How did you guys start writing? Need inspiration from others

[skip.knox]

The only way I got a story told was to suspend my worldbuilding and concentrate on an individual story. It's a psychological thing. I had a thousand great ideas (which always look great when they're just ideas) and I had to make them a promise: I'll get back to you. You're all wonderful and special and each one of you deserve one or more stories, but right now, for the time being, I've chosen this particular idea and I'm going to pursue it until I pound it into a story and get the thing (self-)published. All the other ideas were desperately jealous and gave me no end of grief, but I just had to ignore them until that one story got told.

Once I had that one done, I knew I could do another. Since then, the other ideas are still jealous and they still nip at my heels, but for the most part they've learned that everyone has to wait their turn.

 

[Ashaxan]

For me, writing is quite simple... Note I didn't say easy.
Or I got a real strong inspiration and then the words flow under my frenetic fingers...
Or I just try to answer to a question that preoccupied me. It could be anything like 'where did my cat eat today?' or "Who did break the Egyptian Sphinx nose?". Anything... In any case, a question brings another one. I try to answer it. Soon as I got an interesting idea, I write it. the storyline weaves almost naturally. Beside you care to create the appropriate character that fits to the type of story and to the mood you want to insufflate. Overall, I aim a powerful conclusion - probably the most difficult part. This one may not appear until a very advanced point, or may not appear at all. Damn it!
At the end of the day, it is a lot work and talent.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Conflict and change... every scene should “change” something.

The thing that really made a big difference for me was doing NaNoWriMo for the first time. I changed from writing random scenes whenever ideas struck and never having the self discipline to finish anything to spending a good 1-2 hours a day on my writing six days a week. It taught me a lot about myself as a writer, but the biggest and most beneficial lesson was simply that I was completely capable of writing a project that long if I made it a high enough priority. The flailing mess that it was also inspired my fascination for story structure and writing craft, which was another big step.

As for my process, I'm still experimenting, so it's different with every project. I think that my natural inclinations lean towards discovery writing, but I'm currently working on an outline for the book I'm writing right now, so go figure. One thing that's been pretty consistent though is the need to write linearly. For me, the story builds as I'm writing it, and if I write a scene without knowing every piece of the context that came before it, I'll usually have to change or tweak it, if not replace it completely.

As for where to start, people will say you have to begin with the antagonist, or with the worldbuilding, or the theme, or any number of other things, but I see writers starting in all these places and they all seem equally capable (or not capable, if your that type of person) of writing good stories, so I doubt it matters much. I usually start with a character concept, since those are the ideas of mine I find the most compelling, but you can totally start with with world building if that's what's most interesting to you.

The one thing to keep in mind no matter where you start, though, is conflict. It exists pretty much everywhere in storytelling, and it's the glue that holds everything together. Unless your worldbuilding/characters/whatever have conflict, there won't really be any story about them to tell. So look for the conflict in everything.

 

[ChronoSam]

Hey guys! Back from vacations now and wow did the conversation develop while I was gone!

I read through this all and now will answer some of you as I feel super inspred by most of what you're telling me but answering everyone at this pint is quite titanic!

Then you will be done. It will suck. I cannot describe to you how much it will suck. You will hate it. You will not want to reread it because it's so bad. This is universal, expected, and okay. Put it in a box and seal the box. Open it again in six months to a year, or don't. You may just want to go into a new story. Either way is fine.

So, be creative, and give yourself the freedom to fail. If you write and start to doubt your work to where you're unable to finish, that's also ok. Think of it as learning to ride a bicycle. You're going to go down --and hard-- a few times, maybe crash more than you care to admit until you get used to it. It's a strange combination of movements and thought processes that will eventually propel you forward. You still have to steer and like direction you're going, but it isn't anything to be apprehensive about.

This is something everyone here seems to agree on, huh? I guess I can identify a lot since I'm super perfectionist and that has always stopped me from doing some stuff, and not liking some of the scripts I've written, at the end even discarding them far away never to see the light of day.

When it comes to epic fantasy, I’ve never started anything with a character. Ever. It’s a mish mash of story and world that begins everything, so far. An event, a piece of history, requires a certain type of character and they come into being.

THIS I feel I really feel that goes with what I want to write at the moment, as the story I'm doing is currently at his stage, I'm seeing the history of this world and the important events that led the world to be a divided place, and now how the main character with the help of a group will help bring the worlds together. I think that because of the nature of this story is why I started with worldbuilding and an IDEA of my main character.

The thing with short stories is that you are writing an entire story from start to finish in far, far less time than with novels. It lets the novice author explore character and setting without getting bogged down in a larger tale.

I think this is a good idea actually, to start playing around with short stories while I develop the structure of this novel(s) that made me join this forum.

Suggestion: DO NOT start with page one of your epic fantasy. Instead, look over your worldbuilding notes, pick an event, then imagine being a character at that event. Then write a short story from that characters POV.

If I were 18 again, I would do this: I would study the hell out screenwriting and all that entails, with story, structure, and dialogue, and at the same time, I would start a novel and write the first chapter or two. Maybe even the first chapter of every POV character I expect to need. I’d stuff them into a drawer, and read them months later while still studying screenwriting. I’d rewrite those chapters over and over and over with months in between while also working out the story and subplots with the things I was learning in Screenwriting. I would also Write the Ending! If the endng doesn’t work, make it work or start something else. And I’d be studying books such as: Self-editing for Fiction Writers, and the Emotional Craft of Fiction, while throwing in some other good stuff. In screenwriting, I’d be looking at Dialogue with McKee, and Save the Cat, as well as other fun stuff. As I hone those chapters, I’d expand them toward a complete novel, all the while improving until at the end, I had a complete novel that after 6 months in the sock drawer makes me say, “that’s good.”

McKee! Met him in person some time ago, lost the picture I had with him and almost had lunch with him but I couldn't make it (This is the part where I cry while typing, hahaha) I went to his Story seminar some years ago as I was 18 precisely, or 19 (Now I'm 27, doesn't time fly?!!) but have always been afraid to start, This pretty much seems how it is gonna be for my ¨Divided¨ story.

Will read his book again, time to clean the dust off this part of me.

I usually start with a character concept, since those are the ideas of mine I find the most compelling, but you can totally start with with world building if that's what's most interesting to you.

The one thing to keep in mind no matter where you start, though, is conflict. It exists pretty much everywhere in storytelling, and it's the glue that holds everything together. Unless your worldbuilding/characters/whatever have conflict, there won't really be any story about them to tell. So look for the conflict in everything.

And. yes, I think that for me I still need to figure out the individual character's conflict, specially the villain, as I don't have it clear just yet, I know what the underlying world's conflict is, but still that won't make it to know what the story's and main character's conflict is, huh?

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Wow! So much that popped to my brain as I read you all guys! I'm new but trust me I'll be around more.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

McKee has a new book out, “Dialogue” if my addled brain isn’t malfunctioning. I didn’t read it, but previewed it. It was amusing because he said that Name of the Rose was in 1st POV, that of William of Baskerville... Ooops. Heh heh. Makes me wonder if that got corrected in the digital version.

 

[Darkfantasy]

Like you I write Fantasy but it actually started with short-stories and thriller novels. Fantasy is a limitless genre in so many ways and it always bored me when people would just copy Tolkien all the time. A medieval world with the typical beings; no one ever seemed to try anything new. No one ever tried to think outside the box. I'd read through plots of other writers and it would be the same stuff over and over.

This is just my opinion and remember there is no right or wrong when it comes to drafting a novel. But I always start with the characters goal because that's what everything starts with. I give him/her an external and an internal goal. Ask questions about the character and start drafting a character arc. Then from that character arc I build a plot. Then world building last because that is less interesting too me than characters and plot. If I get stuck on my character arc and can't work forwards, then I'll start drafting my world. That way I feel like I'm making progress and ideas can come from that.

I don't really remember when I started writing, but I was always a story teller. Growing up my Mum was ill so I was kept home from school to be with her just in case. I used to put on plays for her with my dolls and teddies, epic saga's that would go on forever. I had a snow white dress and I would perform snow white for her from start to finish. My family were convinced I'd be an actress, so I became convinced as well. Then when I started going to school and learned to write better, the performances then were on paper instead of for an audience.

It's important to sort of your own method and that will come over time. It doesn't need to be perfect.

 

[Night Gardener]

Outlines and 'blank stage' drafts are life savers.

Get the story out of your head. It doesn't have to be perfect, just get the idea exorcised out of your head. Once put it into something physically tangible, you can go back and rework it, add your details-- uniqueness-- themes, etc. Otherwise, it's like trying to seive smoke through a collinder ...to bag it up for later use. You'll be chasing it around forever and drive yourself insane.

You've identified as a self-confessed perfectionist-so write the outline of your work! Get the skeleton of the story ready to flesh out. Close your plot holes, get your character dynamics and events in order and then... it's all suddenly not smoke from an electrical misfire in your synapses anymore... it's ready to be a story.

 

[J.W. Golan]

How to start writing? I think from the foregoing responses, it should be clear that there are many ways to begin, to proceed, to develop your craft. Does the plot come first, or the characters? World building first, or plot development? Whatever answer any of us might provide will come from a highly individual and personal perspective - so don't feel bad or overwhelmed that one individual's approach doesn't fit your needs. The most important element if you want to become a writer is persistence.

I'll relate some of my own writing experience. My first attempt at a novel was when I was still in high school, and owed more to D&D roleplay games than anything else. It was awful and was appropriately disposed of soon after being written. The most important thing that I took away from that failed experience was recognition of just how much work it would take to produce a novel - even a bad one - and the realization that if I really wanted to, I could do this.

From there, I spent a series of years honing different elements of my craft, mostly exercised in snippets of story: practice chapters playing with different elements; short plays where I discovered the magic of dialogue (its amazing how quickly a character can be brought to life by a simple dialogue scene); and assorted character and plot ideas that I would write down from time-to-time - without necessarily knowing how I might later use them or how they would all fit together.

But the final push to write a book-length project? In my experience, that has to come from somewhere deep inside. It has to be a story that you feel deeply about, that you know needs to be told. In my experience, there was a sense that the story was already there. I was merely the conduit for its retelling. I would often have key elements or scenes of the story that seemed so vivid that I just had to write them down. It didn't matter if they were late in the story or part-way through - I had to write them down immediately while the vision was still fresh in my mind's eye. The elements connecting them might be refined in later drafts or after being reviewed by a beta-reader. But it's important to get those scenes or chapters that you feel strongly about on paper (or on your computer screen). It will give you a feeling of accomplishment and encourage you to continue.

My first book (non-fiction, 400+ pages in hardcover) took ten years to write, constantly undergoing refinement as life happened and I had other priorities (like earning a living) to attend to. But I never gave up on it, and was thrilled by how it eventually turned out and was received. My first fantasy novel (soon to be released)? That took nominally six months to produce - but was built out of characters and storylines that I had been playing with and developing for more than a decade.

Finally, a word about beginning a novel or story: beginnings are always hard. I will typically write down something as a temporary bridge or lead-in to the story or book - and after the rest of the project begins to gel, I'll come back to it. Usually I'll just delete the first thousand words or so. They were undoubtedly awkward and unnecessary. Find the place where the voice of the story begins to speak on its own - and then axe everything before it.

Best of luck to you.