# What is the hardest part of writing?



## Aleu (May 26, 2013)

Whether for beginners or those who are more experienced, there's always got to be that ONE thing that you have an issue with. Character naming? Creation? Perhaps deciding on a setting or plot?

For myself, it's starting it up. Plot just comes randomly to me so that's not much of a problem. Character creation and naming are moderately difficult but I can usually manage. However when I get everything all squared away when I want to actually sit my butt down and TYPE IT, I can't think of a beginning. I can write the middle, conflict, random events, hell, even the ending! But the introduction, to me, is the most difficult part. I don't even know why that is. It just IS.

So, what are your biggest issues when you want to write something?


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## Troj (May 26, 2013)

I'd say the most troublesome part of writing, by far, is the elusiveness and trickiness of The Muse. 

It often seems like The Muse kicks in hardestwhen I can't afford to sit down and write, and peters out when I could be writing. It's maddening. 

Procrastination is another bugbear, and I think it's primarily fueled by my fear that I might write something sub-par that might "stick."

Of course, occasionally, I'll get stuck at critical points in the plot, and/or I'll get stuck on the "why" or "how" of something important to the story. Inspiration usually tends to come when I _stop_ thinking about it.


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## Conker (May 26, 2013)

Starting for me. Everything else comes, somewhat hard or easy, but it comes. But sitting down with a blank page to make it grow? That's a bitch.

I have problems naming characters as well.


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## septango (May 26, 2013)

definatly starting, this is gunna seem stupid, but ALWAYS re write your opening once you got the the main jist down


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## Dracologist84 (May 26, 2013)

The reason that starting a story is hard is because its the most important part of the story.  Everything about a story relies on the the introduction.  Is it going to be sad, funny, exciting, interesting, smart, dramatic.  All of this has to be established in the first few sentences of a story in order to set the entire mood for however long it is.

The hardest part of writing is just the writing part.  Getting up in the morning, sitting down and beginning to type.  It's not like you don't have other things you'd like to do, but it's a passion and you want to see your story to the end.  So yes, the hardest part of typing is typing itself, but it's also the most rewarding when you've finished.  My celebration ritual for when I finish writing is to smoke a cigar on my porch, regardless of what time it is, and then taking a long bath so that I can think of what I'm going to write in the next part.  Then the cycle starts all over again.


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## Aleu (May 27, 2013)

septango said:


> definatly starting, this is gunna seem stupid, but ALWAYS re write your opening once you got the the main jist down


Man I know that well. I've rewritten one part like three times already. My mind is just screaming at me "GET ON WITH IT. GOD"


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## Symlus (May 27, 2013)

I can start easily. I can generate nameless characters, write bios for them, and tell you the plot. However, now this is going to sound stupid, but the hardest part for me is name generation. Whenever I have an "idea" for a name, it's always Jack / Matt / Levi / Dudeguy or Maria / Jane / Olivia / Womanlady. I can't name people for money. 

Oh, and staying on plot, and not sudden changes in the plot like "X died, Y and Z continue living on... Blah blah blah, shit happens, and suddenly, HUGE REVEAL!!! Antagonist is X from an alternate universe, flown to XYZ planet for random shit, blah blah blah, and sudden death as A is murdered brutally by Jack." Just... Sudden, random mind ramblings. "Oh neat, let's have Alt Universe X be actually a good guy, help Y & Z against perceived ally Jack, who murdered A."


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## Schwimmwagen (May 27, 2013)

The hardest part for me is like... well lets just say that I have a lot of talking. I'm not really working on it as a book yet, just a bunch of seperate drabbles. I think these conversations are meaningful and extremely important to the story, yet the hard part for me is thinking about how to progress the story with all these drabbles and keeping it truly interesting and engaging and exciting.

What I've got so far is more like some small book of wisdom. I don't think it's bad in itself, but it's a bit on the niche side. I want it to be enjoyable and exciting _in addition_ to being thought-provoking.

I have a pretty badass idea though, but I'm just stumped on how to write that and put all these "deep" bits in. I think I will have to settle for the development of the story being slow-paced.


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## M. LeRenard (May 27, 2013)

The hardest part for me is plot.  I have lots of ideas, sure, but then I end up second-guessing myself about each one.  Basically, I'll have an idea, start writing an outline for it, then go, "Nah, that's been done before" and scrap it.
I realized what I should do is not worry so much about that and instead focus on what I'm good at, which is writing characters.  That, at least, feels like it comes naturally to me.  But with plot... I don't know, I think I just have too high of standards, so everything I write ends up becoming cerebral and confusing and sort of dull.

Also, if you can't think of a beginning, you should start writing in the middle instead.  If you feel a need to add more on top of that later, fine, but usually stories are better when they just sort of start in the middle of something, and it'll get you going quicker.


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## Dracologist84 (May 29, 2013)

People worry too much on "It's been done before".  The fact is that some events are more common place than others, BUT even if the story has been told, it hasn't been told from your perspective, or your character's opinions.  If you want to write something, just write it.  As long as your story is elaborated in your way with your characters, it will be an original story.


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## AmaruneEbony (May 29, 2013)

My biggest issue is continuing once I've started, especially after I've hit a spell of writer's block. I can create characters, come up with little plots or at least ideas to create a plot, get a general outline, and even get started just fine, but when it comes to actually following through and writing the whole thing I get stumped. 

I come to a scene transition or the end of a chapter and *BAM!* there's a wall there in my mind and I can't figure out how to proceed.


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## Dracologist84 (May 29, 2013)

Sometimes when I get stumped I just read the story from the beginning and it usually helps me to refocus.


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## Bahumat (May 30, 2013)

Putting in the hours.

If I'm going to treat writing seriously, I have to, well, treat it seriously. That means hours, every day, ass-in-chair-fingers-on-keys, writing. Treating it as a job instead of a hobby; disciplining yourself to just write, just keep on writing, for the next four, five hours, every day you can. 

Every other problem pales in comparison; every other problem is just a measure of not enough hours in working on it.


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## ADF (Jun 1, 2013)

I'd say starting, as a blank page is difficult to push past. But the biggest problem for me is my dyslexia, and knowing no matter how much I proof read a piece; the gremlin in my head will have the fuck up filters on and I'll look right past blatant errors like using wrong but similar sounding words. I read a piece I wrote five months ago and what do I find? "Clam down" instead of "calm down", amongst other things. It's demotivating to know no matter how hard you try, you're going to muck up and no amount of scrutiny will change that.


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## Conker (Jun 1, 2013)

Bahumat said:


> Putting in the hours.
> 
> If I'm going to treat writing seriously, I have to, well, treat it seriously. That means hours, every day, ass-in-chair-fingers-on-keys, writing. Treating it as a job instead of a hobby; disciplining yourself to just write, just keep on writing, for the next four, five hours, every day you can.
> 
> Every other problem pales in comparison; every other problem is just a measure of not enough hours in working on it.


This is a damn good answer. I wish I had more time to just write, and I've wound up compromising with myself, which only amounts to two or three hours a week. I have a small blog that I make myself update once a week on whatever I want, usually reviews of books or something like that. Video game stuff lately. 

It feels good to write and to create stuff, even if what I create winds up being essays or editorials. But I'd like more time and more energy to write all the same.


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## Aleu (Jun 1, 2013)

ADF said:


> I'd say starting, as a blank page is difficult to push past. But the biggest problem for me is my dyslexia, and knowing no matter how much I proof read a piece; the gremlin in my head will have the fuck up filters on and I'll look right past blatant errors like using wrong but similar sounding words. I read a piece I wrote five months ago and what do I find? "Clam down" instead of "calm down", amongst other things. It's demotivating to know no matter how hard you try, you're going to muck up and no amount of scrutiny will change that.


I do that more often when I'm writing rather than typing. I have no idea why but when I do make a mistake, I notice it and try to correct it while making the SAME MISTAKE a billion times. 
DOG BAMMIT >:C


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## ADF (Jun 1, 2013)

Aleu said:


> I do that more often when I'm writing rather than typing. I have no idea why but when I do make a mistake, I notice it and try to correct it while making the SAME MISTAKE a billion times.
> DOG BAMMIT >:C



While I cannot remember the specific ones right now, there are a few words were my hands will type out what I know to be the incorrect spelling; and I have to go back and correct it. It's like your hands are using different software to your head :?


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## Alexxx-Returns (Jun 1, 2013)

For me, the hardest part (which tends to slow a project up for months at a time) is stitching together all the main events of the story to make it all flow together. These bits tend to feel, to the story, less meaningful than the 'main' parts. Guess it doesn't help that when I plan a story in my head, all I really see are the big plot points which come to me a lot easier.


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## LogicfromLogic (Jun 1, 2013)

Staying on subject for me. I tend to branch my stories out without a true main character.


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## sunandshadow (Jun 2, 2013)

Plot and motivation.  The plot part's probably self-explanatory, yes?  The motivation part is that I am not a compulsive writer, nor do I have any particular urge to have my writing be published or read.


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## miskey (Jun 7, 2013)

i would have to say the hardest part would be...nothing, cause I'm that good :V

But seriously, it sometimes takes me forever to think of a name for characters, but the hardest, and most difficult part, is the plot. Sometimes I feel like it doesn't flow, or it needs a little extra, or a little less. Second guessing is a huge issue for me, though I've gotten better. 

And, I can't seem to make my character be serious. I just love the sarcastic characters, which all my characters have been. When I want them to be all "Look, I was just wandering the halls. What are you planning?", it's more of a: "Hey, I was just looking for the bathroom. You should hang some signs up or something. Oh, and I saw your office, love the plans to take over the world by the way. Though, a little overused, don't ya think? Maybe you should come up with something more original. Like taking over Dairy Queen, or Burger King...or Starbucks! Their coffee is terrible, like warm piss in a cup."

I also use foil a lot, which I guess is a good thing, in moderation of course.


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## Alexxx-Returns (Jun 8, 2013)

miskey said:


> And, I can't seem to make my character be serious. I just love the sarcastic characters, which all my characters have been. When I want them to be all "Look, I was just wandering the halls. What are you planning?", it's more of a: "Hey, I was just looking for the bathroom. You should hang some signs up or something. Oh, and I saw your office, love the plans to take over the world by the way. Though, a little overused, don't ya think? Maybe you should come up with something more original. Like taking over Dairy Queen, or Burger King...or Starbucks! Their coffee is terrible, like warm piss in a cup."



That sounds like an awesome skill! Having humour here and there is a good thing. I'm the exact opposite with dialogue, unable to create characters which are more laid back like that (I can't write humour to save my life) and everything gets way too serious.


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## miskey (Jun 8, 2013)

AlexxxLupo said:


> That sounds like an awesome skill! Having humour here and there is a good thing. I'm the exact opposite with dialogue, unable to create characters which are more laid back like that (I can't write humour to save my life) and everything gets way too serious.


See, that's what I want, but not always serious. I want to have a balance between the 2 but it just won't happen. Everytime I try and write serious, it doesn't seem to fit


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## Cain (Jun 9, 2013)

Continuing.
Thankfully, my muse decides to come up a plethora of varying ideas and such, I have no trouble with plot and such. I start writing, then after an amount of time I just lack the motivation to continue writing. Every so often I come across a story I started to write from way back and thinking 'Wow, I really love this idea. Wish I could continue it.'


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## unwisedragon (Jun 9, 2013)

When I'm writing and then suddenly realize that I took a wrong turn and now the story arc I was pursuing is about five thousand words that <-- way. It's hard to accept that you need to store everything you spent last week writing in a "junk" file.


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## Justthedoctor (Jun 13, 2013)

Aleu said:


> Whether for beginners or those who are more experienced, there's always got to be that ONE thing that you have an issue with. Character naming? Creation? Perhaps deciding on a setting or plot?
> 
> For myself, it's starting it up. Plot just comes randomly to me so that's not much of a problem. Character creation and naming are moderately difficult but I can usually manage. However when I get everything all squared away when I want to actually sit my butt down and TYPE IT, I can't think of a beginning. I can write the middle, conflict, random events, hell, even the ending! But the introduction, to me, is the most difficult part. I don't even know why that is. It just IS.
> 
> So, what are your biggest issues when you want to write something?




It depends on the length of the story! If it's a book-length story, the hardest part for me is not just getting bored with it and writing something else. If it's a short one to three page story, the hardest part for me is definitely the part right AFTER the beginning. Not the middle, but the mid-portion of the intro.

It's not that hard to start off _strong _with Malasin Legionnaires dressed up in full badassery blowing open an airlock and pouring into an enemy Cruiser toting machineguns and napalm-cannons... But the part RIGHT AFTER that? I mean, like: When they're done setting people's bones on fire, what do they do?

That's the part that makes me sit there for nine hours smashing my head against the wall.


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