Writers Central

[Pel]

Do you like to write stories, poetry, plays? This is the thread for you. Ask questions about the process, ask for advice, etc.

[NolitaFairytale]

Yeah, I'm in the process of attempting to write a novel. I'm having fun with it, but I find myself awful at sticking with the story. I'll take a fifteen minute break from the computer, and in that time, come up with a completely different plot I like better. Ahhh! Suggestions on how to stick to a story, anyone?

[dragon-girl]

One of the pieces of advice that I hear from published authors all the time is 'don't start a story until you know the ending'. It doesn't have to be all of what's happening at the end, or anything about how to get there, you just need a little thing to aim for.
That would be my advice for the moment, Nolita.

[Feathers]

My problem is not only do I come up with another idea, I come up with an entirely different story. Not necessarily a better one, but another one to be told. (I'm in the middle of FOUR, now, ladies, for those if you who know me. Holy crap.)

As far as sticking to it, if you change your mind about it, then it seems like you weren't really into it in the first place. From what I've heard from other authors, Stephenie included, several writers 'hear' characters in their head. Like, they don't just make up a character and a story, the character exists in their mind with a story to be told. I don't know if that distinction helps you at all, but that's how I function. I actually start when a character crops up, and then I usually see the ending, and then they show me the begining, and as I start writing, crap happens inbetween. And, lo and behold, crap = plot. And voila! Story!

Is that helpful at all?

<3 Ren

[~twilight_princess~]

I've actually finished a novel now, and my advice is just to plan out. Make an outline, bounce ideas off a friend. I think it's very encouraging to have a friend who will tell you to keep going or to hurry up and write some more. Good luck!

[FilDeCuivre]

My problem is not only do I come up with another idea, I come up with an entirely different story. Not necessarily a better one, but another one to be told. (I'm in the middle of FOUR, now, ladies, for those if you who know me. Holy crap.)

As far as sticking to it, if you change your mind about it, then it seems like you weren't really into it in the first place. From what I've heard from other authors, Stephenie included, several writers 'hear' characters in their head.

I know exactly how that feels like! I started more than two years ago to write a story and at the moment I'm having five stories in my head!

The plot's are very different from each other. Though there's always one common thing - the main characters falling in love. My oldest and the best story is about an English girl whose best friend dies in a car accident and the story starts at the year 2020. She moves to France and the story will include 14 years of her life.

The second story I made up at History lesson. It's about a normal girl who meets a fairy with amazingly green eyes. When the story was at the early stage I already made up a prequel, which was about one of the minor characters. I thought the character seemed so interesting that she should have a story of her own because there wouldn't be much of her in the original story. A few months ago I realized I had an idea for a sequel, too.

Then there's the last story which is about a boy living in some kind of universe between the Earth and space. He isn't supposed to be able to move between different spaces, but then he accidentally teleports himself to the Earth.

I haven't written my other stories for a long time but I am writing my first story. I thought it'd be better just to focus on one story at the time so that I would finish the story some day. It's far from ready but I just write it for my own fun. The more I've written my story the more I've become attached to the characters. I can hear their voices and hear them having all different kinds of discussions - it's like I was watching a movie but I had made the script myself.

I guess this is enough for now, it's quite late at the moment and I'm supposed to be fast asleep now

[Feathers]

Hehe - whatever works best for you. For me, my characters and storylines are do distinct, it's actually easier for me to try and write them all simultaneously. I already know the begining and the ending, and the crap in the middle (hitherafter referred to as 'plot') just happens as I write, so sometimes I get stuck, and work on another piece. And then sometimes, like right now, when school's about to start, the Lex is back up, my brain decides to have ideas for all four stories at once. Aaaaah! So much for getting something important accomplished, eh?

<3 Ren

[brunetterebel010]

I adore writing poetry, I have an entire spiral full of it.
Often I have an idea and think I'd like to write it into a book. I can get the basics in, the intro. to the charachters, major events, the ending. I have a HUGE problem with fleshing out my stories. I'm not good at getting them from one major event to the next, introducing minor characters, or the comic relief from the intense stuff that Jacob provides in the Twilight books. I can go over and tell you basically what happens in a story but if I tried to write it into a book it would maybe make 15 pages of the most horrible reading you've ever done. Does anyone have a suggestion for how to help that?

[Iris Messenger]

i write a LOT of fanfiction for Twilight, am attempting to write a novel, have written over one-hundred poems in the last year or two, and have completed and in the process of editing a short story.

Wow, editing is hard.

My problem is that I'll get bored with my story and characters twenty pages in, have another plot-penguin, and abandon whatever I'm working on to type ten or fifteen pages and several word documents on -that- concept.

[Edward Cullen Fan]

I write some realistic fiction and some sci-fi/fantasy stories. I haven't had time to write lately because I've been so busy, but I've come up with a million different ideas in the meantime. I came up with something new the other day, remembering a brief part of a dream I had a few years back and built up from there. I have it in front of me at the moment. My hands are dying to type out some story or another. I just don't know what I want to work on or even start.

I have a FictionPress account if anyone wants to read anything I've written. I often forget I have it, but when the subject comes up I try my best to mention it.

http://www.fictionpress.com/~arielblackraven

Hope yall like them.