Okay I'm a young author I want some advice from expirenced people?

Question

Okay I have all of this stuff written and I'm ready to put it together but I'm stuck. I can't get passed the first paragraph.

Answer 1

once upon a time i was like that.
but right now i'm in the middle of writing a novel, and i love it so much, i'm so glad i decided not to give up (you have NO idea how many times i wanted to give up)
so eventually you'll get to where i am and you'll feel the same sense of relief i'm feeling now; that you were glad you didnt give up.

but anyway, here are some of the tips:
*start small. really small. most of the big mistakes beginning authors make is starting off big. REAL big. all kinds of stories fly into their heads. a godzilla-like monster wrecking up town. a UFO attack! earthworms take over the world! they have this feeling that they have to be 'noticed' and they come up with the most outrageous ideas imaginable. well, don't.

1. start off by writing a simple sentence. spend hours on that sentence (you dont have to, but maybe you'll have to). if possible, make it under 30 letters. this sentence is your whole story, crammed into a tiny little space. (so, well, speaking technically, its a little packaged-up summary) it doesnt have to elaborate or detailed. this will be the whole backbone of your story.
2. start writing a paragraph off of that sentence. the paragraph will be a more detailed explanation of the sentence.
3. now, don't go any longer than a paragraph. STOP, and think of the characters. there IS no story until there are characters.
take an index card and write the name of a main character on the top. no physical details yet, though. write about the character's past, the problems he/she are faced with, and how they solve them. and most importantly, how the character changes throughout the story.
4. continue on with your summary. go as long as you like, until you feel it is a mini-version of your story
5. back to the characters. get a piece of paper (or open up a word document) and type/write the name of the character on the top of the page. then, list EVERY SINGLE THING you can think of about that person. physical appearances? of course! (hair color, eye color, height, weight...) personality? (hot-headed, calm, mean, nice), how the story involves them, what they like to wear, their family, their family background....... this'll take a long time, but i promise it will help you out in the future
6. get to know your characters. dont start writing for a few days (i know it'll be hard, it was for me too). you'll start hearing their voices in your head. after a while, you'll get to know your characters so well so that when the character is faced with a situation, you know exactly how he/she will act. this way, the dialogue and the actions of the character seem real and not forced.
7. re-read one of your favorite books and a book that you dont really like. compare them. see how they differ. incorporate some of the traits of the good book into your story
8. read the first sentences of every single book in your house. brainstorm ideas for your story's first sentence
9. and finally.... sit down, and write. let the story flow out of you. when in doubt, flip back to the summary or to the character explanations. BECOME the character. immerse yourself in the plot.
10. keep writing and writing and writing and dont give up even if you really want to.

some other tips:
*when faced with writer's block, take a notebook and take a walk outside. whenever you see something interesting, write it down. it may well be used in your story
*pretend you ARE the character. act like one character one day and another the next. see how people react to every personality. this'll help you BE the character
*dont try to twist your writing 'style' to match a famous writer's. your 'style' is yours, and yours to keep.
*A well-written page-turner that is more character- than plot-driven and has a clear beginning, middle and end is what editors (and readers) want.
*Conversation is not dialogue. Dialogue has a purpose. It pushes the story forward. It keeps the reader tuned in to the story, and makes a person feel at the heart of the action. Therefore, don’t describe distant events second hand. Put the reader in the middle of your story’s action and your dialogue will sing naturally. Keep your talk efficient and forceful. And always make certain the reader knows who is speaking.
*when you've written a good amount, leave your work for a few days and come back to it. this way, youi'll be able to see your work with new eyes and edit your work in small chunks.

hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 2

I'm not sure what you mean by "all of this stuff" if you can't get past the first paragraph. Do you just have a lot of ideas written down or do you have chapters and don't know how you want to arrange them? I'll try to give some general writing advice, because I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for...

When I'm stuck, I like to re-read what I've written and see if anything new occurs to me while I'm reading. This might not work well for you if you're not sure about your timeline yet, though.

Do you want your book to follow a natural flow of time (Events that happened first, second, third are written first, second and third) or do you want to go back and forth between two times? This second option can be difficult to master, because it is easy for a reader to get distracted and not be able to follow the story and it is the author's job to make sure they know what is happening. So if you're having trouble starting, I'd suggest having the events in order, at least for now.

One of my professors has suggested to my class that we start writing about "The day that is different" for our characters. So, for an easy example, if you're writing about a girl who meets a new boy, you would start the story right before she meets this boy - maybe a few hours before so the reader can see what her life is like before she meets him.

Hope this helped!

Answer 3

not exactly sure what you mean. if you've already gotten the stuff written and you're having trouble editing it find someone who can do it for you. if you can find someone who isn't related to you that's better.
if it's a matter of getting your ideas organized enough to write it there are several thing you can do.
write a complete bio for each of your characters (especially the main ones)
write a complete description of the settings in your story
write out an outline of the things you want to cover. in the outline break it down to which characters are present and where the action is taking place. make a separate bullet for each setting.
then just sit down and write. don't think about it, don't worry about grammer or punctuation or anything else just get the words on paper.
then take a break. edit it after you taken some time away from what you've written, it's a lot easier to see the mistakes that way.
hope that helps

Answer 4

writer's block is common, but don't give up. Just let go and decide on your theme. Write the last paragraph and then start at the beginning. Don't worry about being perfect. That's what editors are for. I think you'll do fine. Just find a style that you feel good about and just do it. I'm 47 and have not been published..yet! My daughter has a published poem and she was in the eighth grade at the time. Do it for yourself, and I look forward to reading your first best seller!!!!

Answer 5

I understand what you mean. Don't worry about it being perfect, or impressing someone, just tell a story like it really happened and you were the witness and you need to tell it before you die or something. That will get you the rough draft.
And if you are not writing fiction then I can't help you, sorry.

Answer 6

Write the last part first.....my introduction part stinks so bad in my book...i hate it so I just wrote.
Chase stories is good idea if you don't have a real one to tell, ya gots to have the story.
When ya get your story marketting is very important too.

Answer 7

passed = I passed science
past = I can't get past the first part