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writerswritecompany

Some good tips here.

#writing #writing tips #writing advice #writer problems #distracted writer #writers block

notbecauseofvictories

Me, atop a small mountain of unfinished projects, prompts, half-baked ideas, essays, and unanswered asks: I am a Writer

emililylou

Too right ;)

#writersunite writers writing

writerswritecompany

Novel Structure

#writing #novel writing #novel structure #fiction writing

writingquotes-deactivated201509

The difference between wanting to write and having written is one year of hard, relentless labour. It’s a bridge you have to build all by yourself, all alone, all through the night, while the world goes about its business without giving a damn. The only way of making this perilous passage is by looking at it as a pilgrimage.

Shatrujeet Nath (via writingquotes)

#writing quotes #writers #writer problems #writing #writing inspiration

libraford

I must remind myself that-

Worse writers than me have been published.

Even if I’m not published it is not a reflection on the quality of my writing.

I do not need to be published to be considered successful.

But I will not get published at all if I don’t send anything in.

#writers #writing #writing advice #getting published #writer problems #writers block #creative writing #Writing tips

observando

6 tips from John Steinbeck for aspiring writers

Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.

Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.

Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person–a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.

If a scene or a section gets the better of you and you still think you want it–bypass it and go on. When you have finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave trouble is because it didn’t belong there.

Beware of a scene that becomes too dear to you, dearer than the rest. It will usually be found that it is out of drawing.

If you are using dialogue–say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.

#writing #writers #writing advice #first draft #john steinbeck

writingquotes-deactivated201509

What doesn’t kill us gives us something new to write about.

Julie Wright (via writingquotes)

#writers #writing quotes #writing #plot #novel writing

dark-wizard-alien

How to Write A Story (Without feeling like your work is awful and wanting to put your fist through a wall)

Your First Draft The “Word Puke” Stage

Don’t write anything more than plot. If you have an idea of a character, the most important thing is to just get it down. Don’t worry about errors. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense. The worse your first draft is, the better. A lot of people think that good writing comes from a good first draft that just gets improved. No. Good writing comes from a good idea that is written badly, and then fixed. The more lowly you think of your first draft, the more likely you’ll want to improve it.

I wouldn’t even call this a draft. I’d call it a word puke stage. Just get your thoughts on paper. Once they’re concrete, you can work with it.

Your Second Draft

Don’t worry about writing philosophical undertones to your plot. That comes next. For now, just make sure your story is coherent and has all the basic elements a story has (like fully developed characters, a beginning, middle and end) and all that that you didn’t do in your “work puke” stage. In this stage of your writing, just make sure there aren’t any errors or holes in your plot and don’t forget about adding in other elements that develop the character’s personality, actions and feelings as well as the plot!

Your Third Draft

Now you can write in deeper meanings and other philosophical undertones to your story. Fix up all the mistakes in your second draft, chop out plot holes, revise, and redo and your original idea! You should have a complete and clear plot. Your character at this point should be an “iceberg” character, meaning what’s shown in the story is only about 10-20% of what you actually know about them! The deeper you know your character, the more fun it is to write about them. And remember, the story is told through the character’s eyes, so make sure you really know them.

Your Final Draft(s)

Here’s where the serious editing takes place. This is where you add the finishing touches to your story. By this point, you should be confident in your writing and what your editing comes down to is just how you word your sentences to fit your character’s charisma and develop your plot. Every single word you use should contribute to character development or furthering the plot. Add in the finishing touches and boom! You’re done.

#writers #writer #writing #writing advice #writing tips #first draft

maxkirin

If it pleases you and you can write at all, it’s gonna please somebody else.

Charlaine Harris (via maxkirin)

#writing quotes #writing #writers #writers block #writing tag #writing tips #just write

fictionwritingtips

How to be Decisive When Writing

There are a lot of choices to make when writing a novel. I know a lot of writers struggle with being decisive and often get hung up on making certain choices about their story. What should I name my book? What should I name my protagonist? Why should my character make this choice over another? Or even—am I good enough to be writing a novel? The last one can be a killer and can absolutely destroy all of your motivation.

Here are a few ways to be decisive with your writing:

First of all, you are good enough. You might think your idea sounds too much like another idea or that someone could write it better. Maybe that’s true in some way, but I promise you this—no one will write your story like you can. Think about writing prompts, for example. Two different writers are shown a picture and have to write a story based on it. There’s a huge chance their stories will have similar elements, but they will end up being very, very different from each other.

I’m spending a lot of time on this point because you should never stop writing because you don’t think you have what it takes. Even if you’re a beginner, you’ll only improve by writing. You can only go up. Also, it doesn’t really matter! If you want to be writing and it brings you joy, nothing in the world should stop you. I promise you’ll improve, if that’s what you’re worried about, and I promise you’ll find a way to make your story unique.

Stick with what feels right. Nothing kills decisiveness like over analysis. Sometimes you just need to go with your gut. When naming your novel or characters, think about what you like. Think about what feels like it clicks. Not all names and titles need to mean something profound—they just need to mean something to you. There are a lot of choices that will make a major impact on your novel, so be sure to choose your battles wisely. Don’t get too hung up on small details.

Trust yourself. Remember, there’s usually a reason why you came up with an idea in the first place. We can spend days second guessing our ideas, but sometimes we just need to accept them and move on. If it doesn’t work out, that’s fine, but at least you took a shot at it. If you find yourself unmotivated and unwilling to move forward with an idea, allow yourself to at least try it. This will usually give you enough motivation to get going and you’ll be able to truly decide whether or not you like the idea.

A first draft is a first draft. If you’re worried about your ideas and choices, you need to remember that you’ll have a chance to switch it up later. Letting details hold you up can be writing time wasted. Sometimes I leave myself room to go back and decide later, depending how the story goes. Write what you’re confident about and then make those harder decisions later, if possible. A first draft is never the place to get hung up on making decisions. Like I said before, try it and see if you like it. If not, change it later.

-Kris Noel

emililylou

This is great.

#writing #writers #writer problems #writing advice #writing tips #writing tag #first draft #novelist #novel #novel writing #wip #novel wip #perfectionism

amyoung-deactivated20171003

I must write now and quickly, before I begin to prefer the perfect version that lives in my head.

Lettie Prell (via ourwritinglives)

#writing #writing quotes #writing advice #writers #writing tips #writer problems #perfectionism

books-are-my-life17

#reading #books #quotes #reading quotes #truth

INFPs have to be careful that their idealism does not make them perfectionists. If it does they may never complete projects, such as writing a book, for fear it is not good enough […]. This idealism and perfectionism can also be turned against themselves. Of all the types, INFPs and ISFPs can be extremely self-critical.

Source

TRUTH.

#infp #writers #perfectionism #writer problems #writing #mbti #infps #writing quotes