Hey guys! I'm an aspiring writer from England, new around here. I'm feeling generally a little out of my depth when it comes to me actually being a writer though. Any advice you guys can think of that would have helped you in the early days? I write because it is the only thing I am any good at and I love it, even though I have always been a bit shy to put my work out there. The characters are my absolute favourite part. I enjoy reading anything that bends the rules of its genre. I tend not to read much romance - I guess it's not really my thing. I stick more in the realm of fantasy, mystery or adventure in my own creative endeavours. I haven't written action or sci-fi much, nor romance, historical or fanfiction (frankly, I wouldn't even know where to start writing a romance story). To be honest, there is a lot I haven't done but I want to try everything at least once. I'm not certain if that is a good or bad thing? I'm super happy to be here and excited to learn from all you guys who are so much more experienced than I am!
There's no such thing as a good first draft, especially if you're new to the craft. The vast majority of a writer's work is turd-polishing. You start with a piece of crap, and you compress and polish it until you've got a chunk of coprolite that untrained eyes (readers who aren't also writers) mistake for diamond. That's why it's important to finish the story. Don't write one and a half chapters, get discouraged, and start over. Finish the damn story, because you can't polish the turd until you've squeezed it all out. I wasted at least a decade writing and rewriting the first few chapters of my first novel before I figured this out, but that's what I get for majoring in computer science so I could have a cushy day job instead of majoring in English and getting to be around actual writers instead of techies with no better sense of aesthetics than a Vogon poet.
I've never heard quite such a down-to-earth analogy for the writing process! I've heard the whole 'finish the story' advice before but you take the win on that one. Mind if I quote you in my signature (and sticky-note it to my desk )?
Hello there, fellow English person! Glad you found your way to us, it's a lovely place with lovely writery sorts. I'm sure you'll fit right in. As for early days advice, well ... I wish I had begun with some sort of plan for my stories, instead of writing my way in then rewriting about five times before I had a workable plot. I'll definitely at least sketch out all the major events and twists and turns and characters before starting the next book. Also, don't be afraid to kill your darlings. If something isn't working, even if that bit is your best writing, sometimes it's best to take a step back and ask yourself if it can't be cut, rather than trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole.
Thank you for the advice @Nariac ! I definitely started earlier stories with the characters but totally overlooking the plot - the characters are good and the world I set up is good but I've put that story on the shelf because it needs a lot of work. I've got a couple on the shelf! Being here and listening to everyone's advice has certainly helped my last two projects that I have begun to be much more fleshed out. Like you said, I plan the major events and note any key details I don't want to miss. Thank you for the note about cutting things out though - I'll bear it in mind.
I hear you there. I certainly have a well-stocked shelf in that regard! However I'll point out there's no right way to go about this, it's really good at this point to just dip your toes in the water and see if it feels right, then let the current sweep you where it will. Your early stories with well fleshed out characters are an example of this, you don't have to focus on plot. In fact, if you focus on the characters they can sometimes write some of the plot for you. I've got to the point where my characters will simply refuse to do certain things, and ideas have grown for me out of their personality traits rather than from any plot ideas I had conceived before. It's a bit surreal, but exciting, when your characters are at the oars and you're just steering the ship.
this ^^^ Sometimes the characters choose what happens next. Sometimes 'talking with them' about the choice shapes the character.
Okay, thanks guys! I'll keep it in mind to allow the characters to dictate a bit more rather than steer everything too much