Tonight I watched a movie on TV. Very good, excellent movie. And after it finished I realized it is, the meat of it, a story I've been trying to write and plotting out for quite a while. A story which would actually be something of some worth, and would stretch my abilities.
And guess what. The movie was better.
So if I write it now, it would end up being just a novelization of this film, because it'll inevitably sneak into it.
Now, this would not be an issue, except that I'm driving down dead-end roads on everything I'm trying to write.
Let's look at this: I'm sixteen. I've yet to fall in love, get my heart broken, speak for myself, get a job, lose a job, say who I am, defy control, acknowledge control, lose everything I have, build myself up from nothing, et cetera, et cetera.
I'm not saying I should have done all of these. But jeez, just one? I feel like I can't write what I want to write, because I don't have the experience to understand it. I haven't begun to live. I'm still inside some developmental coccoon, and I don't see myself breaking out of it for another two years at least.
And yes, I know. Pissing and moaning isn't solving anything. I should be out doing this.
I also feel like my point of view has yet to mature or move to where it needs to be. By this I mean, if I were to write something about being 16, I'd wait until my early 20s at least. I need to be close enough to remember the feel of it, but far enough removed to see it in the broader expanse of my life. It's too personal right now. Right now, any petty resentments or frustrations would seep in and ruin the story.
Has anyone else had this sort of problem? What did you do?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
You're sixteen. You've yet to fall in love, get your heart broken, speak for yourself, get a job, lose a job, say who you are, defy control, acknowledge control, lose everything you have, build yourself up from nothing, et cetera, et cetera.
This problem is self-correcting.
I'm not trying to trivialize it, but you are young. You will do all of these things, and you will find your stories.
In the meantime, pick an issue and speak up.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
Or, you could write about a 13-year-old. Posted by Black Mage (Member # 5800) on :
Yeah, but then how do I work in the raunchy sex scenes? Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Dags is right - it's all self-correcting.
Thing is, you want to become a better writer. The only way I know of to do that is to actually write. Thinking about it won't get you there - only writing will.
So what if what you write now isn't great? Does it really matter? Honestly? From everything I've read, it takes anywhere from half a million to a million words, or 5 or 6 novels, to learn how to write a novel. Everything before that is going to be crap in comparison anyway. I've certainly found that to be true with my writing thus far - I've only written around 300k words in novels thus far. But. Every thing I write is better than what I wrote before.
So, if what you write now isn't that good, it's also a factor of not having written a lot, and the only correction for that is to write a lot. Let it be what it is and get moving on learning how to be a better writer, regardless of where you are. Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Write about there being nothing to write. Try my little excercise and imagine yourself in another time, as another person only with your same personality. Do historical research to back that up. I have no life and have a million ideas. Way too many.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Plus you have a bunny.
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Everything you'll do as a writer will be based somewhat on something else. It's impossible to be completely, absolutely original. OSC used elements of other authors' work in his own, and every other author does the same. The defining characteristic of a good writer isn't so much the story as the writing.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
That's true; some of my favorite books have been ones where the author writes his/her take on an old tale, and doesn't necessarily try to come up with an entirely new "plot". Like Enchantment, the Homecoming series, Women of Genesis, Stone Tables, and Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl. All made interesting by characters and details, not by new plots.
Posted by Black Mage (Member # 5800) on :
It's not the fact it doesn't have the originality. In fact, I'm almost certain I saw OSC describe this problem himself: read something extremely similar to what he wants to write and then cannot write it, because it's better than what he'd've done and so it wouldn't be his work anymore. He'd borrow too much.
I have the ideas. It's not a worry about writing great stuff. It's just that I can't make it work right now. And so I can't write a scene to a screenplay because it won't crystallize properly.
The problem is simply that I want to write and can find hardly anything. Actually, only one tale end of a story I could do.
So I suppose y'all'll say I should work on that. Gaw, nose to the grindstone now . . .
Posted by Amanecer (Member # 4068) on :
I don't have any helpful advice, but I wish you luck in your writing! I'm curious, and suprised that nobody else asked, what excellent movie did you watch that had your ideas?
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Seymour Glass told Buddy once to imagine the thing he would most love to read in the whole universe and then to write it. I've always thought that was great advice, but I am stuck in chapter 2 of my novel, so I don't have any answers, only encouragement.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I felt like that about one of my stories. That I wasn't old enough for some of the emotions in it until about now after a few experiences. All of those feelings are going right into that story.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Write poetry. All about feelings and angst and worrying about stuff you can't do anything about. It'll give you practice writing, and it doesn't matter that it will be bad because everyone needs a stash of bad teenage poetry to look back on later. Mine's tucked away in my bottom dresser drawer.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:I'm sixteen. I've yet to fall in love, get my heart broken, speak for myself, get a job, lose a job, say who I am, defy control, acknowledge control, lose everything I have, build myself up from nothing, et cetera, et cetera.
Dude. You're only sixteen!
My advice on writing is to read and write a lot and write whatever you want. Who cares if it's real or not or that you've lived it, especially if you don't necessarily plan to have anyone but yourself read it? The point is to practice writing as much as you can and the best way to do that is just write. As your horizons expand you will then be able to write about more and more, and you will write well because of all the practice you got earlier.
Listen to people around you to gain experience in things you wouldn't do, like bunji jumping etc. Other people are a wonderful resource; watch them! Text books and other factual sources are equally useful.
If a story (or a scene) isn't crystallizing for you, put it aside until it does, and chances are that it will. You'll see something a couple of weeks, months or years down the line and everything will go "click", and there will be your story practically writing itself!
Also, if some story or scene isn't working but you think that otherwise the story has chrystallized for you, it might be because something about the story is wrong or you're missing something. I often find it helpful to take a step back and say "why can't I write this?"
Anyway; the only way to learn to write is to write and so stop dithering about whether you have the correct experience, and write it no matter what!
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:I'm sixteen. I've yet to fall in love, get my heart broken, speak for myself, get a job, lose a job, say who I am, defy control, acknowledge control, lose everything I have, build myself up from nothing, et cetera, et cetera.
It could be worse - you could have done all of these things and STILL have nothing to say.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Oh, and in the meantime read a whole lot. Read the books that people have loved for many years. Notice what is good about them. Notice the writing in them. The more you read, the better you will write.
Read for pleasure and joy, the stories you love best. Ask people who like the same kinds of books as you what books they like that you haven't read yet. Turn off the tv. Write.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Write a landmark.
We'll be kind.
Posted by Black Mage (Member # 5800) on :
But . . . but . . .
I can't start on my landmark until I've gotten up to 999 posts on each of my handles. Then I'll have an ultimatum: write the bloody thing or *sob* leave Hatrack forever.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Pshaw! I've never written a landmark. And I'm not leaving. You can't make me. Posted by Black Mage (Member # 5800) on :
Well yeah, but you're Tante. I mean, jeez, you can do anything.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Not really. If I could walk on water, then my feet wouldn't get so wet in puddles.
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