Advice for beginners about beginings? - Writers Forum

Balmarog · 12-10-2007, 01:07 PM

Hi everyone. I'm just wondering if any one else has trouble getting started on a new piece of writing. I have all these ideas in my head, but when I sit down to begin, I draw a blank. Any advice on how to work around this issue?
Thanks!

Matt3483 · 12-10-2007, 05:54 PM

I have the same problem. Unfortunately, I don't have a solution to it.

Rambling Sage · 12-10-2007, 06:41 PM

this is what i try to do

just start writing. whether it be good or bad, just get it down and get past the beginning and go from there. After you get a ways in, go back and look at your beginning. Revise or whatever to make it fit better with your story.

Do not get to hung up on the beginning. personally, i think it is better to start somewhere in the middle of your story and do your beginning later. this helps you start with a strong voice that has been used in the rest of the story.

well thats how i do it, dunno if its good or not but there you go

mi is happy · 12-10-2007, 07:00 PM

Okay, I was stuck in that pradicament for 3 years. This is what I did to get over it after some useless writing....

1. Try to change things in the story around to make it easier.
2. Write down your ideas as if they are chapters in a book. This helps because it gives you new ideas and it helps you plan the idea out.
3. write an outline of the first chapter. Write down the main points you are trying to express and the senquence of events. This usualy works.
4. Brain strom in your head offten.

Ps: I love your avatar Balmarog

Balmarog · 12-10-2007, 08:08 PM

Good advice everyone, thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mi is happy

Ps: I love your avatar Balmarog

Thanks

Senor Cardgage is awesome!

Mr Sci Fi · 12-10-2007, 09:46 PM

Don't stress over it until it's actually finished. Just write. I've never understood why people get so hung up over the story. I mean, writing it is the easy part. Publishing it is the hard part.

Mira · 12-10-2007, 09:54 PM

I guess I can just echo what has been said before, just sit down and write. Sometimes it's easier just to write the introduction at the end, when you know exactly where your piece is going. So instead of worrying how to introduce your piece, just jump right in to the action. This has sometimes worked for me...

Ilasir Maroa · 12-11-2007, 01:01 AM

Time for some C.J. Cherryh:

"It's perfectly okay to write [absolute shit], as long as you edit brilliantly."

Which means pretty much what everyone else has been saying. Get your thoughts down, and worry about the writing being publishable later.

The Backward OX · 12-11-2007, 01:24 AM

Most writers would howl me down for this, but, hey, horses for courses or whatever floats your boat, so have a look at this.
How To Write A Novel Using The Snowflake Method

Ilasir Maroa · 12-11-2007, 01:32 AM

As a writer, I'm all for catch-all methods. If that "Snowflake Method" works well, use it. If not don't. But i don't think that anyone should be howling you down for the mere suggestion.

Of course, in NTO's view, my status as a port reduces me to second-class citizenship in the world of writers. So tkae my thoughts with a grain of salt, and maybe a few Advil...

CGymnast11 · 12-12-2007, 09:34 AM

I'm an amutar as well. But what I do is keep a pencil and paper near me at all times, due to the fact a memory, image, or saying might trigger something that I think would make a great peice of writing. My best time is right before bed, I come up with all sorts of things. Even if it's a line or two it's something. Hope this helps.

Balmarog · 12-12-2007, 10:13 AM

I started writing a short story, and I have to admit that the "just write anything" approach seems to be good advice. I just started writing although I have to keep telling myself that at this point it doesn't have to be great or even good.
Thanks all!

L'Oiseau Noir · 12-12-2007, 10:53 AM

Mind you, I'm not a published author (I'm just a wee seventeen-year-old who is trying her best to write a decent book), but I'll tell you one of the methods I use to overcome the dreaded beginning hang-up.

I listen to music. Pick a tune that best fits the particular idea you have for that chapter. Is it an action-packed beginning with a fast pace? Listen to a song that has a melody similar to that idea. Is it a slow, somber beginning? Then listen to something that's slow and somber, like Beethoven; something that goes hand-in-hand with the idea you have for a beginning. See what I mean?

For example in the beginning of the book I'm currently brainstorming, it opens up with a group of vampire slayers trying to destroy a beast. Obviously it's going to be somewhat fast-paced (I tend to describe a bit though, not every little detail, but enough to set up a scene clearly) beginning, so I'll want a song that goes along with it. So, I'd probably pick "Planet Hell" or "The Poet and the Pendulum" by Nightwish; both are songs that perfectly compliment the atmosphere and pace of my piece.

Anyway, I hope that bit o' information helps you out. Keep up the writing!

BlueLucario · 12-12-2007, 11:56 AM

Oh, It's very simple.

My method is just make a list of what you're trying to say. It doesnt matter how stupid it is, just write it. You're going to go back and edit again.

Try the 5W's and how.

Watch a movie or read a book and see how they start the story out. Describe the settings, but don't over describe things.

Those are my methods of Intros.

Dark_heart · 12-17-2007, 10:16 AM

my advice is this:

open a book. it doesn't matter what it is. read the first new paragragh or sentence that you see. then spend the next 10, 15 minutes writing in your own words, using your own imagination, as to what will happen next. it might not help with your story, as such, but its a good little way to practise writing to the flow.