Writers Block!!! - Page 3 - Writers Forum

mammamaia · 04-28-2005, 07:19 AM

kaku... so, as cyber noted, your post proved my point about learning the basics [such as spelling]

...

fyi, i never said not to practice... read my post again... all i said was that to learn how to write well, you have to be a good, constant, and discerning reader FIRST...

since you say you are one, then you're on the right track... i don't know what age those published writers are that you refer to, but if they're not self-published, you can bet they didn't submit mss full of major technical or styling errors to those publishers...

if they're self/pod-published, it proves nothing, since quality isn't a factor in such arrangements...

so, keep reading and keep practicing, and you may be a good writer one day... and, no, it's never too early to start... i don't think anyone here said it was, do you?

love and hugs, maia

Anidazen · 04-28-2005, 08:04 AM

I'm seventeen and I have to say (I know it's not what any of us want to hear) but in our earlier teens we can't write.

I mean, I am sure that (by very nature of being here) you (we?) are all exceptional writers in the context of general society for our age. But trust me (from experience) at this age we're improving all the time (with practice!).

I started my first book at 13. Gave up about half way through. I started a serious project which I've come close to completing at 16, but over the few months it took writing it, my writing had improved to such an extent that I looked back at my earlier stuff and it made me physically grimace.

I would rewrite and as I went find that everything I was rewriting sounded immature and amateurish. By the time I finished that rewrite I looked back and, you guessed it, saw the immaturity of my rewriting at the beginning. My writing was improving at such a pace that I simply couldn't keep up. I think I needed to redo three chapters on the third or so rewrite before I was happy with the general style. (I think by that time- age seventeen and a couple months, my massive surge of writing development had stopped - I now no longer look back and go :S).

I'm not saying that I now know how to write, but I am saying that I personally recognized in myself a MASSIVE improvement at this time, and came to realise how immature my earlier writing really was.

So Maia's right (although it's not exactly what she said) - at this age we're in training and improving at such a rate that even over a couple of months there is a very marked development. I'm not saying that you can't write, I'm just saying that with reading and writing practice, you will see a phenomenal increase in quality even over a few months. This is across the board.

Spelling is actually one factor to judge by, because as you write and use spellcheckers, you will make less spelling mistakes. When your day-to-day spelling gets pretty good the chances are you've had a lot of writing practice and your writing will be good too.

There are some writers who have been published aged 15 or so, but I think this is as much to do with marketing as anything to be honest. (And obviously some exceptional ability.)

One thing I will say for us youths though: our creativity is really strong, and in some ways this can make up for a lack of marked technical ability. Depending on genre and audience, of course, I doubt any youths will produce mammoth romantic thrillers which require disciplined style and form but not as much imagination as the kind of thing I would expect youths to write.

Harlequin · 04-28-2005, 08:13 AM

I think another thing a person has to be to become a good writer is a good judge of character. When I was in eighth grade, all my characters were charicatures. Now, I'm actually basing characters on people I know and usuing things real people would do. I told my fiance about the plot of my story, and she said it sounds like a soap opera. However, I'm writing things that would really happen. (Well, relationships that would really happen. The story's a contemporary fantasy.) The thing is, the characters are based on real people, so what they're doing would really happen. If you're having trouble finding ideas, look around you.

Peter Thomas · 04-28-2005, 08:21 AM

Sadly, I have to agree Anidazen. I remember writing my first "novella" when I was 12/13. At the time, I read it and thought "this is best-seller stuff". I entered it into an Australia-wide competition for young writers, convinced that the judges would see my exceptional skill.

I look back on it now some 6 or 7 years later, and I think "by god - that is one of the most shocking things I have written in my life. Some of the things I wrote at 6 and 7 years old were better than this!"

That's not to say it wasn't good practice - It was a phenomenal effort on my part to finish it all the way. It was called "Realm of Deceit", and was about a common village-girl and rich prince who fell in love (how original!), but the Queen had a certain history with the girl's family and plotted to have her killed (how original!). I don't even know where this paragraph is going any more... it's got nothing to do with writers block.

Well, I shall use this segway: there were many times in that 'novella' that I though "I can't do this. I have no idea what to write," or "I know what I want to say, but I don't know how to say it." My mentor always told me "I don't care if you don't have any ideas. I asked you to re-write this chapter, and I expect it to be done!"

At the time I felt like killing him, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I think those were the best words he could've said. It taught me that - even when I'm struggling - I've got a job to do. And even if it turns out to be a BAD job, at least it got done, and I can fix it later. And that is something I will cherish for a long time. Or until I forget it...

Fidelity · 04-28-2005, 10:12 AM

Are there a lot of writers here with Writers' Block?

Perhaps we could begin a thread where someone presents their quandary, the point at which their brain stopped fueling ideas for further plot, and someone else gives a rough plotline to finish it up? Would there be demand for such a thread?

Gauda · 04-29-2005, 08:39 AM

Yes -- never force yourself to write. That's my theory...when it comes, it comes. Breath. Relax...

This is what I try to do, I think MetalDog mentioned it earlier. Skip to a section in which you have tons to write about, and then come back to the other later...usually it works a lot better. I'm having trouble starting my story right now...so I can relate. That's why I'm skipping around so much -because everything I write in the first chapter sounds like cheezy crap.

Good luck!

mammamaia · 04-30-2005, 08:13 AM

anidazen... a very well-thought-out post and though, as you say, i didn't say exactly that, i surely could have...

peter... good stuff from you, too... but, if i may, it's 'segue' not 'segway'...

it's heartening to see such intelligent and honest introspection made public by 'our' young folks... you're the future of literature, y'know... the latest offspring of our mother muses, thalia, erato, and company...

from what i'm seeing here, that future is bright with promise...

love and hugs, maia

Oracle · 04-30-2005, 07:44 PM

Mammamaia brought up a really good point. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate it effectively, it's worthless.

The point of writing is to tell a story. If you've come up with a story that you're passionate about, then be prepared to learn to tell it well.

I'm very passionate about my story, and the world I've created, which is why I'll have no problem revising and re-writing it over and over. I'm sure that the first copy will be total crap. But once I've learned more, and sharpened my skills, I'll be able to work with that crap and eventually turn it into something great.

So my philosophy on avoiding writer's block is: Let it be crap. Don't critique every sentence after you've written it. Write it as it comes, and then once it's all written, you can dissect it section by section and improve it.

In the meantime, always be on the lookout for ways to improve your writing. Read alot, practice writing, and ask for advice. The more you hone your skills, the better chance you'll have of being able to effectively communicate your great idea.

Kaku-Ryu · 04-30-2005, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oracle

So my philosophy on avoiding writer's block is: Let it be crap. Don't critique every sentence after you've written it. Write it as it comes, and then once it's all written, you can dissect it section by section and improve it.

In the meantime, always be on the lookout for ways to improve your writing. Read alot, practice writing, and ask for advice. The more you hone your skills, the better chance you'll have of being able to effectively communicate your great idea.

Now that is the advice I've wanted to hear!

lol!

Thank you very much for that Oracle!

Harlequin · 05-01-2005, 07:06 PM

Everyone has stories. A writer is simply someone who puts the stories on paper.

If that was off topic Spam, I'm sorry. I think it's relevant.