Hello All For the past few months, I have had a strong desire to write a fantasy novel. I have spent much of my younger years writing and running role playing games, which was always fun, but I never needed to have strong "writing skills". I'm intimidated to write a novel that would even come close to the level of competency that many of the writers here have, but I really want to pursue this life long dream. I think I have a good ability to flush out characters and establish a firm setting (in this case, a fantasy setting), it will be the act of writing paragraph after paragraph that will be my block. I hope that with your help, advice, and encouragement, as well as participating in the community, I can develop the skills need to finish my novel and it be even half decent. Thanks for reading, and I hope that I can be a good contributor to the community.
When in doubt, write it out! Writing a thing out the first time always comes out all weird, because you're working with your initial thoughts. You have so many cool ideas you just need to arrange them in different ways until you find a way you like the best. I say, think of it like a box of legos, just stick it together and see what kind of stuff you can make.
Do it! Don't just wish it or think about it, do it! Don't be afraid that it's "not good enough" before you even do it. If you never do it, it will never be good enough. It will never be. Welcome!
The title of this thread is so right - if you want to write it, it's time to start writing! I've been in a similar position for several years now with novel attempts, so I understand some of the frustrations of that process, but one of the most important things I would do well to stop forgetting is that you can always go back an edit afterwards! (So long as you've written anything to go back and review, that is.) Even if all you get down in your first draft is a super stripped down, simply written sequence of events you have the framework to build on to write something really engaging and interesting as you learn to write - so go for it! I'm super excited to see what you might come up with!
I have been looking over the site for a few days now, and these contests have me intrigued. Have any others used these contests, but written about their own characters? I have nearly no experience writing, but I feel that writing these short stories/flash fiction with my main characters in mind. Have you found this has worked for you, or would this not be the appropriate way to practice writing for my characters?
Whilst I haven't personally participated in any of the competitions on this site (yet!) I'd be inclined to say that any practice writing for your characters is good practice, even if you write something for them that's in a completely different setting from the setting in your main project. Exploring how characters respond to a variety of different stimuli gives you a much better understanding of who they are as people, and might prompt you to explore aspects of their personalities you hadn't looked into before which all contributes to making them easier to write as compelling, 3-dimensional characters.
Had to comment on this. Writing is about developing the plot, the characters, and setting the tone and feel to a scene. I actually just said this in another thread, but writing simply to put words on the page is not the goal. Those words have to advance the story, and they have to have a purpose. If that purpose is not to develop a character, or the plot, then it should be to set the tone for a scene, or describe a feeling/emotion. Think about what the purpose for the paragraph is, and you may find it easier to write it. Have fun writing though, that's important. I too write fantasy, it's a genre I've been captivated by for a very long time. There's nothing better than a good romp through a mystical world. Plan out your world though, and have rules for it. You can bend those rules a bit at times, but don't break them or your reader will call foul.
My advice would be to start out with a general idea of where your story is going, and then just start writing the scenes as they come to you. You can rearrange them if needed later. And remember - you will write many drafts of your story - many drafts, until you feel it is fully told. Mostly - just write and have fun with it!
