[Fom]

I am currently brainstorming a book idea, and I am finding it really hard. Just to get all the ideas to flow and make sense with out it sounding stupid.

Anyone wrote a story before? Got any tips you would like to share? I am currently on my second chapter (Just brainstorming, not writing) and I am already having troubles.

[HELLIWONTGO]

Well I'm no novelist, in fact I have trouble writing a shopping list out, but maybe try writing basic ideas down such as ending, if you have a specific ending in mind, or types of charactors that you want in your story
Just keep it basic and from time to time add more substance to it/ them, build it up slowly and the ideas may come to you
Don't keep concentrating all the time on it and ideas tend to arrive when you aren't expecting them
I don't know if this is any use at all, but it's all I can think of at the moment!

[Z]

I did a Creative Writing folio for English this year; we were told to carry paper & pen on us as much as we could; and to just write things down as they came to you; sometimes just listening to two old ladies speaking on the bus can give you an idea for part of a story or some of your dialogue, it sounds really dumb but when you actually start listening out for things and paying attention, you pick up a lot of ideas. Watch the news, take any noteworthy stories and change some of the details, locations etc to give yourself a different scenario. Sometimes just think of an object, person, place, and start playing Word Association until you get to something you can write about.

Hope some of that is helpful...! If you don't mind me asking, what are you writing about/hoping to write about?

[Fom]

Originally posted by Zee
I did a Creative Writing folio for English this year; we were told to carry paper & pen on us as much as we could; and to just write things down as they came to you; sometimes just listening to two old ladies speaking on the bus can give you an idea for part of a story or some of your dialogue, it sounds really dumb but when you actually start listening out for things and paying attention, you pick up a lot of ideas. Watch the news, take any noteworthy stories and change some of the details, locations etc to give yourself a different scenario. Sometimes just think of an object, person, place, and start playing Word Association until you get to something you can write about.

Hope some of that is helpful...! If you don't mind me asking, what are you writing about/hoping to write about?

It is a kind of fantasy story, it links with the idea of terrorism and limbo and the conscience. Testing the readers morals, I want to leave the reader confused for most of it, obviously give a good story to follow but a lot of wrong turns and unanswered things.

I have probably made it more difficult for myself, but I want a lot of depth to the story, not just a 2D story.
Don't want to give too much away, one because I will post it on here when done, and two... It changes every time I write things.

[Lewis.]

Write down Ever single little Idea that you have. DO Spider Charts, Lists, Notes. Anything that you can read easily and get new ideas from. Always think about what you would find entertaining to read. Think of the story in your head. The emotions. Put yourself in the characters shoes

[Fom]

Thanks guys these are all great ideas, currently writing my opening chapter, which is a very descriptive part which is usually easy for me but I am finding it hard. I think a break is in order and I will just go back to it when I feel inspired.

[MrGaryy]

Make character profiles. Just a page with every single little thing you know about each of your characters. I've written a few short stories and am currently working on a novel, it;s very helpful.

Also other little planning techniques like mapping out your story in terms of where things take place and in what order.

[Z]

Originally posted by MrGaryy
Make character profiles. Just a page with every single little thing you know about each of your characters. I've written a few short stories and am currently working on a novel, it;s very helpful.

Also other little planning techniques like mapping out your story in terms of where things take place and in what order.

Yes; give your characters detailed histories. You don't necessarily have to use every single detail you make up for your character, but you have to really create the character and almost be able to imagine they are a real person that you know very well, that's often a good tactic for writing a good story; it means you can write with more passion from that character's perspective. Obviously only do this for your main characters; if you have lots and lots of characters, try to have at least one or two facts for the smaller roles, just so you're not attaching names to ideas and inserting them into the story.

I like the sound of this story you're writing Fom, good luck!

[Lewis.]

Yeah, Good luck =]

[Fom]

Cheers guys, its amazing how close acting and writing stories gets. Character profiles and people watching are used loads whilst acting so I will try my best to incorporate it loads into my writing. I will make sure I do chapter updates in here for you all, (It will take me like 7 days to write just one chapter haha). Then I can get some feedback and make it better!

Had this idea since September, and I am determined to finish it before my drunken life at uni begins in September haha.

[Sticks]

Be aware sometimes a story may go in a different direction as you write it and take on a life of it's own. This has happened to me before I ever did the Mystical Realms sagas, and it seems to be happening now.

[pinkmichk]

good luck fom i do agree with sticks if the story wants to take a different route allow it rather than forcing it in another direction

[Dr.Gonzo]

Don't try to box it in. Let it flow how it wants. My best work has always differed from what I imagined it to be.

[Prole]

This is a little late, but I hope it’s useful.

Every single writer approaches things differently. Some people will tell you to write everything down and draw charts, some people say write full-page descriptions of each character... all that drives me mental, although it might turn out to work for you. I do keep a book that I use to nick people's great one-liners and to note down anything significant I think will help my story. When it comes to remembering stuff, the bluntest pencil is better than the sharpest mind. The truth is you will have to find a way of working that suits you. You are the only one who can decide which is the best way for you.

Don’t underestimate the value of good English. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are the tools in your toolbox. Get to know them. You could have the best, most original idea for a story in the history of the world but if your English is poor it won’t get past the first hurdle when you send your manuscript to a publisher. Brushing up on the rules of English is not as hard as you think. There are plenty of really basic, simple English books out there that explain stuff without being too boring and if you’re doing it to enhance your chosen art instead of because a teacher has told you to, you are more likely to get into it. Besides, if you can remember the starting line-up of your football team at their last game, you can remember how to use an apostrophe. There is no excuse. If you’re going to be a writer, you MUST have good English otherwise your manuscript won’t even get read.

I find that what works for me initially is to sit down with a set of index cards and working out what's going to happen in each chapter. Next set yourself a word-count and this will give you a rough idea how long each chapter needs to be. About 140,000 words is average, but it can be less than that.

Be prepared for this, though: as you write your story, even the most well-planned book will change as it's written. The story could well takes on a life of its own and fresh ideas will present themselves. You will find yourself getting to know your characters and, as you work them through your planned story, you’ll start to think "Nah, he'd NEVER do that, he's not the type!".

I suggest you don't share your novel with just anyone while you’re writing it. Some people will give you suggestions for changes just to let you know they've read it when they really aren’t qualified to comment. Or they’ll tell you how wonderful they thought it was when really they thought that the second chapter sucked the big one. Unless they're a published writer, an editor or an agent, keep it to yourself until you're completely happy with it, or only show it to someone you trust to be 100% honest with you.

When you come to the point where you start flogging your book around the publishers, layout is very important. Double line spaced with a large left-hand margin is essential. Never use wacky fonts or colours, stick to blue or black and a well-used font like Times Roman, Ariel, Verdana, something like that. 12pt is a decent size to stick to. Editors read hundreds of thousands of words every week, so if you can make yours easy to read, they will give it more attention. Don’t bind your pages, leave them loose, and make sure the pages are numbered. It’s not a bad idea to put a feint footer on each page with your name, phone number and the title of the book.

You can either wait till your whole book is finished or you can start hunting round for a publisher once you've got about 3 chapters written and see if you get any interest. If you do, it'll be the greatest incentive you can imagine to get you to buckle down and finish it. Get yourself a copy of the Writers and Artists Yearbook and research publishers who publish the kind of stuff you've written. If you're unsure whether they'll take unsolicited material, call them and ask them. Literary Agents are notoriously difficult to pin down. It's much easier to get one once a publisher has shown an interest in your work. Do try to get an agent if you can, they can negotiate you a MUCH better deal. Although they will take between 10-20% for themselves, it's still worth it because they know a lot more about selling your book than you do, and it frees you up to concentrate on the actual writing. Writers aren’t usually really good at selling themselves.

I find it really important to write something every day, even if it's just a couple of lines. Eventually you will go back to something you've written, read it through and think "Wow, that's good... I don't remember writing that".

Finally, it’s a cut-throat world out there. Try to grow a thick skin and don’t be put off if you are rejected a few times. If a publisher offers you advice, even though they've rejected your book, take it. They know what they're talking about and any advice they give you should be taken as the precious gift it is. And remember this when the rejections roll in: Frederick Forsythe had ‘Day of the Jackal’ rejected by more than thirty publishers, but he didn't give up, and now it's sold millions of copies in a variety of languages over thirty-odd years. Same with JK Rowling, who had the first Harry Potter book rejected so many times she was about to give up when a literary agent signed her.

Hey, good luck :-)

[Sticks]

Practical tip

Draft your story in word first so you can get it spell checked and grammar checked, although you will have to hand code any BBcode

[patsylimerick]

Originally Posted by Prole

This is a little late, but I hope it’s useful.

Every single writer approaches things differently. Some people will tell you to write everything down and draw charts, some people say write full-page descriptions of each character... all that drives me mental, although it might turn out to work for you. I do keep a book that I use to nick people's great one-liners and to note down anything significant I think will help my story. When it comes to remembering stuff, the bluntest pencil is better than the sharpest mind. The truth is you will have to find a way of working that suits you. You are the only one who can decide which is the best way for you.

Don’t underestimate the value of good English. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are the tools in your toolbox. Get to know them. You could have the best, most original idea for a story in the history of the world but if your English is poor it won’t get past the first hurdle when you send your manuscript to a publisher. Brushing up on the rules of English is not as hard as you think. There are plenty of really basic, simple English books out there that explain stuff without being too boring and if you’re doing it to enhance your chosen art instead of because a teacher has told you to, you are more likely to get into it. Besides, if you can remember the starting line-up of your football team at their last game, you can remember how to use an apostrophe. There is no excuse. If you’re going to be a writer, you MUST have good English otherwise your manuscript won’t even get read.

I find that what works for me initially is to sit down with a set of index cards and working out what's going to happen in each chapter. Next set yourself a word-count and this will give you a rough idea how long each chapter needs to be. About 140,000 words is average, but it can be less than that.

Be prepared for this, though: as you write your story, even the most well-planned book will change as it's written. The story could well takes on a life of its own and fresh ideas will present themselves. You will find yourself getting to know your characters and, as you work them through your planned story, you’ll start to think "Nah, he'd NEVER do that, he's not the type!".

I suggest you don't share your novel with just anyone while you’re writing it. Some people will give you suggestions for changes just to let you know they've read it when they really aren’t qualified to comment. Or they’ll tell you how wonderful they thought it was when really they thought that the second chapter sucked the big one. Unless they're a published writer, an editor or an agent, keep it to yourself until you're completely happy with it, or only show it to someone you trust to be 100% honest with you.

When you come to the point where you start flogging your book around the publishers, layout is very important. Double line spaced with a large left-hand margin is essential. Never use wacky fonts or colours, stick to blue or black and a well-used font like Times Roman, Ariel, Verdana, something like that. 12pt is a decent size to stick to. Editors read hundreds of thousands of words every week, so if you can make yours easy to read, they will give it more attention. Don’t bind your pages, leave them loose, and make sure the pages are numbered. It’s not a bad idea to put a feint footer on each page with your name, phone number and the title of the book.

You can either wait till your whole book is finished or you can start hunting round for a publisher once you've got about 3 chapters written and see if you get any interest. If you do, it'll be the greatest incentive you can imagine to get you to buckle down and finish it. Get yourself a copy of the Writers and Artists Yearbook and research publishers who publish the kind of stuff you've written. If you're unsure whether they'll take unsolicited material, call them and ask them. Literary Agents are notoriously difficult to pin down. It's much easier to get one once a publisher has shown an interest in your work. Do try to get an agent if you can, they can negotiate you a MUCH better deal. Although they will take between 10-20% for themselves, it's still worth it because they know a lot more about selling your book than you do, and it frees you up to concentrate on the actual writing. Writers aren’t usually really good at selling themselves.

I find it really important to write something every day, even if it's just a couple of lines. Eventually you will go back to something you've written, read it through and think "Wow, that's good... I don't remember writing that".

Finally, it’s a cut-throat world out there. Try to grow a thick skin and don’t be put off if you are rejected a few times. If a publisher offers you advice, even though they've rejected your book, take it. They know what they're talking about and any advice they give you should be taken as the precious gift it is. And remember this when the rejections roll in: Frederick Forsythe had ‘Day of the Jackal’ rejected by more than thirty publishers, but he didn't give up, and now it's sold millions of copies in a variety of languages over thirty-odd years. Same with JK Rowling, who had the first Harry Potter book rejected so many times she was about to give up when a literary agent signed her.

Hey, good luck :-)

This is an excellent post. Thanks for taking the time - you should be seeking royalties for all those who benefit

[Ammi]

..I'm having a 'block' atm
..and even though I write things down....have the ideas...even make a start
...it just....stops
....it just doesn't come together

[Sticks]

I am finding the crafting of season 12 more difficult than others I have done, because I no longer have the ability to do it during down times at work, since having to change jobs. Also life is intervening

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Sticks

I am finding the crafting of season 12 more difficult than others I have done, because I no longer have the ability to do it during down times at work, since having to change jobs. Also life is intervening

...sometimes life inspires you...and other times it...gets in the way

[King Gizzard]

really should of took english

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Nathan

really should of took english

...you seem to be doing fine without it

[Verbal]

Originally Posted by Nathan

really should of took english

Old post I know, but please tell me that was a joke?

[Moviefan]

About tens year ago in my teens, good think I still got that floppy disk

Here the plot of the book or it's more of prologue really

NIGHTMARE OF THE REAL WORLD

The pain was getting worse, he couldn't move, he wanted to, but pain in his body was so power full, he made him fall to the ground, his breaths were coming in small caps, pain was slowly easing, final he could stand he walks to kitchen and get his medicine and shallows it down with class of water.

Mark is only in his thirty and he got cancer, his got family to look after. When he lost his job he thought that was the worse think that could have happened to but now he knows all the pain that happened then was just a little as cut on the finger, now he knows what pain really is, he couldn’t believe all those people that suffer all this pain, he didn’t understand why people live like this, it was getting to much for him, he been taking pills for two months now, his family have no idea at all, he wants to end is life, but he had second thoughts, on that night he decide what to do.


Here are the other stories ,

The Power
Based in a Prison, this place was like hell on earth as the Police force is so Evil, that they may not even be Human.

Dogs
Family move to country side, they get number of dogs, they teach the dogs, to hunt and Kill any Animals but When one of dogs are killed by another Hunter.

The dogs won't kill again until the owner starts attack him soon the dogs turns on there owner and the family.

squirrels
its the year 2020, the UK have been in one of the longest Heatwaves, , 400 people have been killed, 10000 of birds have been found dead, also effected by heat are squirrels as the heat is bring them new life, Deadly new life!

(Someone stole my idea) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7U2aVUAqPI
lol (in my story squirrels were the size of a Cat!)

Now I can't think of anything,

[Ammi]

..did you write any of these stories, Moviefan..?..

[Moviefan]

I did first chapter for NIGHTMARE OF THE REAL WORLD

But life got in the way lol