserves. Has anyone ever felt this way about a plot they created? Did you go ahead and write it anyway, and were you happy with it?
I take it you mean the storyline is too complicated. A plot is simple. It has four components: An actor, a goal or objective, a motivation, and an opposition. Map out the plots. Some may overlap, for instance if a character has more than one motivation driving him toward the same goal. You may find that some of the plots really aren't needed. But if you decide you do want to retain all the plots, go for it. You'll never know wat your limits are if you don't test them, and testing your limits is a incomparable means to push them back. If you find you're stuck, set it aside for a while and wqork on something else. As you gain experience, you may think of ways to manage the complexity better. After all, what have you to lose by trying?
I have the same problem you do. I have a story in my mind, that if well written, would become a great book. I am sure of it. But I want to write the book in English, and I am not fluent in it yet, so I am reading other fiction books, writing short stories and studying writing techniques until I am able to write this novel well enough. For now, I am writing the whole storyline of my novel using a free software called "Freemind", pretty simple, just to organize my ideas so I don't forget anything until my writing skills have improved. Good luck to you
The great thing about writing is that there are no boundries. You can do whatever you want. If you want to try out some other stories before proceeding with the one you have in mind, do it. Practice is one of the best teachers, and you can save this plot for later. However, be prepared to know that there might never be a point when you are satisfied with your writing skills. There is always room for improvement, and sometimes you just have to set your mind to something and do it. Try out a few other stories and then start with this one. For me personally, I have a story that I am currently working on, and it is one that I would love to get done in the best possible manner. I've had the same thoughts that you are having right now: Is my writing good enough? You never really know till the story is completed, and even then, you can always go back and make changes. Just remember that you can easily get lost in little writing projects that don't matter much to you, instead of using your precious time on the one that is truly on your heart.
Thanks, I think I will follow Cogito's suggestion and give it a try. If I find that it's not working, I can always shelve it. But yeah, I do need to work on the projects that are important to me - and that's how I'll get better.
In my life experience, the general universal law is "No one grows without deliberately shattering their circle of comfort." I say you should write your story anyway. Just go for it. Like Cogito said, there will come a time when you can shelve it and pull it out sometime down the line. It's to your greatest benefit to tackle it now. You know, just like how when you spend days working on high-difficulty Sudoku puzzles, going back to the easy ones seems like you're doing a puzzle in a toddler's coloring book. Working on this hard story now will boost your ability to handle simpler plots, right? There's not really a downside to writing it now.
I have read an interview of writer Jhumpa Lahiri where she said one of her now acclaimed short story, she started writing in her college days. Years later she completed it and got it published. You won't be the first one to write a story and improve it years later. So, write it now and then you can decide what to do with it.
You can always just set it aside for awhile. Work on maybe less complicated stories and then once you feel more confident you can always pick it back up. Even if you want to start on it now keep in mind that you can go back and edit. There is no rule or law stating you have to work on it and only this before you can move on. No rule or law saying you can't put this one aside when you get a little stumped or need a small break or something. But if its something you really want to write then what you really should do is just write it. Worst that could happen is you hate it and realize you need to do some serious editing. Which isn't all that bad in the long run.
I would go trough the synopsis and highlight the things that's absolutely essential, the things that would add a lot to the plot, and the things thas just thinks that would be nice to have in. Prioritize. Then write a synompisis focusing on -just- the essential parts and write a synopsis that includes the essential and the things that would add a lot to the plot. Then you got 3 version of the plot with different levels of complexity and hopefully figure out on what middle path you take down the plot
^^ This is good advice. Focus on the main story arch, and don't get distracted by all the other story lines and sub-plots. Writing a synopsis of the basic story is often very helpful.
