Writing Question?

Question

For you creative writers i have another question. Do you ever really really want to write but have trouble opening up in your writing and in yourself? What was your experience like?How did you get past it?Please be ultra descriptive.a winner will be picked

Answer 1

A famous author once said "Writing is sitting down in front of a keyboard and opening a vein". If you aren't willing to do that, either consider non-fiction or don't become an author. Pax - C

Answer 2

Oh boy have I have there. Where I come from that's called writier's block. Get used to it becuase it's pretty common.

Try playing out scenes in your head. Get to know your own characters and understand your settings. Read other books to see how they started their stories to get an idea of how a story begins. That first paragraph is the hardest becuase it's the most important. You've got to grab your reader early, and it isn't easy. Try talking the story out with your freinds and family.

A qoute from a movie I saw is pretty accurate. "You write with your heart. You rewrite with your head." I've taken than syaing to heart. For your first draft, just write the thing. Don't worry about writting a good story, just write it. Get the story down, grow the characters, determine the plot, get the feel for writing. Your craft will grow the more you write.

Remember this: writing takes time. You may need to rewrite sevral times before you get your final draft. Of maybe each draft will take a long time. I myself am on my thrid draft of my own novel. 5 years. It's taken me 5 years to get where I am, but that time has been well spent. I kept writing, and my craft is finnaly nearing perfection. Now you may not take anywhere near that long, but it will take time and effort.

Some say write every day, but for me that doesn't work. I can only write when everything is flowing well. Be mindfull of when you do your best thinking. Try to see when your thoguhts are flowing their best, and then write during those time.

Whatever you do, make sure what you do is right for you. Listen to advice, think about it, but make your own choices. If you disagree with someone's comments, then don't use them. Your writing is your own, keep it that way. And don't worry. You'll get the hang of it. Even the best talents need training. And I would bet that you've only begun.

If you want further help, you might try some forums I'm a part of. They're a good group, and are willing and able to help you in all aspect of writing, from ideas to publication. Here's the address.

www.storycrafters.net

Good luck.

Answer 3

Oftentimes when I'm dealing with a drought of ideas, it can be stressful and I get extra snappish at my wife and others. It's frustrating wanting to be able to create and yet having such a hollow jar of ideas to depend on.

It's common for writers, particularly if you want to make it your career--- people who write for a living simply can't afford to only work when the inspiration hits them. So they work through it.

There are many techniques to help people get past the blank frustration:

-- Set a timer and don't allow yourself to stop typing. Even if you end up typing something utterly rediculous that you will later edit out (such as, "I really need to use the bathroom, I wish I were done with this exercise now,"), it will hopefully get your brain flowing again, and you'll strike upon a new idea.

-- Listen to some music that you feel would help you in the sort of piece you'd like to write (aka: tragic for tragedy, romantic for romance...you get the idea). Maybe use a phrase as a key theme or prompt, to be deleted upon the work's completion.

-- Try some challenge communities online. Several exist, both on yahoo and LiveJournal, to encourage writers and give them ideas when they're running dry. Try looking up writing challenges on either site and see what turns up.

-- I sometimes enjoy twisting with concepts I get from random generators. A good site for those would be Seventh Sanctum ( http://www.seventhsanctum.com/ ). They have generators for pretty much every genre and writing detail imaginable-- and when they don't have one, they can point you in the right (oh the joy of bad puns) direction.

-- On occassion you're just exhausted. Whenever I try to finish too many stories in a row I tend to run into sheer physical inability to continue. Try grabbing something to eat, a nice caffeinated drink, or taking a nap before continuing. If all else fails, laying down might help you generate ideas without facing the intimidating face of your blank screen.

I wish you the best of luck with your writing!

((Edited to fix the Seventh Sanctum link.))

Answer 4

Yeah, a lot of the time.
Well, to get me going when I have nothing in my mind to think of, I listen to music and do something mindless (for me, I Rollerblade or kick a soccer ball at the stairs) and think of a fan fic of my favorite stories or movies. Sometimes I get something I like in the fan fic, and branch it off into my own story.
I try to form the whole story in my mind (it can take several days of doing it for me) and when I get it write, I give a long summary of it.
When it comes down to writing it (about 20% of the stories I make up actually get on paper) I have a hard time getting to start it. I want something that sets a plot in the begining, but is different from a lot of other books. When that happens, I start to do other things aside from writing (drawing characters and what they look like, maybe a book cover or something else) and when I find something while I'm doing that, i don't second guess it, but just write off of that instantly, since I'll have the chance to change it later. If I hit a road block, I just stop and doing something relaxing, or hang out with my friends. Then I come back with a refreshed mind and keep writing.

Goodluck if you're thinking about writing something. :)

P.S. It also helps to get into character and try to be them in your mind. It's like a silly game you used to play when you were younger and roleplaying with your friends, and let your emotions guide you.
Another thing is right after you get to a part that someone's really angry, or sad at, stop and if you start getting angry or sad at any part, start writing. It helps.

Answer 5

Once I wanted to write a really good story but every time I started to I couldn't figure out what to write about,how to write it,and really express what I felt.It was very confusing and I got very frustrated at times.After a while I kept writing but never that much.Well actually what I mean by that is that I would still write but whenever I felt frustrated I would just take a brake and remind myself that it takes time to become a good author.One other problem I had was that I didn't know how to start.That's how I got really angry and that caused me to really mess up my writing.

Answer 6

The biggest problem I have is how to start. I can have a very vivid idea of what's going to happen in my mind, but I usually have little clue how a story should start. So I can sit there trying to figure out an opening paragraph or two for a few minutes. Once it comes to me, it usually just starts to flow and the idea in my mind enlarges to include the beginning.

Answer 7

I think we've all been through it. I always want to write. If I'm in the car, I want to write. If I'm on the bus, I want to write. It's like wanting to buy a new cell phone, having the money, going to the kiosk, and then having a million doubts fly through your head. Opening up is hard, because all the doubts and questions are trying so hard to lock you up and keep you from writing. All these fears are coming from you, and that makes it even harder to fight them. In the end, I wanted to write so badly, I learned to tell myself to shut up. Doubts and fears keep you back. Tell them to shut up and go on and write. If it's really what you want to do, nothing should stop you from doing it.

Answer 8

One of the best ways I find when I am blocked is to get out a pad of paper and just start writing.
It doesn't have to make sense. Just write as if you are having a private brainstorming
session with yourself.
It doesn't work with a computer, you need to actually write with pen and paper.

Answer 9

I don't have trouble opening myself up because my writing is a form of self therapy also. I am most open when I'm writing. Good question!

Answer 10

I've never had a problem exploring my feelings on the blank page, because I can lock it away from the world inside my computer. I have a problem when I want to share that information, and I don't know how much to share. It's hard when you want to share a story that you know can help other people, learn from your expierences, but you're unsure if you want to share it because it's too intimate.