|
Story Ideas... Without stories
Hi, I want to write on wattpad. But my writing skills are not the best. Also, I have so many book ideas but when I try to write them my first chapter is always super short. Then after that chapter I don't know where to go with the story and it just stays in my drafts. I have so many ideas but I have no idea what to do with them. Can someone help me!?
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Doesn't Fit Any Of These Categories?
I use some kind of voice recorder or voice recognition software because I lose my train of thought if I go too slow writing and I get Sidetracked too easy, its the same way if i want to refine the sound of my voice when im singing, i can tweak it if i can play it back, as for the ideas themselves, try thinking of what you would do if you were limited to nothing, such as no limitations on the money at your disposle and being capable of any superpower you can dream (quantam physics can make it real) i know it may sound silly but if you use these crazy tools you might find out your capable of more than you could have ever imaginged while discovering a deeper meaning of who you truly are, and knowing that makes the the storys you want to tell flow from the very core of you, for me i would start by proving to the world that gerson therapy has been curing cancer since the fortys, maybe then i wont be the only one. wondering why the governments made it illegal. Sorry bout that, theyre pain haunts me always, any way try that and if it helps to break away from what we know as reality by ignoring limitation let me know if can help further or if im just wasting your time, i hope not, i know i sound stupid but i just want to help.
]
Books, like any other piece of writing, are not typically composed start-to-end. I think that's why you're running out of steam.
For example, this is how I go about writing an essay:
- Write a hypothesis
- Come up with a few arguments to support it
- Find examples or quotes to back up each argument
- Flesh the arguments out into full paragraph form
- Write the intro and conclusion, making sure to refer to my arguments.
You'll note that I'm not starting with the introduction and moving my way through - this is because otherwise I'm not quite sure what I'm going to say in between.
Writing a book is the same sort of deal. You want to figure out what the book is generally about, first of all (just one or two sentences). Then you need to determine who your characters are and what their place is in the story. Then you plan out what's going to happen and when. All of this typically happens before you even begin writing it out in full. That way you don't use up all of your ideas in the first chapter and you have a sense of how to pace the story.
There are lots of resources, and even apps to help you with planning. The most important thing is to keep writing!
]
I started writing as a kid but back then, I too had short chapters because I couldn't wait to get to the drama and action parts of the story line. I didn't have the patience to take time to put in all the supportive descriptive parts of what the character looked like, was thinking, saying, or descriptions of how they felt, or the settings.
To get a better idea of the kind of writing that is descriptive, carry a notepad with you for a day, of whatever you want to use to record all you see, think, feel and do. Like if riding the bus and some homeless person sits next to you, the experience ...write it down. How does it make you feel? Does it ruin your morning or make you wonder what other nasty surprises are in store for your day? These kinds of thoughts make a story character become more like a real life person. Describe how the person was dressed. And did they smell bad. You must have some thoughts or reactions to that too. If it was really offensive, did you shrink against the window away form the person, did you contemplate covering your nose with some cloth due to the smell, did you feel prompted to give them a little money to brighten their day? All of this fills in a story well and what your character says can be nice and pleasant, to mean and sarcastic, or it can be funny like when there is double meaning to the words depending on the current situation. I read a couple of paragraphs of one of my stories to a retired school English teacher. I was surprised when she actually began laughing and stopped reading to look up and find what she was laughing at and asked. She said the story so far was funny but very interesting too.
When you have a day full of thoughts, and descriptions of what you saw from the state of the carpet at school or the office to what your friend was wearing and how it made them look, then you have a good example of how to write to beef out your chapters. At least, it works for me.
]
More Questions: |