/lit/ - Literature

>>6473305

By realizing your overarching idea isn't that great and practicing your writing craft to get better.

by writing. there is no trick

also your story is probably shit

>>6473309
>>6473314
I'm not looking for a trick. I want to know what *people who actually write* do to motivate themselves to get into and write.

>>6473305
>10 books worth
>interconnecting story arc

My own ideas have been similarly tough to get off the ground; I have several (distinct) books-worth of long-form ideas, and every time I try and tackle one to the exclusion of the others I get so many new ideas that I can't finish.

I've decided to cut my ideas down until they're tiny, until I can write a 10-page story that has everything I want it to have, and then move on. I figure that if it worked for James Joyce (Dubliners) then it can work for me. And you don't sacrifice the "grand scheme" by doing so. Dubliners, for instance, is not just 14 independent stories.

Also, dude, not to be a dick, but nobody wants to read that 10-book megafantasy extravaganja. And before you say "but it's not fantasy", you're not Proust, so you should probably pare it down to one book, if that.

I'd be curious, however, to see what kind of ideas you have, if you're keen to share.

>>6473339
hmm that's an interesting idea you have. I hadn't considered condensing everything down like that, because I do have that same problem.

well no, it isnt fantasy. its basically just a bunch of different stories set in the same world with only subtle indication that they're connected.

generic hipster love story, set in 2014
dadrock flavored mystery, set in 1977
lovecraftian cosmic horror tale, set in 1940's
edgelord grunge kids plan a school shooting, set in 1995
an autistic adult man rages at nignogs, set in 2006
some dudes get caught up in the scheming of big business over the next major energy source and gain inhuman abilities, set in 2040's

obviously I'm being vague here

>>6473305
Who is the painter? I keep forgetting

>>6473383
Elvis Presley, Burning Love

>>6473305
I find sitting at a laptop frustrating. I have an android phone so it has the memo app and I write mostly on that and upload to laptop on my weekends. Good thing about the app is I can sit and write anywhere I want so I dont have to sit and try for the magic.

Also booze helps.

>>6473412
thank you for your reply and for not being a fuckin dick

What's the average word count on a story in Dubliners?

>>6473305
Adderall

>>6473383
Anyone?

>>6473305

I can guaranfuckingtee that you do not have 10 books worth

10 chapter books worth, MAYBE

>>6473339

>making a comp book

is this ok to do?

Just have a book composed of many short stories?

golly I thought you had to be somebody and also be dead before you can do that

>>6473327
yeah, you're gonna have to write it...
take your ideas, set a beginning
start over your interconnecting arc, for the beginning, and detail it

>>6473305
one advice

What you have to understand, is that if you want writing to be a part of your life, you're going to have a lot of ideas. But not all of them are worthy of being novels. Pick the best idea out if 100, 1000, 1000000 ideas and work on that.

>>6473524

What if I want to write like the sci-fi writer LEM

>>6473506
okay, you're right. right now my content is nowhere near large enough to cover 10 fully fleshed novels. but I know that, once expanded upon, there will be enough. maybe even more than I what I listed in >>6473380

>>6473514
I suppose you can do anything you want to with the works that you create

>>6473521
I was thinking of sitting down with a piece of paper and making a huge timeline. I'd have to detail the relating plot points and whatnot. its hard for me to do that because I'm scared I'll develop more ideas than I should bother with

>>6473524
I do understand this but I want to write these stories for practice. I am not seeking out a publisher or an audience

index cards, nigga.

take three cards.

beginning

middle

end

write what happens in each.

start adding cards in between to flesh it out.

done.

other tips:

write every day. doesn't matter what it is. even if it's jibberish. write even if you don't feel like writing.

read everyday. can't write if you can't read.

quit bitchin' and write the damned book.

>>6473658
>>6473682
I appreciate you. I saw the Breaking Bad writing team use the index card method and became curious as to whether or not it could work for novel writing. I feel a bit better now

I'm writing my first novel at the moment. Thing is, I think the characters would play well in lots of different stories and within lots of different genres. I have three books planned out, with the first one about sixty percent complete. I've got three POV characters spanning the books.

I've been getting them each to tackle a different kind of challenge per book, with their stories interlocking, setting up the next act for each other. Furthermore, one overall theme will permeate each book that is distinct from the last and applies to all characters. I intend each characters section per book to have a different feel. One might feel like a bleak war story, one might feel like a romantic drama, one might feel like a noir thriller with a touch of horror. For example:

POV A - adventure, loss of innocence
POV B - mystery, intrigue
POV C - survival, tragedy

POV A - mystery, political drama, romance
POV B - adventure, self-discovery
POV C - revolution, rebellion

POV A - survival, tragedy
POV B - intrigue, political drama
POV C - war, bonding

Does this seem like a good idea at all?

>>6473797
PLEASE GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD I HAVE BEEN PLANNING THE SAME THING.

the last thing I mentioned in >>6473380 is essentially EXACTLY what you detailed. I began work on that idea in 2011 and the rest of the stories have formed around it

Kek, great minds.

if i have too many ideas, i do what Borges did and pretend like the book i'm thinking of already exists

>>6473863
I often feel that way with the one I'm working on, which I described as a "generic hipster love story." I've never read a book aimed at a 17-25 year old female but now I'm writing one.

One page a day

>>6473305
You sit.
You write.
For the most part, that's it. Time and personal status may be important factors. I find it easiest to write when I'm nearly falling asleep in my chair. I don't care enough to judge my words as I write them so I don't get tripped up in semantics. When you are livid in some way, shape, or form is also a good productive time to write.

And, if you've ever written any paper you had a ghost of a chance of failing, you'd realize that drafts can be fun if you actually write with them in mind, so go ahead, shitpost your way through ten novels worth, then go back and fix that bullshit.

>>6473863
chances are it does exist and is already a cliche in some circles no matter what idea you have

Trying to write something:

What is the name for those big door handles on big steel doors and stuff?
the ones that you have to spin around in order to release the locking mechanism? the really heavy duty door handle thing

>>6474087

A hatch-wheel, release-wheel or locking-wheel if you're talking about a submarine.

On a bank vault it would just be termed a locking mechanism, handle or release. They're often really unique, so I don't think there's catch-all term.

>>6473305

You just write mate. Seriously, just write. Even if it is total bullshit. Novels go through multiple drafts and if you have the privilege to read an early draft, it is often a nonsensical pile of smeared shit with hundreds of plotholes, continuity errors and poor wording. But then you go back and fix it. And fix it again. And again. Then get an editor to fix it. It still might be shit after that to be honest.

Thing is, I find, especially in the early drafts, working on a computer is a terrible idea. Work on paper, with a pen. You can't go through selectively deleting an spellchecking everything, so you focus on the story and get yourself into the mind of the characters. Doesn't matter if you fuck up, keep writing until you reach your desired plot point. Then rewrite it. Then put that draft onto a computer and start inserting the bits you want. Having to type it up means that inspiration might strike in a forgotten paragraph.

It's the same with most things. A tight movie script produces a good performance, but never a great one. The great moments in films come from inspiration. A bored actor changing his lines, a random sound, a background event, a broken prop. Same with writing. Go back to basics.

>>6474172
interesting perspective. and coincidentally I just received a blank notebook to write in as a gift. this could actually really help me

>>6474172
>>6474244

what is an acceptable word count for a chapter

is 1,000 words too short

some of you people manage 10,000+ a chapter which I have no idea how the fuck you manage that

>>6474284
It doesn't matter... just write it. Word counts are irrelevant early on because all the re-writing and editing you'll do will totally change it. A chapter should be as long as it needs to be to move your plot along and to the next chapter.

>>6474284

1000 words is definitely too short.

And it depends on the length of your story and what you deem to be a 'chapter' of it. Chapters aren't a set amount of words, they're a specific plot cycle within the larger plot.

>>6474313

Just to clarify, I say 1000 words is too short because - unless it is some kind of short intelude, prologue or epilogue to the next chapter - it would only be a couple of pages long.

>>6474313
>>6474303

I don't know, maybe I'm just shit at breaking chapters up but my w.c is very low

>>6474313
1,000 words for a chapter is not too short if it fulfills its purpose in the plot. Brevity is the soul of wit, after all.

>>6474313
>>6474318

i have similar concerns
i an perpetually perplexed at what on earth one would discuss for over 20,000 words and have it not be an exercise in tedium for the reader

>>6473586
you have ten books worth
you want to be writing
develop each idea and write them all
ditch the poorly written/developed

>>6474321
the only time you should give a fuck about word count is when you're forcing yourself to do NaNoWriMo. >>6474323 is correct in that you need only to write what needs to be said to move the whole thing along. it's always easy to tell when a writer waters down a powerful moment or detail by stretching it out to fill three paragraphs would it could have just been one powerful sentence. focus more on the quality in this case

>>6474321

Then it's a short story, or you are breaking up larger acts into chapters too frequently. As I said, a chappter is like a smaller plot within the larger one. Something is overcome, something is realised etc. They need a reason to exist.

Think of them like movie 'acts'. For example, if I were to break Star Wars into chapters:

>Assault on the Tantive IV, Droids in the Desert, Capture by Jawas
>Luke discovers the Droids and the Message, Search for R2D2 and Meeting Ben Kenobi
>Conversation with Ben, Destruction of Luke's Home
>Mos Eisley Cantina and Escape from Tatooine, Destruction of Alderaan
>Infiltration of the Death Star, FInding Leia, Trash Compactor
>Obi Wan shuts off the Tractor Beam, Duel with Vader, Death of Obi Wan, Escape from the Death Star
>Yavin 4, Rebel Meeting, Prepping the Fighters, Han Abandons the Rebels
>Battle of the Death Star, Trench Run, Han Returns, Death Star Destroyed

Each chapter contains multiple 'scenes' tied into a larger narrative that ends at a defined point. The rescue from the Tusken, the Death of Lukes Parents, the Death of Ben. Each one of these points leaves the heroes with a predicament they can sort out in the next chapter. In this way, you end up with a series of small dramatic pojnts that get resolved in the next chapter, permitting an overall resolution at the end.

>>6474368
I'm glad you brought up this movie analogy cos it'll allow me to segue into some more advice. when you're writing, visualize it like a movie scene. when the camera angle changes you should do a paragraph break.

obviously this doesnt apply to every single thing you write but it can really help your pacing

>>6474368
I know my problem now
I don't treat chapters as mini arcs
I'd:
>chapter x
>mos eisley cantina
>chapter y
>tatooine escape

>>6473305
>how did/do you overcome this?

Lots of whiskey and lots of coffee.

Here I am 94 thousand words later.

>>6474494

Just do a page break when you need to do the next scene within the same arc. Transitions, as such.

>>6473305
>>6473327
I don't have to motivate myself. I like writing. I spend 10+ hours writing non-stop some weekends. I end up dehydrated and hungry. It's as easy as spending time with someone you love or your best friend. You look forward to it. And you never want to stop. I don't know why people would force themselves to do something they don't enjoy. If you have to force yourself to sit down and write, maybe writing isn't for you. Once you find something you actually enjoy doing you'll know what I'm talking about.

>>6473305
If you start writing and get into a rhythm, you will keep writing and surprise yourself. Then you might stop writing, and then a day or two later you can write again when you have time.

It's kind of like doing anything else in life, you stupid fuckface.

>>6474509
heading to the liquor store now, thanks

>>6474553
I do feel this way when I actually write. its just I procrastinate doing it even though I enjoy it

>>6474573
duly noted, faggot

>>6473380
So basically Cloud Atlas.