Struggling to write a story.?

Question

For years I have had this one character in my head who I keep changing and imagining his location in diffrent places, yet when I try to put him down in a story I cant. Not even one sentence. Is there anyways to get the pen to start moving?

Answer 1

Try not to think of it as trying to write a whole story at first. Try thinking of it as either a short story first or maybe even a poem. Both are shorter and not so daunting to consider completing.
I have written 4 narrative poems and each one is about 34 four line stanzas. As I wrote them I didn't consider the whole story at first. Just the beginning and the story/poem took off from there.
It comes down to just doing it. Start small and go with the flow, you can always revise after you have something to revise.
There is a few really good on line writing courses offered at Ed2go.com through Rio Hondo Community College. They run 6weeks a stretch and are really pretty good.
This is Mo, and this answer was given by my husband the writer.

Answer 2

I have the same problem. I got all these interesting characters doing all these wonderful things and can't get them from my head to the paper. I have whole stories (like 10 of them) that I haven't gotten any further than my thoughts. Every so often I will have another thought or go another way with a character but it basically stays the same. I have trouble coming up with new stuff mainly because I haven't dealt with the old yet. My friend Scott and I always use to have these "here's a topic now let's write a short story contest". I had some cool ideas but he always won because I never wrote ANYTHING! I am trying though (check out my 360 page). Hang in there and keep trying, one of these days that brick wall your pounding your head against is gonna break. Good Luck.

Answer 3

The same thing has happened to me many times. I just let more thoughts flow and characterize him more and more in my head. I think more about what my character is like, what he likes to do,and slowly I can begin to imagine the setting he'd be in and the conflictes he'd face, so that slowly a story begins to form. I create the story in my head, and i don't even try writing anything down until I have a basic idea of my storyline.

Don't try to force your character into a story... Iv'e tried and IT DOESN'T WORK!!!! Another thing that works sometimes is drawing a picture of what he looks like. You can draw his surroundings and all, and you might be able to get a story from your picture.

You might also want to try just brainstorming. Grab a piece of paper and write down anything that comes to mind when you think of him. This might give you ideas.

If all else fails, just drop it for a while. An idea may come when you least expect it!

Answer 4

You say you can't write even one sentence, but in your question, you have three sentences, one of which is a perfect start to your story. Here it is:


Let me tell you about XXX, man was that wild. I imagined him...

Later on, I imagined him in YYY. There, he was...>

All writing involves a statement of some kind followed by details (examples), insights, feelings in reaction to the situation, and so on.

Usually, writing starts with just a rough draft, let your pen flow. Write anything down. Just write, write, write. After the rough draft, read it through once, then throw it away, start over and do another draft. You'll see the improvement. A few writers are able to say what they say in one draft; most write and re-write and re-write, maybe many times before they get a "final" draft.

Answer 5

Try writing down in a journal, what you are thinking of this character. Then try adding on to some of these ideas and work with them. Then pick the best one and try to keep the ballrolling. Good luck! :)

Answer 6

I've been writing for 12 years and it can be kind of hard sometimes. Sometimes it helps me to think of the story in my head and I think of what the ending will be. And I'll write the ending and then fill in the rest. It seems to work for me, try it. Just think of what the main goal and point of the book is going to be and work from there.

Answer 7

I have a similar problem. When I get in that funk, I just try free-writing. Write whatever comes to mind. Don't be critical of yourself, you'll have plenty of time to fix it later. Perfection doesn't come in the first draft.

Also, as much as I hated to come to the realization for my own projects, you HAVE to outline in some form or fashion. It is said that some writers can get away with not doing that, but I doubt either one of us is quite that good yet.

Good luck buddy, from one aspiring novelist to another ;)

Answer 8

Have you ever heard of the muse? The muse is an unseen influence that motivates writers...it is like waiting for the wind to blow your way..when it does you know it...

For years (after having written for a while) I got what is known as writer's block...I couldn't write...I knew there were areas of stress in my life, but writing was usually an outlet. I went for a walk outside to clear my head.

I came back in and turned on some upbeat music...then it mellowed out, but not too mellow...

Then one line from a song and I knew what to write...the muse(in this case, music) had blown my way...

That is my experience..hope it helps...happy writing!

Answer 9

Try freewriting. Just sit with your notebook and pen, and write anything--diary, thoughts, even a shopping list. Eventually, write a "biography" of this character. Give him personality traits, background, talents, whatever. Keep building him and see what happens.

Answer 10

This is just a thought, but have you tried to find a different character? I think if you base it on a real person or a character from a book.