# Commitment



## Swiftz (Dec 4, 2011)

So i have this story i have been poking at but never got around to fully "writing it" mostly just in my spare time ill take a sheet of paper and just do a really rough outline of the first couple couple pages but i never really stay with it and usually just throw it away and start over on a different date. I mean itz not that i dont want to write the story i just dont think that whatever i write iz what i wanted and just figure the perfect intro to the story would come to me or would it be better to like "get in the zone" and sit down and just think about it? itz not really writers block more like the opposite, where i have so many ideas on how to start the story but i just cant pick one >.<  I know if i could write like i read i would have the first couple chapters done in a few hours ^_^ but i cant seem to get over the beginning hump. Any advice would be really helpful thanks!


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## â™¥Mirandaâ™¥ (Dec 4, 2011)

I'd recommend trying to get yourself in the "zone" for writing. Once you're in that mood where you want to write, just vomit words onto the page. Write your entire first draft without even stopping to think

Once you're done, revise the fuck out of it

The goal with the first draft is to get all your ideas onto paper. Somehow

If you're thinking of a longer work, like a novel, then I'd say it's best to write out a synopsis. A summary of the novel you're about to write. Once you have that framework, you'll find expanding it into a story much easier


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## BRN (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm not going to lie, I suffer exactly the same problem. Ironically, my _only_ finished story started out as an extension of a few random paragraphs that I'd written over a year before...

Write whenever you can. Don't expect to create a story - but keep everything you write. When an idea comes to you, try fitting it in with something you've already written. Eventually, what you have gets longer and longer - until you can really start to make the story write itself.

Don't forget to revisit every paragraph you write every so often. Your writing style will change with time, and you might find yourself unhappy with paragraphs you've already written. And most importantly, ask for some critique from a trusted friend. Their encouragement is gold.


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## sunandshadow (Dec 4, 2011)

Nobody writes like they read.  It is not humanly possible.  Though I always wondered what would happen if you hypnotized a writer and told them to write a novel.


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## kobuzero (Dec 4, 2011)

I have a couple stories like that too. I am not a good writer by any means and I know it, but I want to write them anyway. So when I feel like writing, I work on it, bit by bit it will get finished someday. 
Once I'm done adding to it, I go back and revise it, maybe read all of what I have back to myself, to see if it will jog some more ideas.


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## Swiftz (Dec 5, 2011)

sunandshadow said:


> Nobody writes like they read.  It is not humanly possible.


What i meant by this was when i start reading i dont really stop until  i notice the time. Like ill start to read a book and before i know it a couple hours have gone by


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## M. LeRenard (Dec 5, 2011)

As with anything, from doing homework to doing the dishes to writing, getting over any hump is just a matter of pushing yourself over it.  There's nothing more complicated about it.  If you really want to see progress in your works, go ahead and organize your thoughts and your time to sit down and make some progress.  'The zone' doesn't come naturally for a thing like this (well... on rare occasions it does, but it's not effective to rely on that rarity), but you are able to force your way into it.  I'd suggest giving that a try.


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## Kapherdel (Dec 6, 2011)

I've had your problem, and it is tough to get around.  Just start writing, as some of the posters above me have told you.  I usually come up with about five different ways to start a book before actually writing it, and many times I'll have an idea bouncing around in my head for weeks until I decide to write/type it.  Pick a single intro that you like, and don't stop.  Once you get to the point where you don't want to write any more, review the book and change anything that you feel is out of place.  But don't worry about how the words look until you revise it. 

Designate a few hours just for writing if you need to.  Use one of the ideas you have and let it flow out.  Don't try to edit your story as you go along either, that can wait until the end.  Add more ideas as you go along, and you should be able to get somewhere if you're anything like me.


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## Mollfie (Dec 8, 2011)

Have you done any planning? I like to plan at least the first half of a novel before I even start writing it. I do lots of character development first because it's those characters that drive my story.

The simplest advice I can give is, just write. Even if it's awful it's fine just keep writing. You need to get into the habit. I have to make myself write even if I don't want to, otherwise I don't get paid, I wouldn't have a degree and a masters and I wouldn't have written two novels this year, so it can be done! All the other writers I know, both published and unpublished would say the same.

It's also really good to get into a habit of writing at around the same time everyday. Make yourself a little space, be it on the sofa or at a desk, and write there. That way you will associate that place with working and get into the habit much more easily.

Don't edit as you go along, you end up going over and over things and never progressing. It can be hard and there's nothing wrong with correcting a glaringly bad sentence, but try not to go crazy with it. Save that for when you're done. I would workshop my work as I wrote it, but be careful with that too as sometimes you end up falling over yourself trying to correct things so much that you lose sight of your original intentions.

Keep it fun! Writing should be something you enjoy. Yes some days it can feel like a total chore so try to stay motivated by giving yourself little treats. Give yourself targets, be it 500 words a day or 2000 and reward yourself when you achieve those goals.


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## NineTiger (Dec 26, 2011)

I never wrote anything of any length until I got into an apa (Anime-Janai, then Revision X). We had a writing dealine. Deadlines will get you motivated


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## BakuWolfie (Jan 12, 2012)

I have only just started out writing just a month or two back and I have struggled to write. 
As the posters have said dont edit as you write it. Since i broke my netbook recently, i have taken to writing on paper and i will do this in future for my stories and chapters. Simply if you write it down you cant edit it as much as you could on a computer. Once i have enough i will start to type it up, adding detail and fixing any errors.
Thats all i have figured out recently, sorry its not too much help ^^;;;


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## Kitutal (Jan 17, 2012)

I managed quite well for a while adding little bits to a few unfinished stories, depending on which I had an idea for, until I suddenly got bored of them all and wanted to do something different and less childish (most of the ideas were thought up as a child and left partly finished from there).
One thing I found that works rather well is chocolate, only allow yourself some once you have written a certain amount in the day.
Another that can on occasion is to tell yourself you are going to write one page for each idea you are working on.

Also nanowrimo. They let you write a collection of short stories, if that is more your thing, and you get to meet people in the same situation and sit in cafe's (with very good looking barmen) writing together and complaining about how little you've done.


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