Hi everyone, I'm new here and just wanting some insight into others' work.
Time and time again, I have the "ah-ha!" moment, where I think I've got it, a fantastic idea for a book. But always, it can be 20,000 words in or before my fingers even touch the keyboard, I lose faith in the idea and cast it aside. The doubt can be because it's a fantasy theme and I think people will deem it ridiculous, or because my plot twists don't tie up convincingly, or because my characters develop issues and don't know where they're going.
It's so frustrating, I've wanted to be a writer all my life but apart from twice, I've never finished a full length piece of work.
I recently read Stephen King's On Writing and I loved it, he says he doesn't plan his books or write character references and this was music to me because I find that trying to plan it all out before I start just makes me completely fall out with the idea.
Does anyone else experience what I've detailed, or have you experienced it and managed to get past it?
Any advice much appreciated.
Sophie
Hi Sophie,
I 've read Stephen King's book. Very recently, in fact. I think you have forgotten one of his most important pieces of advice: with the first draft you are writing with the door closed i.e. for yourself, telling yourself the story before you can tell it to anyone else.
Forget what other people may think about your idea and just write it. Nanowrimo is a very good motivator for doing this because it doesn't give you time to dwell on your self doubt and you have a first draft -- something solid to work with -- after thirty days.
We all suffer doubt, but you have to forge on. Your plot twists may not tie up convincingly in the first draft but it doesn't matter because you should be the only person to see that draft. NEVER show a first draft to anyone, is my motto. It's only the beginning of the project. With revision comes deeper understanding and those problems should resolve themselves eventually. You may find something you write in later scenes resolves a problem you had in earlier scenes. And IDEAS WILL FILTER THROUGH DURING THE WRITING PROCESS -- ideas that may not come to you in the planning stage.
Write for yourself, not for other people. Write because you love doing it, because it makes you feel 'right', then you'll succeed in completing a project because you enjoyed doing it so much.
I am in the middle of revising a novel, and I have a huge project waiting for revision straight after this. There are days when I really don't have the enthusiasm to carry on, but I force my backside in the chair every single day. However, if I'm really stuck I don't do the revision necessarily, but I DO write.
Turn your hand to something else, something short -- an article, a piece of free-writing, flash fiction. Anything that keeps you writing but doesn't keep applying the pressure. Often I find the answers I need present themselves when I stop giving myself such a hard time.
You can do this!! And you'll love it.
Good luck.
Hi Sophie,
There's not a lot that I can add to what's been written on this already, but I will say that I have a similar problem in so far as sticking to an idea is concerned, and it's far from easy. I have a novel that I'm working on, which I'm deeply into plotting and planning. I had started losing faith in it with every passing day, until I shared my latest issue with this wonderful group, and I now have renewed enthusiasm as a result (see my post below; this place is quickly becoming invaluable).
I also have a few other story ideas that are fighting for space in my brain, and each seems to shout far louder than my main WIP. My mind is such that anything even remotely shiny provides an irresistible distraction and it compounds the issue by providing all manner of shiny things with which to distract itself. I have developed a few ways of dealing with this: 1) I take a mental "walk" around the village where my story is set and I talk to the people I find there. They remind me of their story and why it needs to be told and I feel newly compelled to tell it; 2) I have discovered the joy of writing short stories. These are wonderful distractions that allow you to explore ideas and practise writing, while your main WIP can rest awhile; 3) I tell my long-suffering wife about all the amazing story ideas that my brain continually conjures. She reminds me, quite sternly, that I'm supposed to be focusing on just the one story at a time. This is probably the most effective, especially when she rolls her eyes at me and reminds me that she would like to read at least one complete novel from me in her lifetime.
However you approach story writing, remember that it common to lose confidence in what you're writing. If you can find a way to remember what sparked that initial idea and recapture the enthusiasm you felt when the idea first popped into your head, then you will be able to work through the moments of doubt and force yourself to undertake the time and effort it requires to finish a novel.
Hope this helps, it's certainly been a nice little distraction for this fickle mind of mine.
Mark.
Khai, I've yet to write anything that actually as good as I'd like to!
Kate, yes, I suppose so. Another of my "problems" is that I flit from genre to genre in what I would like to write. I thought YA fantasy was the way to go at first, then chick-lit, then adult fantasy, now I'm onto thriller/romance. Everything that I see and read influences me and then I get all grasshopper and jump from idea to idea. It would be great if I could keep going on one idea before another one starts taking over - frustrating! I suppose I have to nurture this though instead of letting it be a problem. If I'm working on something but then I get an overwhelming urge to tell another story, I could try writing a brief synopsis of the new idea and coming back to it at a later date. It's just difficult because I am always passionate about the forefront idea. But got to try harder methinks!