Getting stories going?

[bulldogjwhit295]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

 

[ElectricBlue]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

The key is to keep typing. I'm not sure there's much other advice one can give. How much do you really want to tell the story?

 

[TheWritingGroup]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

Everybody comes up with their own techniques and tricks. I write the cool parts of the story first, then ... half the time, I'm done. The other half, I can usually write the stuff that connects the cool parts pretty quickly.

-Annie

 

[Voyeurkenneth]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

My personal approach is to type stuff out but NOT to feel embarrassed when it sounds stupid or disconnected or unrefined. I try and write enough to get a basic structure out, moving across and between plot points, from the scene to scene, whatever comes to mind. And then on another day, I'll continue writing, refining. Over time, it'll take shape and I'll feel good about it. Like a huge ugly slab of rock, I try and chisel away until it takes form. =)

 

[pink_silk_glove]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

Writing is work. You have to want to write. That means that you can't just want to be published, you have to want to actually write.

When you sit down to type, type. This means that if you are having trouble forming sentences, if the ideas are too unwieldy to tame, then just type something out of your head. just start getting anything that you can down. Do not expect to get it all down in one sitting (if it's a short idea). 5000 words is a common short story length and 1000 words per day is a common goal for many writers. Personally I will be happy with 500 words if I can get them.

I can recommend point form notes. If I'm having trouble forming good sentences, then I just jot down notes from my head. They are easy to rearrange with cut/paste too. That way, at least I am uncluttering my brain by getting the ideas down and sorted. If I have too many ideas and I can type them fast enough, I jot them down as quickly as I can in point form. I can always flesh them out into proper prose later. Reading back the notes will bring back the images and emotions of my ideas.

 

[AchtungNight]

I look for the inspiration to write stories unlike those of other writers with unique twists and possibly things I have not written before. Creative exercises such as these are worthy of my efforts, or so I’ve found in the past. Good feedback from fans is also helpful.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

It's simple these days...

Don't type it - speak it.

Choose the speech-to-text device of your choice, such as one likely already on your cell phone, activate the feature, and then close your eyes and tell your tale. The dictated words can then be transferred to another app to edit and format.

 

[FidelityBoss]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

Oh, I feel this so hard! The struggle of having a million ideas but struggling to get them on paper is real. What helps me is just starting, even if it’s messy or not perfect. Sometimes I write random scenes or dialogue snippets instead of starting at the beginning. Also, setting small goals (like 200 words a day) keeps me from getting overwhelmed. And if I lose interest, I switch to another idea for a bit, no shame in hopping around! Just remember, you can’t edit a blank page.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I tend to write the hot bit. Then how they got there. Which can be as little as one sentence.

If I'm not interested, sure no-one else will be. Of course sometimes no-one else is interested anyway. A chapter about aftercare from a heavy BDSM session got a spectacular lack of readers!

 

[pink_silk_glove]

It's simple these days...

Don't type it - speak it.

Choose the speech-to-text device of your choice, such as one likely already on your cell phone, activate the feature, and then close your eyes and tell your tale. The dictated words can then be transferred to another app to edit and format.

I've tried that. It was terrible. It came up with the weirdest shit constantly. So unreadable that I couldn't even remember what I had just said. If you have one that works, absolutely. I'd love that.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Oh, I feel this so hard! The struggle of having a million ideas but struggling to get them on paper is real. What helps me is just starting, even if it’s messy or not perfect. Sometimes I write random scenes or dialogue snippets instead of starting at the beginning. Also, setting small goals (like 200 words a day) keeps me from getting overwhelmed. And if I lose interest, I switch to another idea for a bit, no shame in hopping around! Just remember, you can’t edit a blank page.

I am much the same. I just get down anything that I can, no matter how imperfect. So long as the idea is there, I can always clean it up later. Also, like you say, I rarely start at the beginning and I hop all around to whichever part is at the forefront of my thought. It's all about keeping up with the brain, keeping up with the imagination.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I've tried that. It was terrible. It came up with the weirdest shit constantly. So unreadable that I couldn't even remember what I had just said. If you have one that works, absolutely. I'd love that.

On my cell phone I use an app called voice notebook. I recorded this response using it.

I then shared it to my Google Drive to cut and paste it here.

 

[Cagivagurl]

The problem is....
If you're not having fun. It'll never work.
Writing for fun is self explanatory... It's for fun.
If you're not enjoying the writing process. It'll never work for you.

It should never feel like work, it should feel uplifting. Trying to get your thoughts into legible text.

Somebody else said, "just write." That is your answer.

Cagivagurl

 

[SimonDoom]

We're all different. I can be very lazy and undisciplined. Sometimes I think about writing, but I don't do it. I don't get paid for it, so I don't feel any obligation. But in my experience, the "just do it" strategy is best. Do it whether you are inspired or not. I find that if I open up my story and tell myself "just write, however you feel" it works about as well as anything. I don't always enjoy the process of writing itself, but I'm almost always very pleased when I have written something. It's incredibly satisfying. I never, ever regret the time I spent writing, after the fact.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

As others(@pink_silk_glove) have said, just write. Don't worry about quality at first. Get the story down. You can make it 'perfect' with editing.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I don't always enjoy the process of writing itself, but I'm almost always very pleased when I have written something. It's incredibly satisfying. I never, ever regret the time I spent writing, after the fact.

Absolutely true. Sometimes the writing is super fun and exciting and sometimes it's a chore, but I have come to learn that once I finish even just a scene or half a scene to my liking the satisfaction is so totally worth it. Also, despite the fact that I have more haters than fans and I'm basically ignored by the readership here at large, hitting submit when I'm finally ready to show it is so intensely awesome that it is easy to get through the rough parts just knowing that there will be a huge payoff. It's the payoff that always comes through in the end. Always.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

I struggled with this, and this was my approach:

Get some papers. Whenever you sit down to write, and you feel like you don't like how it's going, stop right there. Grab a pen, go over to the papers, and start writing what is it that you don't like, or why you don't like how it's going. Instead of silencing your inner critic, give it a voice, and write all those thoughts down. Once you empty those thoughts out of your head, come back to your manuscript. At the end of your session, you then go into your papers, read what your inner critic said, and start arguing each point. Write the counterpoints if you must. More often than not, our inner critic is just our limiting beliefs manifesting themselves. Once you bring them out of the ethereal realm and they inhabit a place that's tangible, like a piece of paper, they stop being so intimidating. The key is not to silence them, but to actively listen to them, let them speak, and once they're done speaking, you refute them.

Then you do that over, and over, and over...

Also, whenever you start making progress, give yourself a pat on the back. Positive reinforcement is always good to get motivated.

 

[Naughtylit81]

If you are struggling with starting the story then don't start at the beginning. Pick a scene you want in the middle of the story and jump into the action (sex or otherwise) and write that out.

Then work back to the beginning. How did the characters get there? Now write that out.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[ronde]

The problem is....
If you're not having fun. It'll never work.
Writing for fun is self explanatory... It's for fun.
If you're not enjoying the writing process. It'll never work for you.

It should never feel like work, it should feel uplifting. Trying to get your thoughts into legible text.

Somebody else said, "just write." That is your answer.

Cagivagurl

I would add that some story ideas can quickly become addictive. If you are really into the characters and what they're doing, you'll "need" to write more than you need to do much else.

 

[APilgrimSquare]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

ignore the story when you get writers' block. write about the world. write about something else your POV character is thinking about. that usually jogs the imagination for me.

 

[Northstar4695]

Everybody comes up with their own techniques and tricks. I write the cool parts of the story first, then ... half the time, I'm done. The other half, I can usually write the stuff that connects the cool parts pretty quickly.

-Annie

I'll second this approach. I jump in and write the exciting or inspiring part to me (not always the spicy parts). Then I flesh out the supporting parts once I have some momentum. Sometimes I can stall out once the fun part is done. I have a folder full part finished stories. Sometimes I go back and get them finished. I'm working on one I started a bit ago with some success at the moment.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I can speak to the not liking the work, issue.
You can't expect a first draft to read like a finished work. Accept a first draft for what it is. It's a skeleton that the story is built on. It's a easy to lose heart when you read it, but it just needs to be fleshed out further.

 

[gunhilltrain]

The key is to keep typing. I'm not sure there's much other advice one can give. How much do you really want to tell the story?

This reminds me of a Charles Bukowski quote:

“A writer is not a writer because he has written some books. A writer is not a writer because he teaches literature. A writer is only a writer if he can write now, tonight, this minute.”

 

[Melon_Morph]

I kind of have the opposite issue. I usually have no problem starting a story, often right from the beginning where I have some premise in mind that I want to run with. The issue I always have is interlinking parts of the story and especially concluding stories.

My advice would be to take one of two paths to get started.
If you have a premise in mind, either start by outlining it, or try to see if you can just jump right in with an opening to that idea (you can always revise it later).
If you mainly have a scene in mind, start by writing that scene, and then work on the story around it.

 

[VallesMarineris]

How do y'all get stories going, where do y'all get the motivation? I have so many ideas in my head that I want to get out there. But when I try to type a story out, I just can't seem to do it. I either don't like how it is going or loose interest. How do y'all that deal with the same thing combat this?

I'm a big fan of what they call around here "plot bunnies", that is, bits of plot or scenes that you're suddenly inspired to write but then don't go anywhere. I never throw them away. I collect them. At some point I'll wander through them again and find that I can add a paragraph or two, or maybe start a whole new story. As a recent example. I wrote a plot bunny several months ago and decided to postpone it to the current 750-word story challenge. I did that, then started going through to see if there were any more possibilities.

Cut to the chase: four plot bunnies are already published, I've submitted a fifth, and will soon submit a sixth.

You may not like the way a scene is going, or may be getting bored with it, but stay aware that you are not frozen in time. A week or month or year from now you will look on that text with new eyes. Okay maybe you'll puke all over that scene and want to delete it. But maybe you'l see what it missing and be able to make it work.