I have recently begun writing a short story, and by recently I mean today. Today is the day, I told myself, that I will write something new and amazing. Oh yes, I have written several short stories before but I have fallen in to a slump. I think the problem is that it is hard to start a story. The possibilities, the potential, the questions unanswered and unasked creates an ominous wall; a wall that holds back characters and back story and plot lines and dialog and cities and landscapes and whole worlds. You can see how this can be a little bit daunting. This has always been my problem with writing fiction. Where to begin?
I have had several creative writing instructors pass on this small piece of advice and whenever I can't figure out what I want to write about it has served me well. Write what you know. Ever been to Mexico? Write about that. Have a crazy friend who likes to jump off of bridges? Write about that too. The great thing about writing fiction is that every story has a beginning and an end, but you don't necessarily need to start at the beginning. Sometimes you won't know where a story begins until you're waist deep in it. Stories evolve and change as they are being written, and sometimes the author's vision for the story is not where the story wants to go.
As for my story I think I figured out what I want to write about. Sometimes it's good to just jump in and start writing. When I start a story that is proving difficult for me I tend to want to outline or summarize. This helps as it gets out all of the back-story that was, uh, backing up my writing process. It helps to get all of the things I feel that I needed to say out on paper. The story itself tends to flow from there. Out of all of the back-story, character descriptions and scene outlines that I wrote, something would catch my interest and make me want to write more about it. The wall doesn't seem so ominous once you're on the other side of it.
Congrats on starting your book! I hope all goes well for you.
ReplyDeleteYes, congratulations on starting a new book. I know that getting started is the hardest part, so that's a huge step. Have you read "Ron Carlson Writes a Story", by Ron Carlson? It's a bit of a dry read, but it gives some great advice. The best piece of advice he gives is to not get up in the middle of writing and also to not let yourself get distracted by things like the internet. It's the toughest challenge, but it really is a great tip.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I hope your writer's block goes away!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear you were able to get over that wall! I usually go one of two ways- either I have a clear image of the beginning of the story emerging or a very clear image of where it will go, and very rarely do I have a clear image of the whole path. Eva gave some good advice about focus- focusing and uni-tasking when I do anything can be daunting for me. So I try to devote a certain amount of time every day at the same time every day to do nothing but write whatever comes out, and I find that it helps me quite a bit. I look forward to hearing more about your story!
ReplyDeleteI remember when I wrote my first journalism story. It was so bad my instructor didn't even grade it. But by my sophomore year I was editor of the college newspaper so I did get better at writing. I found it easier to write after I interviewed someone than trying to write something that just popped into my head. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI am waiting to read your story when it becomes available. From everything you describes I picture something unique yet subtle and I can't wait to experience it.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck! Any sneak peeks or juicy details? Plot line?
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel trying to scale that ominous wall and actually finish a project. As dry as summarizing and outlining is, it really does help me focus and get things done. I also make myself work on my story every day, even when I don't feel like it. It's tough, but it's so worth it once you finish something and have a completed work to show people.
ReplyDeleteI'm in your group, so I've been following your progress and I always look forward to your next posts; can't wait to see them up here to. Are you going to make your story available to read somewhere when it's all done?
ReplyDeleteGood post, i agree that just starting to write even if you don't know where it's going to take you can be the best thing to do.
ReplyDeleteJournaling helps me. I like to write before I write.
ReplyDeleteI am not a good writer but free writing about varios subjects is allowing me to get better. Nice Blog
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the hardest part in writing a story is starting it out. Stories do tend to evolve as they are being written!
ReplyDeleteWriters block was very difficult for me to overcome but I have developed a solution that works for me. When you cannot start writing, don't start with the beginning. Do a little bit of "Tarantino"-esque writing. Work on another part, any part, the ending, the next paragraph, and come back to where you were stuck at. Even if you don't like what you have just written, nothing is set in stone and it can be erased. Hope this helps.
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