beaglegod

In all honesty I must say I am a bit confused, confused as to why I have the itch to write in the first place. I tried for a very brief time in high school after reading some fantastic fantasy novels but quickly abandoned the process. Now at 39 with less time and energy than Ive ever had, I suddenly get this unexplainable urge to create, to find a story I can call my own.

I never went to college, never took a course in creative writing, I simply have loved reading from a very early age and admire and envy those who have created unique worlds and characters that others come to enjoy. How should I start out scratching this itch? Should I simply noodle around on paper with scenes that may/may not have any relation to each other?
Do I need to study any particular books on writing or the creative process? What do I need to do in order to get the creative juices flowing, not simply the desire to create and outline a story but to actually gain some momentum ?

Any advice from those with more experience than I (which is probably all of you) is very much appreciated .

lin

It's weird, huh?

You don't need any schooling or preparation or education to write. If you can talk (or post on the internet) you have the basic technical stuff handled.

And don't worry about your age, most younger writers fool around for a few decades before they have anything to say anyway. It's actually more common for people to start writing later in life.

There have been some very successful writer turn to it with no prior experience after retirement and do quite well.

What you might want to do is just start writing things. Got a vague glimmer, take a hack at it. It's kind of like warming up for an athletic event. The warmups don't look anything like the motions you see later on the court or field.

I would say just write whatever you feel like for a fixed time every day. An hour, whatever you decide or works. Some people find it works better if it's regular. If you find you get a lot of ideas when you are moving around, espeically rhymic stuff like swimming or bicycling or walking, start carrying a notebook and/or little digital recorder with you.

If you sit down for your session and can't think of anything to write, try goin over something you wrote awhile back and making corrections or rewrites.

Stay in touch.

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Mike C

Lin covered it. Imposing some discipline on yourself - "I will write from 7-8pm every day" - helps you get into the mindset, and makes writing more habit and less 'noodling'.

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beaglegod

Thank you both for the advice. No doubt something of less importance will have to be put aside to make writing a regular and hopefully habitual activity. Playing games on the computer may have to be sacrificed since I find myself doing that after work to unwind. I can see however how it will require discipline to make it a DAILY activity and not a "if I feel like it" activity.

lin

NOOOO! Not that! Give up sex or eating instead!

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starseed

You sound a lot like me, except I'm 26 and I started getting that "itch" again last year. It was odd. It was like I was just waiting.. because one day out of the blue the novel I was going to write just hit me. I KNEW that it was time for me to write it.

I'm not a published author or anything( I'm about 3/4 of the way done with my book now )but I'll give you whatever advice I can.

First of all, gather a story within your heart that you not only will be proud of, but you will LOVE to write. This comes from creating interesting characters. Your characters are what you should start with. I spent about a month or two creating my characters before I ever began writing my novel. I "hung out with them", by which I mean, I sort of sat with the idea and let them tell me their life story. Then I wrote out each of their life stories, leading up to the point where their paths all crossed in my story. By the time I was done with this, I knew their little quirks, their mannerisms, their favorite foods, what their parents and grandparents names were, etc. I could go on and on. They WERE real people to me, and I began to desire "hanging with them" (writing about them) as I would hanging with real friends. I probably won't need every detail about their lives in my actual story, but because I know it, even if the reader doesn't, it helps me understand who these people are and how they will react in any given situation.

Next, know, within yourself that you are committed 100% to this, and be completely willing to give in to the process. If you aren't committed, you will give up at some point, because it gets extremely hard, trust me, at halfway to 3/4 of the way, it becomes a huge challenge because everything you are managing starts to weigh a lot more, and there are always endless options and possibilities. You have to make hard choices, and you have to really know what you want to say. You will get stuck, not writers block but just stuck. For me it often happens that I know where I'm going, and that there IS some way to get from point A to point B but I just can't grasp it, so I end up feeling bored and uninspired. I think this is where a lot of people give up, but you must NOT give up. I can't even explain how rewarding it is to be stuck for a couple days, then just have that "AH HA!" moment out of nowhere where it just comes to you and you start flowing again. So, so very rewarding. The process is a rollercoaster, so be prepared for that, and enjoy the ride.

There will be days when you don't think you "feel like it" and I'm gonna tell you to ignore that feeling and throw yourself in. You have to get "in" the story when you have those moments, and I guarantee as soon as you do, as soon as you feel your characters energy, you will be excited to write what happens to them next. This is why it's so very important to create characters you care about (hell, they don't have to be good people either, they could be totally evil as long as you are interested in what happens to them). If I go more than a day or two without investing time in my book, I actually feel depressed because I MISS my characters terribly. They have become like family to me, like my children, and honestly, as weird as it sounds, I love them. I don't even feel like I invented them. They sort of saved me life, in a weird way. Telling their story has given me something to live for.

Lastly, believe in yourself. Believe that YOU are someone with a voice, someone with something important to say. I heard once that there is no more worthwhile form of self exploration than the search to find your voice. That is what we do as writers, and I can tell you that it's the best thing I've ever done in my life.

Good Luck!

P.S. I have never taken a writing class, or gone to college. I do, however, love reading and am always going through books full speed. Reading and examining the work of others is very helpful in finding your voice and the type of writer you want to be.

HarryG

I'm sorry, but there is a learning process you have to go through before you start to write. It doesn't have to be a degree from Harvard, but there are things you need to know.


The information is available everywhere, I would suggest that books are better than the internet..


Your enthusiasm is your trump card, but it's important not to lose it because of false advice.

Sam Winchester

Since everyone else is talking about getting the "itch" to write, I'll throw a spanner in the works. Did you ever get that feeling that you don't want to write? And I'm not talking about writer's block, so don't even think of mentioning it! Maybe it's laziness. I write, on average, eight months of the year. I usually write one book during that year, two if I'm really determined. Sometimes, though, I just feel like I couldn't be bothered. It's strange. The ideas are there, I haven't grown bored of the story, but I just have a strange sensation not to write. Anyone else ever experience this?

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PageOfCups

Yep. Usually when what I'm about to write is unpleasent(I've spelt that wrong but I can't figure out where, spelling really isn't my strong suit). Like killing off a favourite character or having something really bad happen to them. Or if I'm pushed for time and worn out.

starseed

Nah, not me. But I tend to get really obsessive about things once I get into them. More than just my writing, it's just how I've always been. One track mind.

lin

Absolute, 100% pernicious horse shit. And this guy knows it. He just likes continuing to come off with that crap.

In point of fact some of the most successful writers in history have had no "writing education" and in some cases no education whatsover.

If you speak English and can operate a keyboard, you can write, and might be a great writer.

Do NOT listen to these phonies trying to justify the fact they wasted years and bucks trying to learn something that was beyond them.

Anything you might need to know is available online. There is no need to spend a bunch of money on "How To Write Gooder" books unless you really suck and are trying to overcome it. (Rotsa ruck)

Abso fuckin lutely. Don't lose it over demonstrably crappy advice from those who've already lost it.

Good luck

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HarryG

Occasionally, in life, you come across a nasty individual, the playground bully who has never grown up. What to do?

lin

Yeah, yeah, yeah... somebody doesn't buy into your crap they're a "bully". They're harming you and forcing you into acquiesence.
And you can't do anything about it, because you are small and weak and helpless. You poor little puss.


Just in case some day you might open yourself to the possibility that you might not hold a universal opinion, much less one that is worth a fuck, consider this:

You are staring your crap based on your own unsupported opinion. (A fairly unknown quantity, I'd say, by the way.)

I am continually referring to outside evidence that people can evaluate themselves. Make up their own minds.

All they have to do is google a little bit to find out that many, many successful writers have no "preparation" of they kind you vaguely refer to, but don't specify.

They can also look around the internet and see for themselves if there is some aching void not covered there.

But you are unhappy with that. You'd rather people just listen to you. Because you are so accomplished and all. And so eloquent. And because, perhaps, they lack the education and indoctrination required to make up their own minds.

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lin

So who gives a shit?

Well, obviously I do.

I don't like anybody pushing newbies towards the idea that they can't be writers unless they go spend a bunch of money and time doing the way you think they should.

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PageOfCups

If by books you mean novels then I'm inclined to agree with you. But if you mean how to books then I'll have to disagree. Those things are no substitute for simply reading a well written novel or practicing yourself.

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