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/lit/ - Literature

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6373368 No.6373368 [Reply] [Original]

How do you get started?
I want to tell a story, but I've stared at my screen for the past hour. I try to type, but I cant form any clear words.
How do you push past this block? What is your method?
Lets talk about this lit.

>> No.6373373

>>6373368
You realize this thread is like going to a prison and asking how to get away with a crime, right?

>> No.6373374

Write.

>> No.6373383

>>6373368

Get motivated. It might take time.

Go through some turmoil and pain.

>> No.6373385

>>6373368
Read Art of Fiction by John Gardner, in the meantime write whatever you can, its a no brainer that you wont be publishing right away.

>> No.6373390

Start at *a* part

If you have something in your head, just start writing it. You can connect parts later and incorporate a "real" beginning

Doesn't need to be perfect as soon as it comes out. Shit, start right the fuck in the middle if you need to. Start mid-fucking sentence.

If you're referring to wanting to write but having no idea what to write... I don't know. Why? I only write when there's something I want to write about, so I can't help you concerning an urge to write but nothing to do with it

>> No.6373419

Anhone else here afraid of their prose? Its like I'm scared my writing style will mess up the story.

>complex and layers story
>prose is shit, renders whole work as shit.

>> No.6373773

>Think of premise
>Think up beginning/starting point
>Think up ending
>Fill in the rest
>>6373419
Worry about the foundation of writing first. The actual prose can come later, instead of weighing you down.

>> No.6373777

>>6373373

lol

good analogy

>> No.6374747

Write a diary. Record your day-to-day, even if it's uneventful. If nothing significant happens take the time to write a memory:

>first drink in a bar
>getting your driver's license
>first date
>an embarrassing moment in class

Etc.


Keep a note book and write ideas or pretty sounding sentences as they come to you. Or you can write it down on a memo on your phone.

>> No.6374851

Personally, what works for me is writing a few very basic statements about your main character. Even if you don't have a name for him yet - just use a placeholder like "the man." Hell, call him "the dude."
>The dude is about to get out of jail. The dude has no job waiting for him outside. The dude's set of marketable skills are limited, but he can...
Whatever. From those, clearer plot branches will probably come to you, and hopefully you can see something to start with.

>> No.6375501

>>6373368

Start with little self contained short stories that are set in your world.

I'm working on my own fantasy novel but before that I wrote dozens of little private short stories of unrelated characters that are also set in the world to get a feeling for writing. I wrote about a bet in a gambling room, I wrote about a duel between two swordsmen, I wrote about a singer being enchanted by a dancer, et cetera.

Treat every short story as an opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies of your overarching narrative. Get a feel for different perspectives, different dialects, and different paces.

>> No.6375683

>>6373368

If you do have a specific story then I find it odd that you're suffering from a complete block.
I mean, what inspired you to come up with the story in the first place? Go back to this moment of inspiration and replicate exactly what you were feeling and thinking. Then just put it on paper. I'm sure your "story" is more than a premise, otherwise you wouldn't feel the need to write it down. Like, you didn't just come up with "this dude sells used cars but then cheats on his wife.", you probably saw the dude doing something- either selling his cars or fucking that girl, or driving home.

So start at that point in the story that you glimpsed first- that event you saw most clearly, that character, that space and that setting which immediately came to mind when it first flashed in your mind. It doesn't matter if your inspiration stranded you in the middle of the story or at the end- no, that makes shit easier. You should be glad you didn't start at the beginning because that's hard as hell.

You can easily continue from this point in whatever direction you want- back, forward, chronically, framed or jumbled up. Whatever seems to naturally grow out of this starting point.

>> No.6375896

>>6373368
Philip Roth and Paul Auster spend 8 hours a day to write 1 to 3 pages. So take your time, bro.

>> No.6375909

>>6375896
>Philip Roth and Paul Auster spend 8 hours a day to write 1 to 3 pages

"Barbara Cartland published 722 books, averaging one book released every 40 days of her career."

>> No.6376483

I just start writing if can't start writing.

I essentially said:
>just beee yourself, maaan

But bear with me. Start from the part you know you have something to write about. As you start writing, your mind will begin to work and spits out all interesting shit. If you get an idea that you would like to implement, mark it in sidenote and work your current scene to the end. After that see what you have written as additional potential scenes and choose whatever you loathe the least. Then force start writing with that scene and like that rinze and repeat.

>> No.6376636

>get drunk
>write some drunk man shit
>edit that shit

>> No.6376833

>>6373368
My process
>invent premise
>think about similar works and other mediums that portray premises similar to my own
>try to figure out why my premise is different and decide whether or not it it is worth exploring
>if it is worth exploring pursue premise by inventing a starting point and an ending point and figuring out different moments that I can use to tie these two arbitrary points together
>figure out how to portray these moments and what perspective I need to use to maintain cohesion
>do outside research and make complicated tables and shit if/as necessary
>continue planning on and off for several months or until I finish all prior projects
>sit in front of computer and open blank word document
>find music that fits with the scene I want to write
>set to repeat
>ignore the outside world
>proceed to bash face on keyboard until I get bored/pass out
>leave/pass out several hours later
>come back later
>cringe at what I wrote and start the next chapter
>finish first draft of story using this process
>go back and revise everything at least twice
>find people to read your shit and talk to you about it
>berate them until they actually give you their honest opinion
>contemplate life choices
>use gathered opinions to rewrite more
>envy alcoholics as I go through the painstaking process of edit
>finish
>publish online because I'm an amateur who values feedback over potential profit

Tips from someone who really shouldn't be giving you advice
>don't be afraid to start from somewhere other than the beginning or skip shit if you need to, you can always come back to it
>don't be afraid to not get anything done, put in the time and the effort but don't force yourself to produce if you have to pull it out of your ass
>it's easier to write when you're feeling the right emotions, some people get drunk, some people listen to music, whatever your muse is find it
>shitty first drafts are better than nothing, you can always rewrite if you aren't satisfied
>never throw away your work, even if it sucks use it to figure out how to make it not suck
>don't get discouraged, the fact that you're pursuing this at all means that you've gotten farther than most people ever will so you better finish that shit or you'll regret not doing it

>> No.6379013

Some say
"Starting is easy, finishing is hard."

>> No.6380064

>I want to tell a story
>I can't write anything

You're either pretentious or delusional

>> No.6380072

>>6379013
ur mom

>> No.6380099

>>6373368
Im trying some ya shit, only put 2000 words and most of it is a sub plot. I notice lit that all of that I hve written is just sad shit, no ups in this story.

I might jump to other part of the story I have in mind to get just more words, my aim is 80000 words shit or not I have to reach that

Btw op I can write easily if I do it on paper, if I try the PC I just sit there for hours until I can spit some shit. Its not hipster bullshit apparently different parts of the brain light up when doing one or the other

>> No.6381830

>>6380099
Bump

>> No.6382092

>>6381830
Bump bump

>> No.6382097

>>6373368
if you cant write you probably shouldnt be trying to write.

>> No.6382099

>>6380099

write chronologically or its going to be a nightmare

esp true if this is your first time attempting anything serious/long

>> No.6382340

>>6374747
I could never bring myself to keep a dairy for fear of it being found. That sounds like a really good idea though.

>> No.6382619

>>6382099
Ive put like only 200 words today. I will try to keep the chronology but I might try a little on the last chapter.

Any advise in the all sad part? Maybe Im depressed or some shit

>> No.6382626

>>6382340
I once tried that, wrote one sentence, my family still laughs at me for that, 15 years later. I'm still scare of writing but at least I can do it a little now