Well, i'm 8k into my first book; though since i have had a lot of problems (such as being hospitalized from a bike accident for a time) it has been very slow going, i started in summer.
Lately i am also finding a lot of things battering my confidence, such as my Grandmother saying i should do something more likely to yeild enough money to live on. Not to mention a severe lack of time to write with a Collage course and the aftermath of my injury still bothering me.
Being 18 (In March anyway.) i see that there is no rush, but i'm trying to set off a writing career while the 'living at home' comfort bubble is still there, something to fall back on if i dont find it an acceptable career to live from.
Thing is, even when i have time to write, no matter how encouraged i am and high on a new idea; when it comes to writing my attention span is that of a 4 year old with suger.
I'll write a paraghraph and find myself wanting to check a webpage, or something similar.
I have none of that problem when writing an Action scene since Fights are my best area; as i have a small ammount of personal experiance. Same when i have just come up with an idea that i like; i'll write it down; but fleshing it out is another matter.
I just wondered what others views are on these things, how you guys/girls deal with them yourselves?
I know writing is what i am supposed to do; there are few things that i enjoy as much as Fantasy/Fiction.
But sometimes i cant help but falter.
Posts: 67 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I've taken two short story classes, and am going to take a third this semester, and I always seem to have that problem. I talked with my previous teacher about it and she said it's perfectly normal. She says she knows professional authors who have to go to a hotel for a weekend in order to remove themselves from distractions. It just comes down to complete self-discipline. While it can be enjoyable, writing is also hard work. My teacher advised setting aside one specific hour each day in which you tell yourself you have to write. It doesn't matter if you continue your current project or get sidetracked, but you have to get into the habit of doing it. While I haven't gotten to that point of discipline myself, it sounds like wise advice.
Posts: 1947 | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
Hmmm hotel for a week; money would be fine thing, but i get what you mean.
Most of my problem is there are so many things i like to do; even though i consider my book important i keep thinking 'In a minute.'
Today i got up with the intention of working on my book as long as i could; its been 6 and a half hours and i havent wrote a word.
I want to! i just cant seem to make myself.
If only i COULD get away from all the distractions to write, unfortuantly being an 18 year old collage student doesnt make that easy *sigh* Not that i even have a place to go.
Posts: 67 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
1) Use the computer just for its' word processing capabilities. I.e., don't go on-line.
2) Give in to your inner ADD - Type for five minutes, fidget/fiddle/snack/whatever for five minutes. Gradually up the type time, but leave the break time limit.
3) Free form write. Anything. No matter how stupid. Just to get into the habit.
Just a few thoughts . . .
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
i have the same problem. i have over a hundred pages of notes for stories i want to write in a small plastic filing box in a my room and i havent started writing a single one yet. its always just more ideas that i write down a few pages at a time.
Writing is a very, VERY, tough thing to make a living off of if you plan on doing that to support yourself. So what your grandmother said is probably true, but definently keep it up as much as you can. im a full time college student and i have trouble finding time/motivation to write as well. so if anyone posts some inexpensive and good ideas, ill be checking back here every now and then for help.
Posts: 813 | Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
I have two suggestions that work for me but may or may not work for you.
First, make sure you have a clear outline and know where the story is going. My attention wanders when I'm not sure what to do. When I outline first, I know what's going to happen. I don't mean every detail, if I did it that way I'd chew all the creativity out of it and that would be boring, I mean when I sit down to work on chapter three I know that in this chapter the protagonist has a falling out with her family and so now I have to figure out what it is and get the scene written.
Second, the internet is deadly. Do not allow it to be present in your writing time. I unplug my DSL connection, and I'm about to install a computer up in my bedroom for writing at night that won't be connected to the internet at all. Its' invaluable for research, but you need to have specific research time and writing time and the two must be separate.
posted
I can give you some tips because I'm working on overcoming that same problem in my own life.
Step 1: Divide your 'writing' time into two sections. One section for surfing writing sites, reading writing books, doodling general ideas, etc. Stuff that you can stop and start anytime, but that gets you charged up to actually write.
Step 2: The other section is for writing only. Anything that doesn't involve word output goes in section one. It is a good idea to not connect to the Internet during this time.
Step 3: Create writing time challenges for yourself. If you can't write for more than five minutes, fine. Start the clock. Write the heck out of those five minutes. When you are done, count your words. Write them down on a log or something. Start the clock for another five minutes. Count your words. Try to beat yourself each time. It gets very fun. Gradually lengthen the time limits, especially once you've gotten to the point where you can't top yourself anymore.
Using this method, I wrote 4000 words in 100 minutes a couple months ago. And I've since re-read what I wrote, and it ain't half bad. No worse than stuff that took me forever to write, anyway.
It also helps if you have a writing buddy who is also timing his or her self. You can have little informal wars of writing, plus it makes you feel that you are not alone.
If you need groups to keep you accountable, there is no shame in that. I freely admit that I don't write unless I have a deadline that I've publicly committed to making.
One good way to do a group timed writing is to join Mike Munsil's flash group at Liberty Hall. www.libertyhallwriters.org (though if you do this, he'll need to know you are from Hatrack and that I recommended you or he won't let you sign up). We write a complete story each week to compete with everyone else's from the week, but the key thing is the story is written in 90 minutes or less. It can be done, and done well. I personally have written close to 20 stories this way in the past 8 months.
And if you haven't done this before, try NaNoWriMo next November, for something longer than a short story. Again, group accountability.
Hope those suggestions help. The main purpose of writing fast is to turn off your internal editor. You should write in stages: the first draft is for the writer only, no editors allowed. Write whatever the heck takes your fancy and don't worry about getting your sentences perfect or making sure you have continuity. That can all be fixed later. The second draft is the first time you are allowed to turn that editor back on, and even then, be careful.
I will often rewrite a short story from scratch instead of doing a bunch of line edits. Once I've had time to step back from the story and see the flaws, I'll just write it again and usually won't make those mistakes a second time. This may not work for you, but it has worked very well for me.
Edited to add: I should mention that a year ago I was not doing any of the above, and I had completed perhaps one or two stories, with a lot of half-baked ideas and false starts. I still haven't disciplined myself to write every day, and I'm working on that, but at this point I can at least complete an entire short story from beginning to end every two weeks. Eventually I'll get better than that. So, just to let you know, you CAN get better. You CAN finish what you start. It just takes some mental readjustment.
And lastly, if writing is a chore and you find that you always dread it, quit. Find something else you are passionate about. Writing is largely thankless and you work far too many hours before you even make one cent, for it to be financially lucrative. If this daunts you, let it. It's a tough field with tons of depressing statistics. I honestly believe that if you can entertain the idea of NOT writing without cringing and whimpering inside, than writing is not for you.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Work on multiple projects, especially if one of your projects is novel-length. If you find yourself distracted on one project, move to another.
It also helps me to keep a file of "think-through"- not an outline so much as lots of little notes: what does this character know? How will he/she find out the information he/she needs to progress? Where is this element going? It can become a procrastination tactic, but at keast it keeps me thinking about the writing.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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One thing-- it contradicts (strongly) Sterling's advice to work on multiple projects. In my own experience, I've found that if I focus on a single project, I'm much more likely to get it done.
quote:And lastly, if writing is a chore and you find that you always dread it, quit.
posted
I'm not sure you should be thinking of writing as something to fall back on if other career opportunities don't pan out. Usually it's the other way around.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I didnt say i didnt have other career options; just that i WANT to be a full-time writer. I beleive i can manage it, while i'm at home. The moment i have to worry about money i wont be able to; but right now i can focus on my book and try to get it finished before i leave home, so if i can get published in the next two years i will have a (very) small source of income. Then i can work on my second.
I do question it occasioanlly but then i question EVERYTHING. There is nothing in life i'm certain about, and i can never tell what is just a temporary want that will fade away. I just hope writing isnt one of those.
I have a lot of ideas i want to put out as books; the simple fact is that doing another job AND trying to live would keep me from writing more than a sentance a month or losing intrest. Just the way i work.
I thrive on positive comments too; which is a problem when people keep thinking (not people here, i'm thankful for the posts ) i need to be brought down to earth by telling me in a round about way 'It wont wooork'
I'm also a family man at heart; when i have a family i dont want to be stuck in a job from 9 til 5, to get home when my kids have only a few hours up to spend time with them, or come home so exausted that my marrage suffers.
I have stories to share; even if i have trouble setting them down; i cant be the only author like that.
And finally... being an author, if your good, is as close to immortality a human will get for his name will always be on the front of his work, even after he is dust.
"To be forgotten is worse than death."- Freya: FFIX
My biggest problem is i thrive
Posts: 67 | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I find writing hard for three general reasons:
1) The story or some aspect of the story isn't clear in my mind. 2) I'm not particularly interested, for whatever reasons, in the story. My motivation for the story is low. 3) There's something wrong about the story or the bit of the story that I'm writing.
My solutions to '3' is obvious: figure out what's wrong and fix it. Sometimes, for instance, it's that there's nothing driving what's happening and therefore no reason for anything to be happening other than me making it happen. If you're good at action scenes but not at the middle bits perhaps you've got a problem along those lines- is there anything "driving" your story along (and therefore making it kind of a continuous action sequence)?
'2' depends on the situation. In a normal writing situation I would switch to another project that I have more motivation to do. If I really want to finish it, and I think that I have all the pieces of the puzzle, as it were, or I have a deadline, I force my way through. Usually that is accomplished by Just Writing And Not Caring.
This works about a third of the time, depending on how well the story is planned.
'1' I solve in a number of ways: Sometimes I keep going with the notes until I get the key that makes the story work. But this is often, although very helpful, ineffective. It's not until I actually write the story that the ideas come together. Sometimes I write the beginning of a story, then delete it and start again until I get a handle on what I'm writing. Those of you who make notes but never write you might want to consider just forcing out any old beginning and seeing if all your notes come together for you.
Sometimes, the story never works. It's flawed. Something's wrong that I can't fix. I'm not able to write that particular story at this particular time. It's just the way it goes.
Write write write write and don't look back. Write on paper so you can't easily change what you've written. Turn the internet off. Turn the lights off. I frequently write in semi-darkness because it lowers the distraction-level.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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There is a driving force but i think you helped me realise the problem; the driving force has just lessened a lot and my characters have noneed to rush, and currently there is nothing for them to do but move on. So i need to move them on.
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Type for five minutes, fidget/fiddle/snack/whatever for five minutes. Gradually up the type time, but leave the break time limit.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
) i need to be brought down to earth by telling me in a round about way 'It wont wooork'
