Writerly Advice :)

[jdsncb23]

I am a *reasonably* new writer and I was wondering if you had any advice for new writers like me.

Some questions :) :

1. When did you first start writing?
2. (About)How many books do you read annually? (Just wondering)
3. How did you learn techniques?
4. How do you motivate yourself to finish what you have started?

[Lykaios]

1. I've pretty much been writing since I learned how, but not seriously until I got my first 'proper' novel idea when I was 12/13. I handwrote that novel in about 6 months, then typed it up (80,000 words!) but it was awful, and sadly, since I have had internet connection, I haven't written in the smae volume since outside of Nano. :(

2. This year I've read . . . three and a half. :mellow:

When I was 12, I read 84 books in on school year (Year 8 - I actually had to write down what books I read for school because our teacher's house burned down and he went a by psyco, and we pretty much did nothing but read the whole year). When I was 13 I read 69 in the next school year.

I currently buy more books than I read, unfortunately. :(

3. By reading. *looks up* bit hypocritcal considering my last answer, I know, but I've spent most of my life reading books, and it hlped, even if I don't read as much as I'd like now. Critiquing also helps, as it identifies the techniques others use, and also just being on forums like TW and here helped me a great deal. I sucked, seriously badly when I first joined these places. I've been here nearly three years, and I have improved a lot *shudders at the thought of soem old writings*. You will improve, too, it's a given. You just have to keep writing and reading.

4. I er . . . don't. Other than that first handwritten novel and a couple shorter things, I've never finished anything. But just to use an old clich so this reply isn't totally thin and horrible-lloking, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. w00t. ^^

Just keep writing is all I can say. It works for most people, especially people like Majyk [insert green-eyed-monster-look], and motivation is all in yourself. I am highly unmoivated to do anything, but I supose you just have to have a goal and you have to make yourself stick to it. Nano's a brilliant tool for this, but the rest of the year, it's convinving yourself that writer's block doesn't exist, it's all in the head and just a nice name for procrastination and pure laziness put together.

Anyhoo, that's not very helpful, sorry. I'm probably not the best person to ask about motivation, haha. >.>

EDIT: Typofails

[Majyk]

Just keep writing is all I can say. It works for most people, especially people like Majyk [insert green-eyed-monster-look], and motivation is all in yourself.

:unsure:



1. When did you first start writing?

Well, I made my mom write my first story while I drew the pictures and told her what to say. After that I wrote the occasional something here or there. My first "novel" was when I was twelve, but I wasn't serious on finishing anything until I was fifteen/sixteen I think.

2. (About)How many books do you read annually? (Just wondering)

Depends if I can find good books. I'm pretty picky, so if it I don't really like it, chances are I won't finish it. Also, sometimes I get too wrapped up in writing and editing my own stuff so I don't read as often as I'd like to. I think I've read about ten novels since last summer.

3. How did you learn techniques?

From YWO? Actually, I think I just read and take note of the way things are written. YWO does help tons, but I did know how to write before joining. :p Lyk is right about the critiquing. I learned a lot from that, too, since it made me look at parts of peoples' writing that I might not have if I were reading normally. Then that gave me different things to think about while I was writing my own stuff.

4. How do you motivate yourself to finish what you have started?

I tell myself how cool it'll be when my novel is done. xD

No, seriously. For my first novel, I was annoyed that I never seemed to be able to finish anything, so I sat down and wouldn't let myself jump to a new story until I'd completed one. Now I basically do the same thing, and just keep reminding myself of the end result. (Don't get me wrong, though, I still start tons of things that don't go anywhere.)

With my most recent novel (the last book in a trilogy I stupidly allowed myself to get sucked into writing), motivation hasn't been as strong as usual. Up until earlier today when I finally figured out the next part of the plot (*is excited now*), I really wanted to ditch this thing for another idea that's been in my head for a few months now, but completing something feels way better than beginning a novel--especially after having put aside a different piece.

Now motivating myself to edit the thousands of words that I've written, that's different. I still haven't figured that out completely yet. :p


Hope this helps you.

[Alice Glitterhorn]

I am a *reasonably* new writer and I was wondering if you had any advice for new writers like me.

Some questions :) :

1. When did you first start writing?
2. (About)How many books do you read annually? (Just wondering)
3. How did you learn techniques?
4. How do you motivate yourself to finish what you have started?

1. Um, I honestly have no idea. I've got tons of journals filled up from when I was young (younger than 11, I think, based on my handwriting), but I never dated anything, so I don't know. I'm going to say 9 or 10, possibly 8, just to be safe. But when I started writing and when I seriously started writing are two different things. When I was 11 I had to write a novella for school, and afterwards I thought it had been so much fun that I wrote two sequels. That was what really hooked me and made me consider writing as a possible future.

2. Oh, gosh. I used to read so much *reminisces*. Lately I have been slowing down in my reading simply because it's so rare for me to find a book I thought was worthwhile. I buy so many books, but a few chapters in I realize that it's awful and I stick it in my bookshelf. This year I've read between ten and fifteen, which is such a sad, depressing number...

3. I read. Reading (and being critiqued) is definitely what helped me find my voice. I'm so picky with what I read that it's no surprise I've narrowed down my likes to styles similar to my own, or would it be the other way around? Anyway, school also helps with grammar and stuff. But seriously, the more you read, the more you look at your own style. There's also, I suppose, techniques as in how you go about writing anything, and for that I would say experimentation. I've done brainstorming webs and pages of plot summary, character summary, but most recently I've found that minimal preparation works best for me. It helps me surprise myself. And then I always have a journal to write down ideas that pop into my head - bits of conversation, scenes, etc.

4. Haha. I don't. The only things I've finished are those novellas I wrote for school, and some short stories. I try to make myself finish, but I always want to jump to another idea. I'm hoping that posting it all here on YWO will make me want to finish my novel.

[jdsncb23]

One other question:

Do you plan before or during a novel/story? What I mean is, do you know how it is going to finish, or do you find out in the middle?

[Lykaios]

I can't plan. I don't write anything chronologically, and if I try, I always end up jumping somewhere else as soon as I get a brainwave about another scene, and then I go back, or continue from another bit. So planning, in that sense would be rather a waste of time for me as my ideas change too much, and planning also takes the fun of the unknown out of writing, for me. However, I do actuallty know what's going to happen sometimes at cetain parts. I know the direction, but not always the intricacies of what will happen as I write, if that makes sense. I usually plan what I've already written though, and where it's supposed to go when fitted chronologically.

[Majyk]

Me... plan? Ha.

I can't plan. I try planning, then I waste my time because the novel doesn't work out, so I don't do that anymore. Not planning puts a halt to my writing occasionally, though, when I haven't thought of the next part. But I love minimal planning because then I'm not only writing my story, I'm kind of reading it as well because I have no idea where it's going either.

As for knowing the ending... right now I do know how my story is going to end (vaguely--I know where I'm headed, but I don't have a set ending), though usually I don't. Recently I wrote a prequel, and that was really different because it was as if I'd done a lot of planning not of the actual story, but of the character's. Also, in that story I knew where I had to end up, so it was harder to make the novel go in the right direction. That's not as enjoyable as letting the characters do basically whatever they want.

I actually wrote a blog post about planning if you want to see it: http://sbsmag.wordpress.com/

[jdsncb23]

I've already read it. It helped. :P

[Majyk]

You already read it! Huh. I didn't think anyone really read the blog, haha. :P

[jdsncb23]

I check it from time to time.

[Shaun]

1. When did you first start writing?

I've been writing since I was fairly young (7 or 8 or something, maybe younger), but I didn't start writing seriously until around 20 (by seriously I mean trying to get published).

2. (About)How many books do you read annually? (Just wondering)

For school: 50 or 60, plus another 20 books worth of essays, I would wager.
For fun: 10 (maybe)
For review: 20-30 (maybe)

3. How did you learn techniques?

I took some creative writing classes in college, but most of the stuff I've learned has come from experimenting, reading, and practicing. Any time I see someone doing something interesting, I try it, and then I manipulate it so it fits into my writing style. A lot of the time it works; some of the time it doesn't.

4. How do you motivate yourself to finish what you have started?

That's a question I can't answer. I always have issues finishing things. I get bored really easily, which is why I write short stories more than I do novels.

Anywho, there are your answers.