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Help with writing

Débuté par TEWR , déc. 01 2011 06:08

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#26
Guest_EternalAmbiguity_*
Posté 03 décembre 2011 - 06:09

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The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

So, I'm an aspiring writer. Admittedly, I'm only an amateur writer but I plan on taking Creative Writing as a major. Or a minor and take education as a major. I dunno.

Anyway, I'm planning on writing a fantasy novel. Prior to that I had been working on a messianic sci-fi novel, but I don't have much experience with that genre so I've put it on hold for the time being.

As such, since I'm an amateur writer I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on how to write skillfully.


As a person who's written one complete novel and in in the midst of another that is nearly as long as the first but is nowhere near done, this is my advice:

Write. That's all. People can say lots of stuff, but in the end you've got to write, you've got to get used to your style of writing, you've got to mold it into what you want it to be. And the best way to do that is to actually WRITE.

Plenty of people are "going to write a book." A couple of friends of mine decided they were going to write books when I wrote mine. One got through with a page. The other kept coming up with fancy descriptions of the lore and outside stuff, but didn't get through ten pages. So, OP, write. That's all.



Hellbound555 wrote...

Write because you want to.

Not because you want to be famous, not because you want to be rich or anything in between.
But because you want to, because you enjoy it. Even if it means nobody else will read it, or if everybody tells you it's bad or if it will never even see the light of day.

Do it because you want to.


Also, this. My friends were writing because they wanted to have it like a Boy Scout badge: "I wrote a novel!" And not to sound prideful or anything, but that's not the way I write. I've written that one complete novel; I've got three that I'm currently working on; maybe a half-down short stories, maybe a dozen poems, and around eighty songs. I write because I'm...eh, for lack of a better word, driven to write.

If you're writing because you want the stuff that comes with writing, it's the wrong reason. If you're writing because you want to write, however, you'll learn how.

Modifié par EternalAmbiguity, 03 décembre 2011 - 06:14 .

#27
Homebound
Posté 03 décembre 2011 - 10:42

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Each scene in your story needs an objective. If nothing changes in that scene, then it is a non-event. IT must be cut out.
For example of a scene objection: the scene starts with two lovers, the scene ends with two lovers and an affair.

Write first. Judge later. Not at the same time.

Modifié par Hellbound555, 03 décembre 2011 - 12:34 .

#28
TEWR
Posté 04 décembre 2011 - 01:50

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If you're writing because you want to write, however, you'll learn how.


Oh yeah this is why I want to write. Back in high school I discovered I had a raw talent for writing. I started writing not because I wanted to be famous -- though I will admit it would be nice to be famous for it, but that's not why I'm writing -- but because it was just a nice and relaxing thing to do.

Helps me relieve stress.

#29
bmwcrazy
Posté 04 décembre 2011 - 02:25

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writn is lik 2 hard n stuf i persnly wud suggst u quit da skool n get urslf a webcam n let ppl view ur cam 4 monies i herd it wuz ez n sum ppl pay alot n u dun hav 2 leeve ur home n u jus stay nekkid n get monies

#30
Homebound
Posté 04 décembre 2011 - 12:41

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The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

If you're writing because you want to write, however, you'll learn how.


Oh yeah this is why I want to write. Back in high school I discovered I had a raw talent for writing. I started writing not because I wanted to be famous -- though I will admit it would be nice to be famous for it, but that's not why I'm writing -- but because it was just a nice and relaxing thing to do.

Helps me relieve stress.


Was it creative writing or storywriting?

#31
slimgrin
Posté 04 décembre 2011 - 03:03

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Hellbound555 wrote...


Write first. Judge later. Not at the same time.


This. Nitpicking as you go along never works.

#32
TEWR
Posté 04 décembre 2011 - 09:35

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Hellbound555 wrote...

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...


If you're writing because you want to write, however, you'll learn how.


Oh yeah this is why I want to write. Back in high school I discovered I had a raw talent for writing. I started writing not because I wanted to be famous -- though I will admit it would be nice to be famous for it, but that's not why I'm writing -- but because it was just a nice and relaxing thing to do.

Helps me relieve stress.


Was it creative writing or storywriting?



Creative Writing I think. What I had been working on mostly was the messianic sci-fi novel I talked about in my original post. I discovered my knack for writing in my Senior year and started to roll with it.

But I also did songs and poems intermittently.

#33
Bryy_Miller
Posté 05 décembre 2011 - 12:48

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Hellbound555 wrote...
Even if it means nobody else will read it, or if everybody tells you it's bad or if it will never even see the light of day.


This is actually bad advice. I get what you are saying. There's passion in everything. But it sounds like he wants to make this his career. 

And for that, he'll need to learn to take criticism, and he'll need to learn how to gauge an audience. 

#34
slimgrin
Posté 05 décembre 2011 - 02:12

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Bryy is right.

#35
Homebound
Posté 06 décembre 2011 - 06:54

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A good way to judge your skill at writing is to submit your work to a magazine.

If what you submit get's rejected, it's not because they don't "see your talent". It usually because your piece sucked. Same goes for every letter of rejection you get for any of your future work. That's the hard truth. You will not publish anything until it is your best possible work, and not before.

Also keep a portfolio of things you've written. Portfolios are always good. Make's you have something fancy to show to a possible employer.

#36
Bryy_Miller
Posté 06 décembre 2011 - 09:00

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Hellbound555 wrote...

A good way to judge your skill at writing is to submit your work to a magazine.


Once again: no.

Magazines/Literary Managers will remember you. So if you progress in your skill level and submit again one day.... what do you think is going to happen?

Read books on writing. Do excersises. But above all, have someone edit your work. 

For me, a good method is to have readings so I can actually hear the stuff I wrote being said by someone else. It's absolutely helpful because there's a difference between thinking something sounds nifty but then hearing it be said. I've caught so much crap words from readings.

#37
TEWR
Posté 07 décembre 2011 - 10:42

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Bryy_Miller wrote...

Hellbound555 wrote...
Even if it means nobody else will read it, or if everybody tells you it's bad or if it will never even see the light of day.


This is actually bad advice. I get what you are saying. There's passion in everything. But it sounds like he wants to make this his career. 

And for that, he'll need to learn to take criticism, and he'll need to learn how to gauge an audience. 


Criticism is something I can definitely take. Many years back I was a tad.... unappreciative -- okay, I would flip out Image IPB-- of criticism, but I was a youngling back then.

When I started high school, if someone told me something seemed weird or wasn't all that good, I took it under advisement and reread it to see what could be made better.

And even without constructive criticism from people, I've often looked over something of mine and said "WTF was I on?".

One time I had a song that made a reference to the Muppets. Many months after I made it I facepalmed after rereading it. True story.

Modifié par The Ethereal Writer Redux, 07 décembre 2011 - 01:51 .

#38
SonOfWarz
Posté 07 décembre 2011 - 11:36

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Have something controversial in your story/book. It has to be controversial enough to be worthy of noting, but not enough to be censored.

Result= $$$

#39
Crow_22
Posté 07 décembre 2011 - 11:39

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Use life experiences, read books of that genre, and if you still have trouble... Then try to base your story off of another one, there's a lot of authors who do that.

#40
Aaleel
Posté 07 décembre 2011 - 03:56

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One thing that helped me was putting myself in other peoples' shoes. I would write scenes dealing with stuff like being a mom with a crying child in a checkout line. I would write about being a kid trying to read in the park with all his friends trying to get him to come and play.

I did this with real life and fantasy situations. I helped when I went to create characters because it made it easier to see different perspectives and give characters their own personalities.

#41
TEWR
Posté 15 décembre 2011 - 09:09

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hmm... putting myself in other peoples' shoes...

That's actually some sound advice for me. If I can make myself feel what these characters should feel then it might help.

Thanks for that Aaleel!

@Crow_22: Would dreams count as life experiences? I've had some freaky dreams lately lol.

#42
Homebound
Posté 15 décembre 2011 - 10:12

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It sounds like you only plan on writing as a hobby so this might not mean anything to u but i thought it was worth mentioning.

Doing well in highschool writing stuff, doesnt mean you can write a book thats publish-worthy. It's a specialized skill that requires further education.

same way how a musician cant write a symphony if all he knows is how to play stairway to heaven on the guitar.

#43
TEWR
Posté 15 décembre 2011 - 10:32

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Actually I am planning on making this more than a hobby. Well, I want to make it a career, but I don't want to do it because I want to publish a book and get rich. But I figure, why not do what I'm good at? If I get paid cool. If not, no worries.

When I go to college I'm planning on taking Creative Writing and I'll also take Education. I'm thinking Education would be the major as that would be my failsafe incase the writing career doesn't take off. Then the writing would just become a hobby.
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