How to Write?

[dublinjohn]

I tried a story before and failed (badly), I got 3 chapters deep and kept correcting them for 2 months rather than struggle trying to write something new, honestly I think they were the best written (at that stage) chapters in the history of writing, they were edited so much!!


So, I have an idea now, that I think I can make a story out of, it needs a bit of research, but, its simple stuff, but, to ask the writers here who actually finish stories, should I just mark out an hour daily 21.45 to 22.45 to write/research and be strict, or just try leaving it until a Sunday and doing a 4/5 hour stretch in the evening, when I do nothing but surf the web and spend time with my friend Jack (although, I may know him enough to call him John) Daniels and self edit during the week (once).


How do you write?

[Executionus]

First things first, don't over-edit and obsess yourself into paralysis. Most of the time when I write I do an entire chapter in one sitting just to go with the flow of the moment and to ensure no continuity errors. Thirst Games has been a little different, I've been writing just the scenes instead and then arranging them into chapters afterwards in an attempt to keep the feeling of everything happening at roughly the same time. Normally though I just write straight until I get tired of writing or run out of time.

Before I post a part I read through it from beginning to end once to catch mistakes or parts that need changing, but that's it for my revisions. I don't edit beyond that one time right before posting.

The one time that I tried working off of a giant outline was Summer Camp of Playville, and that turned into a chore to write. I made myself a promise that in the future I wouldn't run so many open plotlines at once ever again. It felt like I was going to need 60 chapters to tell each substory and it was going to drag on mercilessly. I highly recommend not turning your writing into a chore that feels like an obligation, because then you won't even be able to enjoy the final product (like a pizza chef not wanting to ever eat pizza again).

Basically my advice overall is to just write the story out in big chunks (or all at once if short) without overthinking things. Read through it once and make slight corrections, then post.

[Debbifan]

Executionus replied while I was writing and has some of the same advice but I'll submit what I had written as is anyway....

This is not the most helpful reply but you really just have to find what works for you. I'm sure all writers have different routines.

But honestly, if you have the story idea, you are 90% there. When I have dry spells, it is because I can not think of the scenario to get me going. Once I have an idea, writing is the easy part ( honest )

Since you did ask how people go about writing ( with the proviso above that there are as many ways as there are writers ) I'll mention how it works for me in case any technique might be helpful. Before I sit down, I mentally work out much of the chapter in my head, while doing some mindless task like washing the dishes or whatever. What will the character be wearing ( or taking off ) ? Will there be dialogue ? If so, run these conversations through your head. Imagine you are watching a movie ( I wish ! )

Then I always have my first sentence before I sit down, so that I am never staring at a blank screen or blank piece of paper. Having done some mental sketching beforehand, I then find I can more or less write it in a stream of consciousness.

Finally, don't over think it. You have the idea, just do it. By all means do basic editing for typos, punctuation, over use of the same vocabulary. But first thoughts are normally the best !

[swguy123]

If you struggle with overediting, I would suggest not to start editing until you are completely done with the story. And remember that 20% of the effort gives 80% of the results, and other than yourself nobody will notice the small edits you are doing at the end.

[Juncker]

Honestly, just do what makes you feel comfortable. I generally only write on a whim (which includes having an idea of what to write), and I’ll just sit down and smash out a part without even thinking about, straight onto the boards, no word processing software at all.

The wonderful thing about ENF/M stories is that the lack of visuals means your mind will generally fill in the gaps in a manner that is most appealing to you. You probably do it all the time with the faces of the characters in these stories, even if that’s just reusing faces of people you know irl. What I’m trying to say is take advantage of that. Don’t worry about explaining every little detail in just the right way, because one of the best things about reading these stories is being given the wriggle room to fill in the gaps. I’m always more interested in the story as a vehicle for projecting a series of events to make me horny.

[SDS]

Ok I've not read the other replies above which I'm sure is great advice!

- Use a word editor rather than the forum to write initially
- Write some short stories don't over face yourself with a saga until you are ready
- When writing shorter stories or stories in general feel free to summaries boring events between scenes you don't need to write a whole day in detail

[edithdick]

How do you write?

Having started several stories but only finishing one, I’m a little hesitant to answer, but based on what the established authors on this site have added, I think one thing is clear, every writer will develop a system that works well for them, and you may change it up from one story to the next…

Question: when you begin writing, do you know the story you are going to tell? Or is writing more of a discovery process?

For my, if I have thought through the story and now am just grinding out the text, then I would probably just need some minor edits after to correct any mistakes on the way.

On the other hand, especially early in the process while the characters are still vague to me, I may write our several chapters of discovery and then scrap them all together, restarting at a different place in the story or even changing the main character on the extreme end.

The point is that you need to figure out your own system and if it’s now working on a particular story then either mix it up or figure out if it’s a story you even care enough about to tell.

One thing I know for sure, if an author gets bored with their story, the audience will too.

[edithdick]

Does anybody else struggle with this? I feel like the more time I spend reading other people’s stories, the harder it is for me to get into my own.

While I was recovering from COVID last week, I couldn’t concentrate on writing at all, so I’ve been reading everything I could find to pass the time.

Once I was feeling better, I found it almost impossible to continue writing my story in The Suggestion Box thread, but found it effortless to complete two endings for BP’s story.

I literally had to take a day off of reading anything but my own story before I could write my own story again.

[Executionus]

That's a common ADHD issue, where your focus gets broken and attaches itself to any distractions it can find. For writers it makes it so that our minds can get lost in someone else's world and then have difficulty reconnecting to our own.

I get that some. My solution was to establish a writing routine of certain music styles which Pavlovs my brain into writing mode. The music is selected based on the feeling of the story, so it helps connect me to it again.

[Eoworfindir]

Does anybody else struggle with this? I feel like the more time I spend reading other people’s stories, the harder it is for me to get into my own.

While I was recovering from COVID last week, I couldn’t concentrate on writing at all, so I’ve been reading everything I could find to pass the time.

Once I was feeling better, I found it almost impossible to continue writing my story in The Suggestion Box thread but found it effortless to complete two endings for BP’s story.

I literally had to take a day off of reading anything but my own story before I could write my own story again.

I've started dozens of stories, wrote half a page, got sidetracked, procrastinated while trying to get back into it, and promptly put it aside hoping I'd come back to it at a later date. Only to come up with a new idea and for the same cycle to happen all over. I entered Summerslam to try and force myself into putting something down.