Just sitting here this morning, I was wondering what I could have to say that you would be interested in and I remembered a person I'd spoken to a couple of years ago. She loved writing, had stories inside her mind, but hadn't yet taken the plunge. Too chicken.
I sat there at a Christmas dinner trying to convince her to put them down in black and white. Until you have something written down, you can never make it better.
Start.
If you have an idea that is claimning your mind, your time, your creative pulse, go with it. By all means sit and think about it while you're waiting in the car for the kids, or pouring the tea, but in the end, the big thing is to actually write it down.
When I start a new story, it's truly rubbish - honestly. Some of you might think they are at the end too, but goodness, you didn't see quite how rubbish they were at the beginning!
You can only hold so much in your head - or I can. Get your idea onto paper, or keyboard. Free up some room to let the story grow. Write it and know that it is hideous. Nobody else will see, so it doesn't matter. It's a huge deal to get an entire story finished. So many people fail before they get this far. Do it!
Start by writing the part you have in your head and then think. Think what might have happened in your story to get here. What could happen next? Don't worry too much about if the idea is good enough, that's what later drafts are for.
Write it. Pursue the goal of finishing, however long that takes.
Write that story.
When you finally have the story written down, (and don't worry how short or long that is) take a break - a day, a week, two even - and let it sit. Catch up with the ironing (Yeah, right!), plant those seedlings, or simply remember you have friends and family.
Then you just start at the beginning again.
The second round is when you find out which parts are shocking and which are little gems. Cut the crap and make it better. Think, yes, that was okay, but wouldn't it sound better if... Think about what you would want from a story. Do you like your characters? Shouldn't you? Is there enough interest, enough drama and plot?
Trust me, this part will make significant changes.
You might actually start to believe again.
You may rewrite entire scenes, or scrap them, but as long as you make the story better, whether it's building a 50,000 word story up, or slimming down a whopper, it will be worth it. Just remember to save each draft separately in case you change your mind and want to bring a cut scene back again.
You can do this.
Write it.
I sat there at a Christmas dinner trying to convince her to put them down in black and white. Until you have something written down, you can never make it better.
Start.
If you have an idea that is claimning your mind, your time, your creative pulse, go with it. By all means sit and think about it while you're waiting in the car for the kids, or pouring the tea, but in the end, the big thing is to actually write it down.
When I start a new story, it's truly rubbish - honestly. Some of you might think they are at the end too, but goodness, you didn't see quite how rubbish they were at the beginning!
You can only hold so much in your head - or I can. Get your idea onto paper, or keyboard. Free up some room to let the story grow. Write it and know that it is hideous. Nobody else will see, so it doesn't matter. It's a huge deal to get an entire story finished. So many people fail before they get this far. Do it!
Start by writing the part you have in your head and then think. Think what might have happened in your story to get here. What could happen next? Don't worry too much about if the idea is good enough, that's what later drafts are for.
Write it. Pursue the goal of finishing, however long that takes.
Write that story.
When you finally have the story written down, (and don't worry how short or long that is) take a break - a day, a week, two even - and let it sit. Catch up with the ironing (Yeah, right!), plant those seedlings, or simply remember you have friends and family.
Then you just start at the beginning again.
The second round is when you find out which parts are shocking and which are little gems. Cut the crap and make it better. Think, yes, that was okay, but wouldn't it sound better if... Think about what you would want from a story. Do you like your characters? Shouldn't you? Is there enough interest, enough drama and plot?
Trust me, this part will make significant changes.
You might actually start to believe again.
You may rewrite entire scenes, or scrap them, but as long as you make the story better, whether it's building a 50,000 word story up, or slimming down a whopper, it will be worth it. Just remember to save each draft separately in case you change your mind and want to bring a cut scene back again.
You can do this.
Write it.
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