How to get from Not Writing to Writing

My biggest problem tends to be having fairly decent (IMO) first chapters, but daunting and somewhat difficult-to-get through prologues (as a writer, not necessarily as a reader), due to the way I view plotting. Thus, it's really fucking annoying to start, but I can't change it because then the plot doesn't make sense.

For Na No Wri Mo I'm hoping that, with a much more plot relevant prologue that's smoother than usual, I'll be good. Who knows?

AHR: Well, are you writing regularly, or writing sporadically? And can you trust yourself to start and finish another novel, any novel?

I've finished a short story or two before, but that was because I was on a forced deadline for them. Due to the fact that I still have not made regular writing a habit, I still can't trust myself to actually start and finish a short story on my own personal demand.

edited 30th Oct '11 8:47:59 AM by annebeeche

Depends on my self esteem.

I write better and more when I get constant feedback, but I can't get that, so I tend to write at a very slow pace, and then get sudden quick bursts.

It still took me longer than a year to write 50k.

edited 30th Oct '11 8:49:58 AM by MrAHR

If you have low self-esteem as you say and need attention in order to keep on writing, then you have another issue besides not writing regularly that you also want to deal with. It is stressful to tackle a number of things at once, so you'll want to focus on one thing at a time, preferably the more essential issue such as your self-esteem problem.

Then again, I don't really know you that well. Maybe the way to deal with your self-esteem problem is to not think about it (you sure mention it a lot, to be frank), or to accomplish something unrelated.

It sounds like you write sporadically, which, although it is better than not writing at all, is not exactly good either. It can be stressful to you, and it sounds like you are dependent on other people to be able to write, as a rule which is not good because when strangers on the internet stop being there to support you, you stop supporting yourself.

Try doing the 100 words baby steps thing. Tell yourself, "Today, I want to write 100 words of story." and when you finish doing that, say "Yay, I finished 100 words entirely on my own today. I am a champion!" and give yourself a cookie and pat yourself on the back. Then do it the next day, and build up until you are writing regularly regardless of what people say or don't say about your writing. I know I said earlier that trying to tackle two problems at the same can be stressful, but maybe not. Maybe you can kill two birds with one stone by accomplishing the task of developing a regular writing habit and feeling good about it.

Just my two cents.

edited 30th Oct '11 9:07:11 AM by annebeeche

I get no emotional joy from finishing something. Only in the exchanging of information with others, or the showing of it. I do not know if I'm alone in this, but it's why I am horrible with school work.

I am not emotionally self sufficient, unfortunately.

You are probably not alone, but I'm afraid I'm not the same as you. While I do like sharing and getting feedback on my work, I know I will also get smuggishly proud of finishing something and will sit and admire it for hours. :3 People are different, I guess.

I really don't know how to help you with your problem besides sharing my two cents. Whether or not you overcome your emotional dependence is up to you.

edited 30th Oct '11 9:19:21 AM by annebeeche

yay this looks useful, but I must say I almost wrote but I feel too tired ive been up since midnight and messed up my sleep recently

I'll be a huge hypocrite for saying this since I stay up habitually as well, but at this point I don't care:

Don't do that. It stresses you out, it puts your bodily functions on survival mode, and it won't help you.

edited 30th Oct '11 12:12:33 PM by annebeeche

I tend to think of things that I would like to include or remember things I thought of when first envisioning the story but forgot when I actually got to writing. So I'll go back and add them in where appropriate (especially if it's supposed to be a foreshadowing of something that happens later) - it might mean tweaking a sentence or two of the existing writing to make a point where the additional writing can fit.

I try to avoid editing, though, as I could easily get into the pattern of changing what I've already written to "make it better" and add absolutely nothing to the story.

That's one of the main reasons I go back to insert or even sometimes totally revise an earlier chapter or the opening chapter.

The most recent being a complete rewrite of the opening as Cerebus Syndrome took my story from OTT humour to a more serious work after I got a far better idea of my characters and the world they live in.

Now, every now and then I go back and put in references to things that are part of the characters' back-stories as they occur to me - if I feel that they fit better earlier rather than appearing to be an Ass Pull later.

edited 30th Oct '11 12:48:43 PM by Wolf1066

Well, yeah. A lot of people won't. Renowned authors were all pretty much known for this, and if you ask most published authors, they weren't done with the book when it was finally published and they can still think of improvements they'd like to have made.

The thing is, they don't let this critical tendency get in the way of actually writing the story.

Man, my fear is just about any plot or character I come up with is borrowed from everyone else. I don't want to plagarize but at the same time, there is any new plot or archetype that hasn't used already.

You've confused believing it's perfect with believing it is satisfactory.

If you literally cannot reach the point of believing something is ready for viewing, regardless of any faults in it, you're kind of fucked regardless of anything this thread does or does not suggest.

Good to know I'm permanently fucked.

, Kind of extreme.

I'm sure that point can be reached eventually. All of this stuff takes time.

Your thread on your work denies your pessimism.

Just because I'm willing to have people look at it doesn't mean that I don't think it sucks. I know it sucks. I just need to write, otherwise I'm unhappy. And I don't write much unless I have a goal/feedback.

I know it's all garbage, I've just learned that I have to suck it up, otherwise I'll never be truly happy.

Many published authors still don't think their work is satisfactory, but they want a paycheck, or they have learned not to trust their own judgment about such things.

A poor excuse, attempting to semantically confuse yourself. The bottom line is that you were satisfied the work was fit for public viewing and have allowed it to be publicly viewed.

Whether you think it sucks or not is immaterial. You were willing to inflict it upon the rest of us, sucks or not, which indicates you're satisfied it's not going to make us all mock and hate you. (Or you think you can live with us mocking and hating you, which is pretty much the same thing.) Or perhaps more on-point, you've reached a state where you're satisfied you've done all you can with it alone.

...you realize I had an emotional breakdown at one point, thumped all of my posts in my thread, and proceeded to sob quietly for the rest of the night over how much my work sucked?

Yeah. They're aint nothing semantics about it. You don't know what you're talking about. I know me better than you do.

The only reason I post is because I gain happiness from feedback (it's how I work in general, I greatly thrive off of feedback, to the point my entire mood depends on my supposed "popularity"). I still think my works suck, I just am only happy when I entertain other people, and am willing to take that risk, even though I know nobody is going to read it anyway.

edited 1st Nov '11 5:27:16 PM by MrAHR

Oh, there's everything semantics about it. Just because you lost doesn't mean never had it. This is a feeling. You can lose those.

And you certainly have it now.

Have what now?

AHR, you have no idea how many times I want to smack you in the face and tell you to cut it out when this subject comes up. She's not satisfied, Night. She needs approval. That's why she puts it out. Because she's retarded and doesn't understand that she's not terrible.

That's right.

I'll slap my girlfriend.

I don't need your permission.

And why do you think that?

Last I checked, getting rusty and not practicing at something did not improve your self esteem in the slightest.

edited 1st Nov '11 5:43:43 PM by MrAHR