What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

Miss Strawberrii said:

I feel like I'm having some identity crises, I swear.



Like the idea of seeing MY writing and MY name on/in a book is exciting. It seems so awesome.


Then, a lot of the times I just have this urge to make my stories into video games. Like making the graphics, drawing the characters, etc.


The sad thing, that though I love reading and gaming, I tend to play games more. ;_;


Both are very hobby-pacific and both have the potential to either do well or terrible based on the audience. It's all just creative hobbies. Writing isn't supposed to be my career goal. It's supposed to be something I do on the side. Like game-making.


In truth, I need to really think about my future and what solid career I should aim for one day. Secretary? Graphic Design?


Things get confusing sometimes. Don't they? XD

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There is no reason writing and game making can't both be part of you and your future. Don't feel like you have to give up on those things because you might have to take a job doing something else.

I'm not giving up on either of those things.

I just sometimes I feel more excited about making a game than writing a book.

But when I read people finishing their novel and what-not, I'm like... "I will too!"

Miss Strawberrii said:

I'm not giving up on either of those things.

I just sometimes I feel more excited about making a game than writing a book.

But when I read people finishing their novel and what-not, I'm like... "I will too!"

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Sometimes I wish I had another creative outlet in addition to writing. Consider yourself lucky that you do. I'm guessing there are times when you also are more excited about writing than game making.

I kind of know what you mean about feeling like you are being pulled in more than one direction. I go back and forth between writing fiction and nonfiction. Sometimes I feel like I should have a stronger focus on one over the other, but I really don't. It can feel a bit like an identity crisis.

Wondering if it's necessary to, after introducing my four main POVs, make a point of them all going to the same place, or just jump right into setting up the inciting incident.

I think I'm just going to jump right into it, though. I have to do something, or I'm just going to be stuck again, and I am not starting over in another few months...

When I finally decided to write my idea, I never thought this would be more personal. Not only for me, but also for my family.

My first novel to a four part series is almost done and it will be linked to the last.

I will finish all four, but now I'm not sure if I want to even get it published, self-published, etc.

It's pretty depressing when I can't manage to turn an idea into a story, much less anything remotely compelling. It makes me feel like I should just resign myself to obscurity.

I've been stuck in a rut for weeks now. Whenever I try to write something it just doesn't come out like I want it too, so then I do something else. I've gone back to drawing. At least I'm doing something creative. Maybe I just need to switch to something else for a while and the muse will come back.

Editing chapters I haven't looked at in months. Wow, am I spotting all sorts writing mistakes and flow issues. It makes me so glad! That means I'm improving as a writer. If only I could see character and plot issues as half as well now.

Good night, writers.

I haven't done 1667 words since I broke 50k a week ago. :/ A couple days it's a zero.

And I feel like I don't know what to write. Unsurety about my scenes makes me sluggish. These overlapping things... What order do I write them in? And those other things where nothing's really happening... Sigh. Cut those out.

And even though I have 50k I'm probably not going to finish this. I don't think I'm qualified to write doorstopper fantasy, as much as I want to. 200k a book?! I wish I could do that. I'm only 50k into the first of 3(ish?). It's too intimidating.

I should be writing.

Since I started working at the end of October, I've written pretty much nothing. I'm not even working that much, but since I have some mental health issues, it really drains me. Writing becomes quite difficult because I'm exhausted.

That I need to learn some restraint and actually plot out and finish one book before going off the rails with big ideas for sequels or a series.

Random Ramblings of a Random Mind

Tepelus said:

I've been stuck in a rut for weeks now. Whenever I try to write something it just doesn't come out like I want it too, so then I do something else. I've gone back to drawing. At least I'm doing something creative. Maybe I just need to switch to something else for a while and the muse will come back.

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Saddly I have no other creative outlets. Writing, and playing video games is pretty much it. But playing video games at my age (41) is actually a nice outlet for me. I am fortunate that muse is still kicking me in the butt with more ideas that can actually capture.

My biggest issue now is looking at the publishing end of things. If I am seeing it correctly (and I am assuming I am not), it should go...

Write...self edit...beta readers...edit again...find agent...agent finds publisher...a book is born. But every time I look up how it is supposed to work, I get sidelined to those irritating self publishing websites. But, I have learned tons reading the AWWC forums. And I still have tons more to lear.

Unless, of course, I self publish which I am not sure I want to do since I am happier to let an expert handle the other parts of it for me.

OK, enough random rambling for one day. I will go back to work now.

^^^ I play video games too! Though sometimes I try to make them.

I was thinking last night that I don't read enough as I should. When I have free time to do something completely random and not creative (or I'm not in the mood), reading is the last thing I choose -- unless I'm out and about.

It usually goes like... Play video game -> Watch TV show/anime -> Draw a picture -> Browse the internet -> Read

What kind of future author chooses to read last? It makes me feel bad, and weird. Sometimes I don't even want to write.

But then, like this morning, I was... "I want to write more today, then work on Ghost Shards later." ((Ghost Shards is the game I'm developing with my boyfriend and 3 of our friends)).

I probably WON'T end up writing, but working on the game instead.

*sigh* @.@

I'm at the end of the first third, and I'm both excited and overwhelmed. I'm worried that I can't handle the massive plot and its nuances. I have so many things going on and at the same time, I'm afraid it's way too straightforward and easy to follow (too easy so it's also way too easy to know what happens next).

Then again, my husband said to me the other day: "I've learned while playing role playing games that the players NEVER see the bigger picture and the GM is just pulling his/her hair because why, oh why, can't they see what awesome things the GM has planned. They just run around aimlessly until the GM hits them in the head with the plot."

So what looks like a clear red line to me isn't as visible to the reader. Still, I worry sometimes. Then I read what I've written so far and I'm like... Oh, that's great foreshadowing. And oh, I didn't remember it happened quite like that and it was surprisingly unexpected. So yay!

Also, since I'm reading The Wee Free Men I'm constantly in the state of "Oh my god, what gorgeous, wonderful, perfect, beautiful words, and awesome characters" and writing feels like the absolute best thing in the world.

Miss Strawberrii said:

^^^ I play video games too! Though sometimes I try to make them.

I was thinking last night that I don't read enough as I should. When I have free time to do something completely random and not creative (or I'm not in the mood), reading is the last thing I choose -- unless I'm out and about.

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Actually I do spend a fair amount of time reading. I have a 30 minute train ride to and from work (day job) so I usually read on the train. I switch back and forth between non-fiction and fantasy thrillers. Just depends. Last fiction books I read was Dean Koontz, "The Watchers", and "The Maze Runner" by Dashner. Right now I am working through Terry Brooks, "A Princess of Landover". Trains are great for reading. I may go back to Dean Koontz after I finish Brooks. I love Koontz.

I got separated from my novel for a while. Now it almost feels like I'm afraid to start writing again.

Currently sifting through the entire QLH thread, admiring all the fantastic progress people have made, wishing upon a star and waiting for my prince charming of a query letter to swoop in and make my story sound less incoherent to agents. Siiiiiighh.

Also struggling with sequel stuff since apparently the appeal of my first MS is the mystery, and I have no more mystery for the second one. Need to come up with mystery. And I also have no idea how to get in the head of my new fifteen-year-old perspective character.

Basically, life sucks, writing is the worst hobby in the world, and I will make the words do what I want them to or so help me GOD.

I'M recovering from a 70 day illness and multiple hospital stays. I've lost some memory and physical strength so I ask the kind souls to forgive me if I misppell or replace words in my posts. I'm trying very hard to remember the keyboard and get back up to speed, but it's very confusing and takes a lot of time.

It the meantime, I've asked to be reassigned to my science writing to see if I can possible pick up where I left off.

I'm constant not hitting the left shift key every time and screwing up my page. I'll have to do some dry runs and get that rote back.

McLovin,

Chris

I hope I can find all of the poems and short stories I wrote on my computer that crashed two years ago.

I'm not sure if my characters are nicely complex, or if this whole thing is a big hot confusing mess. Time for bed.

Troubles with a scene where MC uses a knife in a fight with a swordsman. I suppose research is the answer . . . unless somebody out there wants to write it for me????

I wish I had some clarity on what direction I should be going with my writing (mostly an age category thing).

I'm trying super hard not to mess anything up on these edits I got back from the publisher. Some of them are easy fixes, but some conversations have impact on the rest of the story and it's like playing Jenga.

Trying to decide whether the story I'm working on has enough plot in it. The conflict and resolution are mostly internal, for one of the characters, and if I don't convey it well, it might just read like two people talking until they stop talking.