me and my best friend have been working on a book since the 8th grade (were now in 10th) and there isn't much written yet... i have about 20 pages hand written and she has about the same.. we keep adding (we write seperate chunk and were gonna meld them together in the end.. theres no order to how we write) and adding, but never enough to count..we want to finish it before the end of highschool so we can let out english teachers read it.. but as it is, were always to busy to work on it.. and when we have time, we dont feel in the creative mood.. any tips on this?
2007-01-31 09:19:22 · 7 answers · asked by janna w 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
wow.. lots to clarify
first off, i can't 'set apart some time' i have no time.. and i can't make myself write. ifido that it wont be as good. my best work is stuff i sit down and let teh words flow from my fingers to the page and i dont even realize what im writing.. its like a film is playing and when i get through, its recorded on the page.. i dont know how.. it just happens.
and as for the co-authoring thing. our story is a murder mystery.. it started out on summer day as a conversation about whether or not we'd make dumb scary-movie mistakes in a story.. then we started writing and all the characters are modeled after people we know.
we outlined the story at the beginning and now we'll write a set and the other person will write a few sets and 2 times, i've written the character POV and she'll write the killers POV,because in the story, different chapters have different points of view... so far its pretty good.. just not much!
2007-02-01 13:47:41 · update #1
Maybe, if you can, you could work on them during the summer.
2007-01-31 09:27:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any writer worth they salt, will tell you they "don't always feel in the creative mood" but they still have to write. Why? Because writing is a discipline and you have to write on a regular schedule. Set aside time every day (early in the morning, before bed, or at lunch) it can be just a half hour, or an hour if you can, and write. Even if you're not in the mood, write something that you will eventually use for the book. Yes you can work ahead, but remember that if you do, you may well have to make lots of changes.
I'm curious as to how you two are working this out. Do you each write a chapter? Is it non-fiction, or fiction? Do you each do a fiction character? or fi non-fiction, do you each cover a part?
It is very hard to "mesh" a fiction book, but it has been done, and you will have to agree to the edits, etc.
Good luck to you both.
2007-01-31 18:13:33 · answer #2 · answered by Wanda K 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You must make it a priority if you want to achieve anything. Believe me! I've started a novel about 10 years ago and am up to page 253. However, you cannot be in a rush and be focussed on what you are doing. The advice I could give you is not to let any outside demands from your friends distract you from your goal. If you do; like I did, you need to read all of what you already have written in order not to contradict what has been said or done by your characters up to that point.
Writing with a co-author is positive providing you get together and discuss your characters as if they were living people and once this is done, you establish a plan as to how you wish to evolve your plot. If there are factual informations in your script, you need to check that they are accurate and if they are covered by copyrights.
As for the creative mood; I'll give you a clue as to how I proceed.
I put a blank sheet of paper in front of me and I write everything that comes to my mind... And you leave it alone until you feel like writing again... Then from what you wrote in those short segments, you will find enough material to continue. Especially if there is dialogue in it. Be aware of what's going on around you and take notes. You may hear a sentence here and there that will fit your story for one of your characters. And as you go along... new characters will appear and sometimes they are so strong that you must be careful about WHO is your main character and never forget your plan from A to Z... And never give up!
I haven't after 10 years!
Good luck in your project!
2007-01-31 17:53:24 · answer #3 · answered by montralia 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Set aside weekends where you get together and do nothing but write. Write during summer vacation. Bounce ideas off each other. Laugh a lot, sometimes just random silliness will help.
2007-01-31 17:32:56 · answer #4 · answered by tkron31 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't just "feel the creative mood", you have to bring it about yourself. As I was once told, "The art of writing is best accomplished first by the ability to glue oneself to one's seat." Which is true. You just have to sit down and write. It's a discipline you have to learn. Look, I'm only 14 and still learning this myself, I'm working on a novel, but it's true. Sit down and write. This is the best advice I can give you.
Also, read, read, read, from every genre! This will help you expand your imagination as well as your vocabulary.
Good luck with the novel, both of you..
2007-01-31 17:24:09 · answer #5 · answered by Kiara 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Kiara you have to sit down and write and if you're to restless when you have time go for a walk and just look around you look at flowers a tree anything. Imagine your characters. Then go sit down and write!
2007-01-31 17:28:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Write short stories or poems
2007-01-31 17:29:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋