Need advice

[kenshinsbabe]

Okay, here's the deal: in the second Friday of February, I started a story. Today, I'm on page 41 of that story. Yes, I've written it all by hand. It's a sort of fantasy fiction novel type thing. The problem is I think I might be shooting too high with it. I want to turn it into a trilogy, following in the footsteps of J.R.R Tolkien (bless him), but I don't belive that I have the time or the ideas to finish it and make something worthwhile. Any thoughts or suggestions? Please help!

[G/S/B Master]

Don't give up. You should submit it to Otakuboards for a rating, but continue the story on your spare time. Like in the summer or Sundays.

You've gone too far into your sstory to give up now.

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]AAA!! Never write a story by hand! That is the craziest thing you can do! It takes so long to write down your ideas as they come, you lose track of where you're going. And it's hard to edit.

Stick to the computer, my friend.

I, too, have gone through some huge writer's blocks, but am currently working on my own story. It took me six months to come up with an idea I liked, characters that I enjoyed writing about, and how to send my message.
You have to get used to writing fifty pages, then losing all interest in the thing. It happens to me all the time.

You can't expect to go anywhere with all of your work. It's making one or two of your stories really count that pays off. Or else you end up pumping meaningless drivel again and again.
No one likes meaningless drivel.

If you like the characters you used in this story, but find the story falling flat, try using them in a slightly different setting, or shifting to a story that's less epic, but easier to handle.

I always have a bajillion potential stories floating through my head. There are three I want to get done some day for sure, as of now, but the rest will continue to float around until they just dissapear.[/FONT]

[/COLOR]

[wrist cutter]

If it's getting too hard, quit. Don't waste time on such trivial things.

[pipopu]

Don't give up so easily! That's the ever last thing you should do to yourself! You've come so far by getting your ideas and writing them down... don't stop half way through...

Yeah I know it's kinda easy to get fade up since I wrote stories too. In fact, I have a story that's been in my mind several years ago, and I did try to write them out... But haha I always out of words in expression and feelings and sort (english not good...) But I still try to write them out during my free time. I hate to give up since I've came up with such huge ideas and stories and just give in without anyone knowing? Nope, I hope you're the same with me.

Anyway, you can always share the story here. There'll always someone to give you ideas (and cheer u up!) Good luck!

*Oh yeah... if you wanna see my story, it's in my blog [url]http://pipopu.blogspot.com/[/url]. Really bad english though, but I enjoy writing it out!*

[IceWolfEyes]

[quote name='Wrist cutter']If it's getting too hard, quit. Don't waste time on such trivial things.[/quote]
Nice.

If you have writers block, just write about the block itself.

[James]

[color=#707875]Write in whichever way you feel comfortable. Sometimes the [i]worst [/i]thing you can do is look at a computer screen. So that's the first point.

Secondly, I think the key is just to find time and to pace yourself. Don't be in a rush to get it finished. Just work on it, a little bit at a time, whenever you have the chance. You don't have to put it first (put your schoolwork and other stuff first), but always keep it there so you can work on it at odd times. Or you can set aside a certain time each week (maybe a few hours) to write on it.

I think that's really the key -- you don't need to focus on it entirely or finish it; it doesn't have to be that black and white. Just chip away at it. If you keep thinking about it and if it keeps nagging at you, it's probably worth completing.[/color]

[yalborap]

I say keep writing. If you're really out of ideas, here's what I'd do: Start an RP in the adventure arena and have a few people play your characters. Sometimes having somebody else taking the wheel for a while will open up your mind to new ideas. Then, you just copy, paste, and edit it up so that it's in the same format as your story.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

I'd leave it alone for a bit, and start something new. A website, or elaborate piece of artwork... something that will completely occupy your "creative time." Then I'd come back to it refreshed, reread it, realize that I need to edit the heck out of it, do so, and then keep writing. That's usually what works best.

[JulyFlame]

Here's my advice.
If your characters seem a bit flat, try and write a side story with just one of then in it, from their POV, and compare it to another characters, so you can see if you are blending any characters' personalities together or such.
And as for thinking/acting your story out in your head, try to morderate how often you do it. If you do it too much, everything in the real world you've been doing lately is gonna take last place, but if you don't do it enough, your story will die.
And another thing that really helps is being motivated to actually write your story. You can have one of the best plots of all time, but it's worth squat if you don't write it.
It also helps to decide your writing style, or your voice, too. Good Luck!

[Kaorii]

I think if you feel that you're not up to it, then don't think about it as much. Do something to take your mind off it for a bit, then come back to it. You want it to end up being a trilogy, so I think if you're getting too much into the 1st story then tone it down a bit. Don't put all you're ideas into one part of it. It's only the 1st story. That should be a sort of introduction into the 2nd and 3rd. You don't want to run out of what else to put. That has happened to me before. Having to throw away an idea that you put so much into, is not a happy feeling. As you've read, keep going, don't stop unless you can't go on. But have fun with it. If you're stressing, you'll loose focus. Seems like you have a lot going for it so far. Just keep that momentum and you'll do fine.

[dposse]

[quote name='ScirosDarkblade']I'd leave it alone for a bit, and start something new. A website, or elaborate piece of artwork... something that will completely occupy your "creative time." Then I'd come back to it refreshed, reread it, realize that I need to edit the heck out of it, do so, and then keep writing. That's usually what works best.[/quote]

I agree with ScirosDarkblade. If you have writers block, leave it alone for a while and do something else. Read a book, play video games, and get a good nights sleep. If Im playing a video game and I can't beat something, I stop playing and come back when i have a fresh point of view or idea. It always works for me.

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1][color=darkred] Advice for you. Never ever ever ever ever make yourself write. If you can't think of anything...leave it. Forcing yourself to write is a horrible idea. You'll absolutely kill your work. Let it come. If it ends up that a few weeks go by and you haven't written anything...don't worry.

It will come, or it won't. Being a writer is all about what you don't finish.[/color][/size]

[DeadSeraphim]

[COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial Narrow]Heh, I get that problem all the time, for months on end it seems. Just don't force it. Do something else, but never force it. Unless of course its for school, in which case forcing it is pretty much required.

~CrH~[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Winter]

[quote name='wrist cutter']If it's getting too hard, quit. Don't waste time on such trivial things.[/quote]

Funny, I agree with someone on this site.

Give up. Nothing is really worth blood, sweat, and tears, however metaphorically.

Or dont give up, and continue to stress yourself over it, only to have the finished product ripped apart by critics, or not even get off the ground to see the light of day.

[Burori]

Let this advice go from one writer to another.

On a first note I agree bless that holy man, J.R.R. Tolkien for the trilogy. I love those novels so much I am walking that path myself. I know the hard labor.

As Baron said. NEVER forse your talent. Let it flow when it wants to. It seems strange to say but trust me it works and helps a lot.

I have been working on five different series in the last two years. One is 7 books in the making and the others more like short stories. Unfortunately the stupid thing that I did was write it by hand o.O that was very unintelligent because I have about 200 pages each book to retype and edit.

My advice is to press on and do what you have on mind. Let the idea come to you and you'll make a great novel in no time.

[Terpischore]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]I don't agree with writing the whole story on the computer. I wrote my story by hand and then I was transferring it to my computer - and one day the harddrive just stopped working. We had to get a new harddrive and everything that was in it, I lost. So what if my [I]whole[/I] story had been on the computer? I would have been screwed and had to write it all over again.

Back to the main point, J.R.R. Tolkien (brilliant man, I might add) took about 14 years to write Lord of the Rings. So, take your time. Nobody's rushing you - if you hurry, your writing won't be as good as it could have been if you would have taken your time. So don't stress. If something comes to you, write it down. And you usally get an idea in the strangest of places, also..the main thing is, don't rush it. You've got plenty of time.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Burori]

[QUOTE]Back to the main point, J.R.R. Tolkien (brilliant man, I might add) took about 14 years to write Lord of the Rings. So, take your time.[/QUOTE]

I agree with you completely with that. It does take time for a story to form and time itself is your very companion in that story. Taking time is important. The only downside to such a think is if you have a dead line in a novel which can and more than likely happen.

[sublime2004]

[b][size=1][color=darkgreen]
What I suggest you do is:

Get a lockbox and lock your story inside. Get a cheap little padlock and latch it on. Throw away the key to somewhere that you'll never find it (I suggest an incinerator or the toilet.) But before you lock it away, get a tape recorder and keep it with you at all times.

Then, once you have filled the tape with all of your random ideas for plots and characters, bust it open with a hammer and write them down. The reason I suggest throwing away the key is so that you won't get tempted to get it out before you have sufficient material to continue your story.

I know that it may seem a little odd to force yourself to abstain from writing even when you have what seems to be a good idea. But, I have used this method many times. And, when I listen to my earlier suggestions for my story, my formerly brilliant ideas suddenly seem far-fetched and don't hold together well. But, then I have a chance to finely tune them to be what I really want in my story.

[/b][/size][/color]

[kenshinsbabe]

I'd like to thank u all for your advice. I won't even discriminate against wrist cutter and the people that agree with him. You see, I'm trying to learn how to take constructive critisism (good or bad!!). Once again, thanks for the advice, everybody. Unfortunately, I can't post it on the Otaku for two reasons:

1.It took me two months to write it by hand and it would take me that long again, I'm sure.

2.No one would finish reading it before I started adding new pages to it, and it would frustrate people.

Sorry for the people looking for it. Maybe if one of my dreams starts coming true, you'll get to read the actual book. You know, the PRINTED kind. Keep your eyes open for that! (It probably won't come out until a few years, but still. . .)

ONCE AGAIN, THANX!!!!!!

[RPCrazy]

[QUOTE=Baron Samedi][size=1][color=darkred] Advice for you. Never ever ever ever ever make yourself write. If you can't think of anything...leave it. Forcing yourself to write is a horrible idea. You'll absolutely kill your work. Let it come. If it ends up that a few weeks go by and you haven't written anything...don't worry.

It will come, or it won't. Being a writer is all about what you don't finish.[/color][/size][/QUOTE]
My question for you is this: what happens when that block lasts for years at a time?


If you really become frustrated, force yourself to write. But not on that story. Try peotry, or just short lil' blurps. Quite possibly, it'll start the flow of thought for your other projects and help you get them off the ground a bit more.

I've been sitting idle for almost 4years now, trying tohold on and hope my block will pass. Only now am I sitting down and forcing myself to write something every day, and I finally think that chunk of ice in my head is starting to crack...

[Baron Samedi]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Well Jenn, I wasn't speaking from personal experience. However many writers say that if you don't have the ideas...if you don't have the inspiration to write then you may as well not be writing. If you have a block then by forcing yourself to write you are lowering the quality of your work.

I don't know. I suppose different people cope with it differently ^_^.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[xmystic_silverx]

If you're running out of ideas, you might want to stop for awhile and think some up.

I'm sure J.R.R. didn't write his books in just a few days. You need to do things at your own pace. Don't rush, if you do you're more likely to make more mistakes.

If you posted it on the boards, people could rate it and maybe give you new ideas for your story. Don't give up. Just do it whenever you have the time. ^^

[Mamma Vash]

[FONT=Tahoma]You have so much invested, don't give up. Don't saddle yourself to a timetable. Don't force the writing, let it come an keep a small pocket notebook to jot down concepts . A brief sentence that describes the overall direction, not getting bound up in each line of prose or dialog. Let the notebook collect concepts then begin to selct concepts and go from there. It is easieer to tell a story, than write a story. Either voice activated software or a tape recorder is helpful. Another suggestion to stimulate the other senses while taking a break from writing-- abstract art that you let happen , listening to music, dance,. When writing, use of smells can re-direct you when you get stuck ( try scraping lemon or orange peelings onto a dish near where you sit, and watch how it subtly shifts you thoughts-- cinnamon is another good one).

GOOD LUCK! :cool:

Love and Peace (biscotti and donuts)
Mamma Vash