I find it a sort of phase for me, sometimes I could fill page after page with writing, but other times I can barely write a sentence.

Just practice, write what you're thinking, shape it into a story or poem or essay or whatever you want. Practice DOES work.

 

Any observer would have noted that David was stymied by his most recent challenge.

"David is stymied by this obstacle!", the announcer announced with the typical announcer habit of stating the obvious. David wondered how much money there was to be made in this career of describing exactly what was going on. At any rate, the qualifications required couldn't be too high.

Now THAT'S bad writing.

Um. I just have to know where the story is going, in order to make the actual writing come naturally. So maybe you'd benefit from putting together a storyline, then working on fleshing it out when inspiration is low.

 what i do first is plan out the story on another piece of paper. this may or may not work for you.

but isnt that just stealing other people's ideas and passing them off as your own?

 

Originally posted by Ky12wng:
but isnt that just stealing other people's ideas and passing them off as your own?

Another word for that is plagirism, but yes, it is.

Although almost nothing is original anymore, so you don't need to care.

so, um, how many of us understood that FishyJeff was being facetious?

::raises hand::

Write down heaps of notes. Gather your notes, make a story out of them. Fin.

 

Originally posted by Teral:
The words you're looking for is: "similar, but legally distinct" like calling the main character Hairy Capper.

Are you suggesting Hairy Capper isn't an original creation like my other title characters in Fishiana Jeff and the Test Crusade or Velara Fog: Thread Raider?

In all seriousness, I get my best ideas just walking up the road alone in near silence, but that is impossible to do in some places.

I usually find it's best to just write when you a have an idea of where the plot is going. My characters seem to have a life of their own at that point. oh and by the way.
[points to finished novel]

I write fiction.

Basically, I come up with a basic "skeleton" idea, then as I write it pretty much fleshes itself out. I have page after page filled with rough drafts of writing (which works out well, because transferring them to the computer is almost an editing in itself) and even more pages of notes taken on characters, plot points, etc.

Some days (usually bad days) I can write a lot, but usually I tend to set a goal of about three pages a day, which I constantly exceed or fall short of. I don't think I've ever actually written three pages in one day.

The problem with my characters is they never want to get on with the plot and prefer hanging about in bars instead.

mhhh now that is a problem Cube, you should better go have writing classes or something

*bump*

I dont see the reason for 'writing classes' - wouldnt you be learning the tutor's style of writing instead of creating your own? It really defies the whole principal of writing, you want your own style & your own style is the best. If people dont like your style of writing, ask them what they hate about it and try to improve in that area. If you choose not to conform to the normal way of writing, that is brilliant. Writing is a psychological process in which you are writing the story that is playing in your mind - and presenting it the way of your thinking.

The best way of writing (that I think is) is not to force a story onto paper - but just go about your life, and once you have something in your mind - write it down as in your own way. No one has to understand it but you. Writing should be something you do for yourself*

*Unless you want readers, then they have to adapt to your style - much like we have to adapt to a directors' adaption of a novel, either hate it or just enjoy the different view of anothers' creativity

Step 1: million monkeys on a million typewriters
Step 2
Step 3: profit

_____________________________ ____________________

Writing is something abstract to me, a spur of the moment thing.

Now that's religion!

Seriously though, I totally agree with LANny's treatise.  One must learn to walk before one can run, and just because something is different doesn't mean that it's good (it doesn't make it bad either).

 

Originally posted by FishyJoe:
  *points at big empty table, with a note that says "this space reserved for all the novels/scripts/Esquire articles/comics that I've been planning on finishing any day now"*

hey! you're a published writer, Jeff. don't take crap like that from anyone, not even youself. And do you write everyday? Cause I didn't think you did. Clearly the key to writing is to not do it very often and then email stuff to websites and sit back and wait for the money to roll in.

Well, I write only when I can truly be arsed.

My novel is *almost* finished, and as a result of my lackadaisical approach to a work ethic, will likely remain *almost* finished for a while.

Finishing things off is waaaaay harder than starting them.

I have a million-billion-zillion bits n peices of creativity, random ideas, poetry, etc. that pops into my head all written down on paper. Once they get transferred to my laptop, I have a brief burst of energy and toy with them, then let 'em drop just before they hit true completion.

When I finally finish my book, I fully expect it to give me a brief burst of energy for beginning another, which will spend even longer under development.

In my opinion, writing classes are a waste of time. Either you can build a picture with your words, and grip the reader with the story that you tell, or you can't. It can't be learned. It just comes naturally to you, once your grasp of the language is full enough.

There are a lot of writers out there. Most of them are crap, and a lot of the crap writers get published. The reason? These people can churn out crap faster than your car's wheels will disappear in Liverpool or Bristol.

BUT (and this is in answer to MuscaDomestica's original question),

The slower you work, the more you think about it, the worse you will feel about it. The trick is to strike a balance. Try and get some thought going, then plunge blindly ahead, and let your brain work in 5th gear. Don't start off in 5th gear and try to slow down into 1st. This is fast, easy, and produces garbage. The trick to writing something good is to have 3 elements in place:

1) The inclination to sit down and write.
2) An idea already boiling away, one that you will have to be quick to jot down before it escapes (you start in 5th gear, see? Hit the ground running).
3) The will to accept that whatever you write may not be the words of fire that you intended. It could be utter shite. It could be good. Don't judge your own work before you sit down and read it through after it's imprisoned on the paper/screen.
4) An optional extra, alcohol is a great tool. Just a little though, to give you some motivation. Too much just turns your writing into stuff that you wouldn't want to wipe your arse with. As somebody who has deleted more of his own work than he has saved, I should know this.


As an aside, anybody who is connected to the publishing industry might want to drop me an email... I mean, it'd be nice to see if you could get me an appointment with your bosses... they might want to put my work on bookshelves, or they might want to burn it. Either way, I want to know.

Have ADHD and be naturally shy. Really helps.

...My head hurts.