Calling all english majors and writers.?

Question

I CANNOT WRITE!!!!! I don't know where to start a story, where to end it, where to introduce the character, NOTHING!!! This is soooo amazing. I can't get over this stupid block. can anyone give me some tips please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It can be about ANYTHING just as long as it's helpful.


~*~Be SeRiOuS pLeAsE~*~

Answer 1

you should start by free writing... sit down with a timer... set it for 5 or 10 minutes and when you start writing, dont stop... write everything that comes to your mind... dont worry about making it sound good... just write every word... dont worry about punctuation or anyting ... everysingle word or thought should be wrote down... just dont stop... do this a few times and then go back and read over it... start with a good idea that comes in your free writing... sometimes even free writing is good reading... i love to write and have won several essay contests... if you want i can help you... send me some samples of your writing and i will help you with it... good luck.

Answer 2

Try the "Old School" journalism technique. Here's how it works...

Get the main basis of your story that answer these questions: Who, what, when, where, which, how and why answered in say one paragraph, using as little words as possible and precise. Like somebody telling you a whole story in just three or four lines, or less.

And then, go about expanding each of these questions in a away that the reader's interest will remain till the end of the story. It should be like an inverted triangle or inverted pyramid, which starts with all the heavy and meaningful stuff on top and tapers down with information as it goes below.

Here's an example...At least three persons were killed and eight injured when a fuel tanker driving along the No-4 highway between XYZ city and PQR junction caught fire and exploded. Police suspect the fire was ignited by a flaming cigarette butt thrown carelessly by a motorist passing the tanker..

Of course, your story can have something more pleasant to lead with, such as..

Thailand is expecting over 100,000 visitors for its forthcoming Songkarn festival which begins on April 7, thanks to the new international airport near Bangkok, discounted hotel and accomodation rates, drop in dollar-baht exchange rates and freebies offered by major restaurants and shopping malls.

REMEMBER, the first paragraph has to be captivating to your target readers to ensure they read through the story. Avoid repetation of the same point, same words too often and getting into details that are irrelevant to your story.

Answer 3

"They" say ... write what you know and write from the soul.

I read Stephen King's "On Writing: the Craft". I don't care for his horror genre but as a short story novelist (The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption) I adore how he is able to take the reader on his unexpected journey. His advice is to just write. It doesn't matter or not whether you think it's crap. Don't try to control your story. Let it take you for the ride. Start there and then work on the finer details. So many writers I've spoken with have discovered their best works were ones where they had no idea what to even write about. I'm finding this out myself. I've started no less than 40 projects, with a definite plot and character development in mind and every single time I've kiaboshed it ... by trying to control it.

The more you obsess over the seeming lack of creative process the more bricks you add to your block.

Start at the beginning. The first thing that comes to your mind and go from there. Forget about pleasing an unknown audience for the time being.

I've been working on one project for almost 10 years, maybe even longer. I don't know how it happened but I started it all with what was meant to be a tertiary character who wasn't even supposed to be in the lime-light at all. Now he's become the real thing and is the driving force behind my writing. I'm just tickled to pieces. It's taken over 20 years to finally get here and slow as I may be, it was well worth the wait. I can't wait to find out how this guy handles the mess he's found himself in. I've almost forgotten the whole premise of my original outline. I just love a good mystery.

Answer 4

Remember that writing is not speaking. You have to write down every detail you want me to know. I can't, as a reader, see your facial expression or read your mind or body language.

Watch sentence length. A run-on sentence is not a good thing, especially if you hope to sell a million copies of it. Commas are grossly overused. “That" is only needed about 10% of the times it is used. "Which" is almost as bad. Eliminate either from any sentence and if it still makes sense without it, loose the word.

Outline the book, then flesh out the outline and keep doing it until the book starts to take shape. When you start feeling the plot instead of thinking about it then start writing in earnest Write as much as you possibly can, practice is essential. Then edit all you write but wait. Write today, edit tomorrow at the earliest.

Read good writers and especially read bad writers. Pornography in book form may be the worst writing available. If you are sensitive to trash of that nature, cheap romance novels are almost as bad.

Learn words. To, Two, Too. Which is what and when do you use them? There, their and they’re is another example.
Capital, capitol.
Principle, principal.
Know, no.
Knew, new.
Sight, site.
Right, write.
There are a million places where the English language will trip you. If you have the slightest doubt about a word you should research it.

All that sort of stuff is what publishers are looking for. If someone buys a story from you, don't expect to recognize it when you see it in type unless you retain the creative element. The purchaser is free to do as they see fit and normally leave your name on the piece (or is it peace).

Characters should be developed slowly. Depending on what you write, i.e. mystery, dramatic, historical etc will determine how you do the development.

Know who your audience is and use language appropriate for that group. If you write children’s stories one and two (or is it too) syllable words will be your choice.

Know what you are talking about, research is critical. If the western hero opens the loading gate on his Colt .45 the Civil War should not be going on in the background.

I really hope this helps. I am rapidly running out of focus. If you want to talk with me I am available through my profile.

Answer 5

With all due respect I've been a "Writer" for 57 years, ever since I learned how to, and began by keeping journals.

I want to ask, and please take no offense...Is this an issue related to wanting to be a writer, or story teller, or some other variation?

For me writing is a passion; one of my strongest, and BLOCKS are rare.

Without knowing your rationale, or purpose it might be difficult to advise how to...other than just do it.

It has to be a discipline as well as a passion, and better acomplished in expressing what you know, care about, feel, have experienced, etc. JOURNAL/DIARY... "IF" it's a "JOB"/WORK then you might as well take a vacation from it, unless venting about it, as you have here, helps you figure out the BLOCKS.

One of my beliefs is that I have a muse. Actually I have two. They not only inspire me, but nudge me in directions that help me create. My 360 page is a minor example. My work has been published as far back as the 60's and I write every day.

No I'm not bragging, nor am I ego centered about it. I'm just involved enough that I HAVE to.

I suggest you begin by keeping a journal, inane stuff or not. It will at the very least chronicle events, and help you with recall about them. Very Real, even Personal, but factual. As you begin to re-read, perhaps you'll be able to embellish, even to the point of turning a single day into 300 pages.

Initially don't stress about spelling OR grammer. The intent, the passion of writing should be about expressing; either facts or dreamed fantasies.

Steven Wolf

Answer 6

I need to know what kind of assignment you're working on. If it's a story (fiction), you need to do this:

1: setting and intro to main character, mood is calm
2. character needs to face a problem, which leads into....
3. facing a second problem, which seems like it's solved but then, throw in a third...
4. unexpected and most difficult problem. make this the most exciting point of the story, tack on a happy ending (where the character triumphs over evil, etc.) or a sad ending
5. resolution...describe how everything is going now that it's calm again.

Answer 7

To write is as easy as telling a story about something that matters to you. Something personal that you feel strongly about. You begin where it starts, telling about the main focus, whether it's yourself, another person, thing or animal. It could also be something intangible like a lesson or a memory. You build around the subject making a point or drawing attention to the subject matter with words, like putting bricks on a foundation that will become a house. The words that you use become your story, about your subject. You finish with what should be a complete picture, and you'll know this if your story began with something, led with something, focused on that something and ended or concludes with the focus on that something. I hope that makes sense, and it helps.

Answer 8

This may sound flip, but it isn't; start at the beginning. Introduce your characters.
If a detective story, for instance, open it at his office, as he goes over paperwork (or whatever.) Then, as he's about to leave, a phone call... And your off to the races.
It ends when he finally solves the case; ends the mystery. Drag it on afterwords and it gets boring.

Answer 9

First of all, what do you like? Are you wanting to try and become a fiction writer and do fantasy? Or are you wanting to draw upon knowledge you currently hold to do a non-fiction piece?

Here are some sites below you can visit

Answer 10

Try and appeal to all the reader's senses- smell, touch, taste, etc. If you can describe the setting in great detail, you create a setting a reader can relate to and, hopefully, lose themselves in.