Frustrated, no idea how to start

[sozme]

Well I've been planning and world building on a space opera I have wanted to write for the longest time. The problem now is I just don't know how to get started. I was thinking of doing a Writers Digest University workshop, but those are a little too expensive for my wife and I right now. \

Anyway, I feel like I have a very well thought out plot and setting. I have even consulted a cosmologist to help me make the different star systems seem more plausible. I have a giant codex on the different characters, technology, history/background story, etc.

My problem is I just don't think I can write very well. I think my dialogue is okay enough, but I can't describe a setting and I especially have a difficult time describing characters. I'm also clinically obsessive-compulsive, so I focus a lot on minor details when I probably should be more worried about just putting words on paper.

 

[Lilmizflashythang]

Don't compare your stuff to the 'masters.' Here's a secret. The first draft will always suck. Write it, hide it, and chop, crop, and re-assemble it. The rules of writing, the ones we can all agree with, are: read, write, re-write. If you are still uncertain, get drunk first, it worked for Hemmingway.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Well, it's a good time of year to ask that question, because NaNoWriMo starts on Saturday!

If you aren't familiar with it, it's National Novel Writing Month, and it happens every November (and other times as well, but that's the first and main one). The goal is to write 50000 words in 30 days, which works out to 1667 words a day. It's a great way to make yourself get words down on paper, and since you have a plot and setting in mind already, you're all set. The point is not to have a polished novel at the end -- they say "December is for editing". It's just a way to get past whatever may be holding you back and to have fun while getting ideas out there.

There is a thread around here somewhere for people doing NaNo this year, and you can check out the site at www.nanowrimo.org. There are forums over there for all the people around the world who are doing it, for encouragement and commiseration and assistance and brainstorming and questions and silly games.

You get started by writing.

 

[jastius]

just find a line. words you like. then start writing. it doesn't have tobe at the beginning. you can jump around as you like or need to.
you already have your plot outline. so write whatever parts pop up and frankenstein them together later. sorry, dovetail .. i believe the term is used.
copy your point form plot outline into a second file .. then tentatively list the scene file names in their correct place upon this master spread sheet. make a folder for each chapter then put your scenes in it...
when all your plot points are done, pull it out and revise.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I find the leap-frog method doesn't really work for me...but I guess it might for some. I would have no idea how those who've been published do it.


But yes, don't compare yourself to the masters. Just get something started. It's a space opera, so that's the idea. Start off with a main character awakening within their spaceship, or piloting off somewhere. Then go from there.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

You say you've had the idea of writing this for some time. Presumably you have something that makes your world unique.

Here's the thing. You don't have to start at the beginning. Sometimes what starts as the first line is often relegated to the second chapter (or even the bin).

Put down what your story hinges on - The planet, the species, the hero, the hero's moll, the hero's fella. Start with the plumbing the, the landscape, the people and why have they got three noses, the environment, the weather and why is rains every second Saturday (or Sqibbleday).
Start with the relationships, start with the murder, start with the gruesome details (Although some action is usually better as it has more chance of grabbing the reader by the ba... ooops sorry it might be a children's book).

Start with ...

He looked at the girl.... (describe her, her dress, the way her dress moves, the thoughts that she instils in him) then kill her off (quite a common beginning)



But whatever you do, don't start with nanowrimo.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Ach, poor you. Hopefully one of the worldbuilders will come along and help - i think others have faced the same. Unfortunately there's only one way to learn how to write and that's to put words on paper. We're all rubbish to begin with,so don't worry about that,or be ashamed or anything.

I did the writers' digest course about 20 years ago. It was useful but taught me about a zillioneth of what the chrons and an amazing writing group did. Stick around here, go and crit other peoples' work on the crits board (I learned loads by critting), work out what works and didn't, and build up to 30 posts and pop up a little scene, a dialogue one maybe. Tell us all you're new and not sure and you'll get honest opinions but not crushing ones (or not as crushing as elsewhere anyway) and then go and write another wee scene and another and... Hey presto.

 

[Toby Frost]

Here's what I'd suggest, and this is only what I'd do:

1) Try to forget about all the backstory. Up till now, you've been preparing a tourist's guide or a role-playing game manual for your world. Shrink the viewpoint down, from countries at war, planets, armies, etc, to one person only.

2) Describe what that person is doing right now. Make them do something active, decisive. Dick strides into the lounge and announces "Jane, I'm leaving you". Detective X spots the suspect leaving the hideout and radios for backup. Whatever you do, don't describe the person being bored. It doesn't matter if you don't describe the person in much detail. In fact, don't. Resist the temptation to put in backstory or info-dumps. The reader will have enough to go on and will want to find out more. "Angry husband" or "Cop on a stakeout" provides enough of a mental image to go on with.

3) Describe what the next thing the person does. It might widen the story by bringing in new settings or characters or hinting at what will happen next. Dick discovers that Joan has vanished and the corpse of Peter is lying on the settee. The cop's backup, an old veteran, comes over to help. But the veteran has a bad knee and that might ruin things somehow.

4) And this is difficult: only put in the background where it becomes necessary. If Dick says "Oh well, I'll just have to clone a new Peter", or the cops follow the suspect to the spaceport, then you can put the description in - as the story requires it. I hope that's helpful.

At least, that's what I'd do. It might not work for you, but I think the best bet is to have things happening as soon as possible, to get the plot going before the urge to describe everything kicks in.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Why not try writing a short story; you could even post a couple of hundred words on the Chrons, and you will be given lots of useful advise.
You may find that your writing is much better than you think; you are not the best judge of your own work. You may also find that starting to write a short story will develop into something much bigger.

Why not start by imagining that one of your main characters is telling another character about a memorable event in his life; and then you write out that story in maybe 300-500 words. Then post it on the Chrons and see what others think.

I find that the hardest part of creating any piece is picking up a pen and starting to write

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

That is a point; don't start with novels. I find it far easier to be a short story writer than novelist.


I've not yet had a novel, though I could; a very flimsy one not worth a match for burning, but the possibility is there. But I do far better with a few thousand words, or less.

 

[paranoid marvin]

The other thing you could do is write it out as a play, with no need for descriptions. Once you have got your story written (you may find that as you write your dialogue that this changes!) and your dialogue for each of the characters on paper, you could then look at converting this into novel. As I mentioned above you may find that as you write it, your descriptive skills improve.

Not all authors are great at descriptive writing, not all are great at dialogue, and very few are great at both. You may find that your skill at dialogue carries the weaker descriptive writing, and of course if that is your strength then it may be worthwhile making it a dialogue-heavy novel. Then again you may find that your perceived weakness isn't as bad as you thought.

 

[Nick B]

My sideproject simply starts with one of the main characters thinking how bad the coffee is, made with recycled water and throwing it away. Its a throwaway moment entirely and leads into what the background mission is.

Thats the easy way in, make it something normal and easy. The main wip starts with a more james bond style, with a main character finishing her last mission. More challenging but hooks interest. Whatever works and you are comfortable with.

 

[sozme]

Very helpful advice, thank you to all. I suppose I will have to bite the bullet and just go ahead and start writing. I've tried this in the past don't get me wrong, I just feel I can't stop myself from reading what I wrote over and over again each time I put in a new paragraph.

Unfortunately this is a habit I've developed recently after writing for a medical test prep. review company as a side job online (I am a full-time M.D. student in the USA). These study guides that I author kind of require that level of micro-editing as you go, since they are highly technical but need to be as short and concise as possible. Of course this has seeped over into other areas of writing, but I am sure I will find a way to get over it.

 

[Chris Guillory]

What will bother you more, the initial frustration of getting started, or the regret of walking away from a great idea? Like flasythang says, you will write, rewrite, and rewrite some more. Don't worry about how well you think can write. I've read great stories from okay writers, and horrible ones from excellent writers.

I can tell you this, if you need support in almost any aspect, this is the place to get it.

Good luck, sozme, I honestly hope you move forward with this one.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Hi Sozme,

Not sure if this will help, but there is an article published in the Guardian - an interview with Guy Gavriel Kay:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/20...en-interview-fionovar-tapesty-the-summer-tree

The bit I'd highlight from it is:

“And I learned a lot about false starts in writing. I mean that in a really serious way. His [Tolkien’s] false starts. You learn that the great works have disastrous botched chapters, that the great writers recognise that they didn’t work. So I was looking at drafts of The Lord of the Rings and rough starts for The Silmarillion and came to realise they don’t spring full-blown, utterly, completely formed in brilliance. They get there with writing and rewriting and drudgery and mistakes, and eventually if you put in the hours and the patience, something good might happen. That was a very, very early lesson for me, looking at the Tolkien materials. That it’s not instantly magnificent. That it’s laboriously so, but it gets there. That was a huge, huge, still important lesson.”

 

[jastius]

These study guides that I author kind of require that level of micro-editing as you go, since they are highly technical but need to be as short and concise as possible. Of course this has seeped over into other areas of writing, but I am sure I will find a way to get over it.

i know this sounds odd, but have you tried poetry or song lyrics?
there is a rhythm to language that is sometimes hidden in the expository writing of prose that is more apparent within poetry or song lyrics.

even a speech, a monologue, has a flow to it.

but technical writing doesn't. it is stattaco.
typewriters instead of violins.

i know it is difficult for me to break out of the rhythm of point form mini blurbs.
perhaps this habit of breviety is what impedes you.

so do the opposite.
take a piece of fulscape and describe one thing. the sky, an orange, your pet. but fill up the sheet with everything you can think of even the parts that don't make sense.
then another. write anedotes. find a story about that one thing. and if you cantake out the identifying word at the end , read it to somone else and they can fill in the blank, then you are writing.

 

[abraves247]

I had troubles describing the world in my WIP for the longest time. Then I read somewhere (I don't remember where) to just picture in your mind what you would be seeing if you were the character you are writing about. If you were in their place what would you see/hear/feel? Also it helps me if I try to picture what the character sounds like when they talk. This helped me make a distinct voice come across for each character.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Do you have a character?

And don't worry about it being good because everything can be rewritten and edited.

 

[ctg]

I think you have so much of advice that you wouldn't be needing one from me. So let me ask a question: "When do you stop doing the details and open yourself to write a story?"

 

[tinkerdan]

This is very important:

Do you have a character?

And don't worry about it being good because everything can be rewritten and edited.

At least it has been in my work.

When I find the character that I can put into the scene I move to the next step, which of course is what they see, feel, hear, smell and taste and dig down to some of their gut reactions to that mixture .

Once you get that down you can have fun with it by introducing another character who has a different point of view.

Describing the same scene by showing the senses and personal reactions has been a great tool in being able to show the same scene in two points of view and make it appear like a totally different place.

Even trying to look at things from an omniscient third point of view you might have to consider injecting some senses that might become the basis of judgmental narrative because if you only describe or tell what and where everything is you might as well be doing a scene in a morgue where everyone expects things to be dead and lifeless. But be warned if you make it all dead and lifeless even there it might fall flat.

Dig up some emotions, some feelings about the place where everything is going to start and then start writing those out until you show the reader with each expressive brush stroke the picture you are painting.

When you edit you can remove things that you put there mostly for yourself that don't move the story forward and eventually you'll have the tight bits of story that you need.